Step-Parent Adoption
Four requirements of third-party adoptions are eliminated or waived by Section 63-9-1110 of South Carolina Code of Laws for step-parent adoptions; these eliminations and waivers are subject to the discretion of the court.
- Unlike third-party adoptions, step-parent adoptions require no investigation or report on the adoptive parent nor background reports on the biological parents. This greatly reduces the time and money spent on the adoption.
- The requirement of an accounting of all money spent on the adoption is eliminated.
- The court may waive the requirement that the final hearing must not be held before ninety days after the filing of the adoption petition. Waiving this ninety day waiting period obviously moves the adoption process forward more quickly.
- The court may also waive the appointment of independent counsel for an indigent parent. This waiver also reduces the time spent on the adoption process.
