What Is the Age Limit for Adoptive Parents in America?

• January 15, 2019

Infographic Text: What Is the Age Limit for Adoptive Parents in America?

The answer depends on where you live. Only 16 states list specific minimum age requirements for adoption.

These states require the parents to be at least 18 years old:

• Connecticut
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Montana
• New Jersey
• Tennessee
• Washington

These states require the parents to be at least 21 years old:

• Colorado
• Delaware
• Oklahoma

These states require the parents to be at least 25 years old:

• Georgia
• Idaho

These states require the parents to be at least 10 years older than the adopted child (or 15 in Idaho’s case):

• California
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• South Dakota
• Utah

No states have an upper age limit for adoptive parents. So long as you are physically stable enough to care for a child, you can adopt from a government agency. Some private agencies, however, put a cut-off at the age of 40.

If you need help determining whether adoption is appropriate for your situation, consider speaking to a therapist.

References:

1. Domestic vs international adoption. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2TPAHRF
2. Spence, V. (n.d.) Is there an age limit in adoption? Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2ST1HiY
3. What are the top 10 requirements to adopt a child. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2QQ7ZOw

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