Cook County adoption cases are heard in the County Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County which is located on the 17th floor of the
Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602.
Adoption files are maintained by the Clerk of the Court in Room 1202 of the Daley Center.
An adoption is an important court proceeding that terminates the rights of a person's biological parents and creates one or two new legal parents.
In Cook County, Illinois, the adoption process is governed by Illinois law and the Rules of the Circuit Court of Cook County, which require the use of certain forms and procedures
The laws and rules regulating adoptions are as follows:
- Illinois Adoption Act: governs all adoption proceedings in Illinois courts.
- Case law: including decisions from the United States Supreme Court and lower federal courts, as well as from the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Appellate Courts on adoption issues, which is available in the Cook County Law Library located in the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, on the 29th Floor, 312.603.5423.
- The Rules of the Circuit Court of Cook County: outlines procedures to be followed in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
- Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 USC§1901 et seq: a federal law to which certain adoptions of Native American children are subject.
There are four types of adoption proceedings, each requiring different procedures, court forms and documents. The four types are as follows:
| Related |
Either or both of the adopting parents are related to the child in any of the following ways: biologically, through adoption, or by marriage. The relationship must be any of the following: biological parent, stepparent, grandparent stepgrandparent, sibling, stepsibling, uncle, aunt, great uncle, great aunt or first cousin. |
| Agency |
The adopting parents received the child from a placement made by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services or a private licensed adoption agency. |
| Private |
The adopting parents received the child directly from the biological parents. |
| Adult |
The person to be adopted is 18 years of age or older and is either related to the adopting parents or has lived with them for at least 2 years. The biological parents of the adult being adopted do not have to consent to or receive notice of this type of adoption. |
In addition, adoption proceedings are impacted by whether the child to be adopted was born or resided in another country, or a state other than Illinois. Adoptions proceedings can also be impacted if the adoptive parents move out of state or to another country.
Court forms for certain types of adoptions can be downloaded at www.illinoislegalaid.org.
Also, Illinois Legal Aid Online, www.illinoislegalaid.org, is a free, user-friendly website with information on Illinois law. Answers to common adoption questions and step-by-step guidelines on how to handle different types of adoptions are presented, as well as actual court forms that can be downloaded and used in court.
Adoption files are confidential court files and are not available to the public. A court order is required to review an adoption file or to obtain copies of any document it contains.
In general, a person must demonstrate good cause to a judge why he or she should be granted access to an adoption file in order to obtain release of information contained within it. However, adoptive parents may obtain a court order for certified copies of the final adoption order without stating any reason. Adopted persons also do not need to state a reason to obtain a court order to obtain certified copies of the final adoption order; however, all information identifying the birth parents will be redacted or removed.
A voluntary registry is maintained by the Illinois Department of Public Health for adopted persons and their biological relatives called the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange. Persons wanting information about or seeking contact with biological relatives may register for no cost. Persons who do not want any contact with biological relatives may also register. Registration forms can be downloaded at
http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/adoptioninfo.htm.
Persons wanting information about or seeking contact with biological relatives may also petition the court to appoint a confidential intermediary to review the adoption file and conduct an investigation; the confidential intermediary may be able to arrange contact if all parties consent. Information about the confidential intermediary process can be found in the
Adoption Procedures in the County Division (Standing Order), or by contacting the Midwest Adoption Center at 847.298.9096 or
www.macadopt.org.
Individuals may now get their non-certified copy of their birth certificate. Contact the
Illinois Department of Human Services.
FILING FEES PAYABLE TO CLERK TO INITIATE CASE
| Filing Fee - Adoption Petition |
$65.00 |
| Filing Fee - Notice to Putative Father |
$70.46 |
| Filing Fee - Termination of Parental Rights (Out of State Private Placement) |
$274.00 |
| Filing Fee - Confidential Intermediary |
$0.00 |
FEES PAYABLE TO SERVE NOTICE OF CASE TO THOSE WHOSE RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED Sheriff Fees
| To serve each minor child in Room 701 |
$50.00 |
| To serve any person who retains parental rights |
$60.00 |
| Publication (Chicago Daily Law Bulletin) |
$190.00 |
FEES PAYABLE TO CONTEST ADOPTION
FEES NECESSARY TO COMPLETE ADOPTION
Guardian ad litem Fees
| Special Needs Adoption-DCFS |
$125.00 |
| Each additional child in a Special Needs Adoption (not to exceed $225.00) |
$50.00 |
| Related Adoption (Investigator and GAL) |
$225.00 |
| Related Adoption (GAL only) |
$175.00 |
| Adult Adoption (GAL only - if necessary) |
$200.00 |
| Confirmation of Foreign Adoption (GAL only) |
$125.00 |
| Confirmation of Foreign Adoption (Investigator and GAL) |
$225.00 |
Putative Father Registry
Background Checks for Related Adoptions
| Office of Adoption and Child Custody Advocacy Fee |
$50.00 |
| Cook County Sheriff (for adopting step or co-parent) |
$10.00 |
| Illinois State Police (for adopting step or co-parent) |
$44.00 |
FEES FOR RECORDS OF ADOPTION AND RELATED MATTERS
| Certified Copies of Court Records |
$9.00 |
Illinois Birth Certificate
- 1st Copy
- Each additional copy ordered at the same time |
$15.00
$2.00 |
Illinois Record of Foreign Birth
- 1st Copy
- Each additional copy |
$5.00
$5.00 |
Fees are established by statute, regulation or court rule.
1Special Needs Adoption is defined by Illinois Law as that of a child who has been placed in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The following six judges are assigned to Calendar 1 of the County Division to hear adoption matters:
- Judge Mark Ballard
- Judge LaGuina Clay-Clark
- Judge Susan Fox Gillis
- Judge Paul A. Karkula
- Judge Maureen Ward Kirby
Please direct all inquires concerning adoption procedures to the County Division Adoption Coordinator, Ms. Gloria Contreras, at 312.603.2492 or
CJCAL3@cookcountyil.gov.
NO LEGAL ADVICE IS AVAILABLE FROM THE COURT.
All adoption matters are heard in Courtroom 1703 in the Richard J. Daley Center, and all five judges adhere to the schedule below:
Court Schedule
| 8:45 a.m. |
Routine Motions |
| 9:30 a.m. |
Initial presentation of adoption-related matters, petitions for interim orders, case management conferences, calendar status dates, and regular motions in all adoption-related cases, except for contested hearings and trials. |
| 10:30 a.m. |
Petitions for appointment of confidential intermediary and related matters |
| 11 a.m. |
Set matters |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Initial presentation of adoption-related matters, petitions for interim orders, case management conferences, calendar status dates, and regular motions in all adoption-related cases, except for contested hearings and trials. |
| 2 p.m. |
Set matters. |
Prospective parents who live in another county may not be eligible to file an adoption case in Cook County, and are urged to consult with an attorney before filing a case.
- Adoption Procedures in the County Division (Standing Order)
- Report of Guardian Ad Litem
- Final and Irrevocable Consent to Adoption
- Consent to Adoption of Unborn Child
- Final and Irrevocable Surrender for Purposes of Adoption
- Affidavit of Identification
- Certificate of Acknowledgement
- Initial Case Management Order
- Subsequent Case Management Order
- Petition for Appointment of a Confidential Intermediary
- Motion to Waive Appearance at Hearing
- 750 ILCS 50/18.3a Confidential intermediary
- Petition for Copies of Adoption Records
The legal definition of a "putative father" is the alleged biological father of a child that was born to an unmarried woman.
If you believe that you may be the putative father of a child placed for adoption and you wish to prevent the adoption, you must register with the Putative Father Registry before the child is 30 days old by calling 866.737.3237 or online at
www.putativefather.org. There is no fee or charge for registering.
A Guide To Interaction With
The Office of Adoption and Child Advocacy
The Office of Adoption and Child Advocacy* assists in three important phases of the adoption process:
- establishing that a child is available for adoption by accepting surrenders of parental rights or irrevocable consents to adoptions;
- coordinating required criminal records searches of the adopting parents; and
- conducting court-ordered investigations of adopting parents.
The office is the department of Cook County government officially designated by the Circuit Court of Cook County as the social service agency to perform these functions pursuant to the Illinois Adoption Act. (750 ILCS 50/1 et al. (“the Act”)).
*formerly known as the Cook County Department of Supportive Services