Access to Adoption Records

About Adoption Records

An adoption record consists of the following paperwork:

• Adoptee's original birth certificate and a birth certificate that was changed
• Identifying information
• Final order of adoption
• Final order of relinquishment, where a parent or parents give up their right(s) as parent(s)
• Order ending rights of parent(s)
• Non-identifying information

Identifying information includes the following:

• Name of adoptee before adoption
• Name and address of each birth parent from birth records
• Name, address, and contact information of adult adoptee
• Current name, address, and contact information of each birth parent, if known
• Other information that might personally identify a birth parent

Non-identifying information includes the following:

• Information that doesn't reveal names, addresses, employment, or other information that could identify the birth parents
• What the birth parents look like
• Where the birth parents went to school
• What the birth parents do for a living
• Genetic information about the birth family, such as diseases that run in the family
• Medical information about the adoptee's birth
• History of who cared for the adoptee until adoption and who adopted the adoptee
• Social information about the birth parents, such as class or race

You can find more information about adoption records as defined in 19-1-103(6.5), C.R.S. (Colorado Revised Statutes) or Colorado law.

Additional Resources

Visit the Colorado Department of Human Services for more information.

Email: cdhs_coadoptionrecords@state.co.us

Who Can Look at an Adoption Record?

Adoption records are confidential and are not available to the general public.

The following individuals may look at an adoption record:

• Adult adoptees
• Adoptive parent of minor adoptee
• Custodial grandparent of a minor adoptee
• Attorney for any person listed above
• Confidential intermediary

The following individuals may look at an adoption record if they have notarized written consent or permission from the adult adoptee, or if they show proof that the adult adoptee is dead:

• Spouse of adult adoptee or adult adoptee's partner in a civil union
• Adult descendant of adult adoptee
• Adult sibling (brother or sister) or half-sibling of adult adoptee
• Adoptive parent or grandparent of adult adoptee
• Attorney for any individual listed above

How to Request Access to an Adoption Record

Download and fill out JDF 532 Request for Access to Adoption Records.

Tips for completing JDF 532:

• Follow the prompts to complete the form.
• You don't need to know your case number.
• Identify who you are in #3 so the court knows why you should have access to the records.
• If you are not one of the individuals who are allowed by Colorado law to have access to the record, fill out #4 to tell the court why you need access to the adoption record.
• You may want to review the Indian Child Welfare Act, sections 1917 and 1951, to answer #5.

How to prove your identity to the court and demonstrate your relationship to the adoptee whose adoption record you are requesting

Download JDF 494 Instructions for Access to Adoption Records and use the hyperlink on page 3 to see a list of documents that the court will accept to show your identity.

You will need to include one or more documents from the list. Allow time to get your documents together so that you may include them with your request to access adoption records.

The documents come from a variety of government and other organizations. Follow the requirements of those government or other organizations if you don't have the needed documents in your possession and you need to request copies.

How to deliver your paperwork to the court

Give the district court the completed form and documents:

• JDF 532 Request for Access to Adoption Records
• Document(s) showing your identity
• Document(s) showing your relationship to the adult adoptee

You may mail your paperwork to the court. If you decide to mail your paperwork, mail your original request and copies of your identity and relationship documents. Your original request must be notarized.

Is there a fee for accessing an adoption record?

The fees for accessing an adoption record include the cost to have the record delivered to the courthouse if it is offsite, copies of paperwork in the file, and postage to mail the record to you, if need be. The court location will tell you what those costs are.

If you are unable to afford a filing fee, visit JDF 205.

After You Submit Your Request to the Court

If you submit your request in person and are one of the individuals that may access the record:

You may be able to look at the record after the clerk checks your identity and relationship to the adult adoptee. This will be determined by the local court process.

The clerk will find the record and prepare it if you're going to look at it at the courthouse. Some court locations store records offsite. If the file is stored offsite, you may have to come back later, or the clerk may have to send a copy of the record to you.

If you submit your request by mail and are one of the individuals that may access the record:

The clerk will mail you a copy of the record after checking your identity and relationship to the adult adoptee.

The clerk will find the record and prepare it. Some court locations store records offsite. It may take longer to receive a copy of the record if the file is stored offsite.

If you are not one of the individuals that may access the record:

The judge will look at your request and decide if you will be allowed to access the record. You should receive a copy of the judge's order telling you whether you can or cannot access the adoption record.

If the judge decides to allow access to the record, the clerk will find the record and prepare it. Some court locations store records offsite. It may take longer to receive a copy of the record if the file is stored offsite.