At What Age Can I Begin To Search?

by Nicole Humphrey | More from this Blogger

25 Jul 2006 12:51 PM

One of the most often asked questions is - how old does an adoptee have to be before they can search? Unfortunately, there is not one single answer. Every state is different in it's rules and regulations as to the age of consent to search.

What you are looking for particularly is called The Age of Consent or The Age of Majority. This is the age at which a person residing in a particular state is legally considered an adult. This is a typical qualification for obtaining information from adoption records.

Don't misunderstand. You can start searching whenever you feel like it. However, the amount of information available to you changes considerably with the age of majority.

Here is a quick tip sheet on the states and their legal age of majority:

Alabama - 19 years old

Alaska - 18 years old

Arizona - 18 years old

Arkansas - 21 years old

California - 18 years old

Colorado - 18 years old for women/21 years old for men (how do you like that?)

Connecticut - 18 years old

Delaware - 18 years old

District of Columbia - 18 years old

Florida - 18 years old

Georgia - 18 years old

Hawaii - 18 years old

Idaho - 18 years old

Illinois - 18 years old

Indiana - 21 years old

Iowa - 18 years old

Kansas - 18 years old

Kentucky - 21 years old for "adult adopted person"

Louisiana - 18 years old

Maine - 18 years old

Maryland - 18 years old, 21 for enrollment in registry)

Massachusetts - 18 years old

Michigan - 18 years old

Minnesota - 19 years old

Mississippi - 21 years old

Missouri - 21 years old

Montana - 18 years old

Nebraska - 19 years old

Nevada - 18 years old

New Hampshire - 18 years old

New Jersey - 18 years old

New Mexico - 18 years old

New York - 18 years old, however must be 21 to request adoption related info.

North Carolina - 18 years old, however must be 21 to receive non-id. info

North Dakota - 21 years old

Ohio - 18 years old

Oklahoma - 18 years old

Oregon - 18 years old

Pennsylvania - 18 years old

Rhode Island - 18 years old

South Carolina - 18 years old

South Dakota - 18 years old

Tennessee - 18 years old

Texas - 18 years old

Utah - 18 years old

Vermont - 18 years old

Virginia - 18 years old

Washington - 18 years old

West Virginia - 18 years old

Wisconsin - 18 years old

Wyoming - 19 years old

This information will help you when you begin your search. You are looking for the state the adoption actually took place in, not your birth state.

Good luck!

Learn more about Nicole Humphrey

Nicole Humphrey is a freelance writer, consultant for CTMH and a Sr. Blogger for families.com. She resides in St. Charles, Missouri with Mike and their five children and two furbabies.

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