Adoption in Alabama: A Complete Guide to Laws, Agencies & Resources (2026)

A Complete Guide to Adoption in Alabama

If you’re looking to adopt in the Yellowhammer State, you’ve come to the right page. Whether you are a birth mother or a prospective adoptive parent exploring the process for the first time, we can explain Alabama adoption laws and how to adopt in clear, simple language. 

In general, if you are over 19 years old, healthy, and in a stable housing situation, you are eligible to adopt in Alabama. Marital status, homeownership, and sexual orientation generally are not a factor. 

This page is a comprehensive resource covering everything from foster care adoption in Alabama to Alabama adoption agencies. We also delve into what the home study process entails and explain how to find support to help you navigate the process. 

Alabama Adoption Laws at a Glance

Here’s a quick look at Alabama adoption laws:

Who Can Adopt?	Anyone over 19 years old who meets certain housing and health requirements can adopt in Alabama.
Residency Requirements	Alabama residents who expect to remain in the state for an extended time can adopt.
Marital Status	You can be married or single and adopt in Alabama; however, if you are married, you must have been married for at least three years, and one person in the marriage must be a U.S. citizen.
Birth Mother Consent	Birth mothers must wait five days before signing their consent papers.
Revocation Period	Birth mothers can revoke their consent within five business days of signing consent papers. They can also ask the court for a revocation within 14 days but must prove that the request is in the child’s best interest.
Birth Father Rights	A birth father who isn’t married to the birth mother must register with Alabama’s Putative Father Registry within 30 days to exercise paternal rights

Adoption laws are complex. This is a summary for informational purposes only. Please consult with a qualified Alabama adoption attorney for legal advice.

Paths to Adopting a Child in Alabama

If you are wondering how to adopt a child in Alabama, there are three primary options. 

Private Infant Adoption

Private infant adoption is what many people picture when they think of the traditional adoption process. This process often involves a match made between two groups of people: the birth family and the adoptive family. In many cases, this process involves a child-placing agency licensed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). 

The process for prospective adoptive parents typically begins by filling out an application for adoption, followed by background checks and a home study. You must also complete pre-service training before earning final approval for adoption. 

Prospective adoptive parents usually create a profile with their agency that birth mothers can view before selecting their child’s adoptive family. Most adoption agencies also offer birth mothers free counseling, medical care, and legal services, allowing them to make the best possible decisions for themselves and their children.

Adopting from Foster Care

The state’s foster care system provides temporary homes for Alabama’s children until families are ready to work toward reunification. The state’s goal for children in the foster care system is to eventually return them to their birth families.When that isn’t possible, children in foster care become eligible for adoption. 

Foster care adoption is another pathway available to prospective adoptive families in Alabama. We take a deeper look at this pathway later in this guide. 

Stepparent or Relative Adoption 

Stepparent or relative adoption – also known as a permanent form of kinship care in some settings – is often more streamlined and straightforward than adopting a child to whom you aren’t biologically related. However, the process still involves several legal steps.

In Alabama, stepparent adoptions are the most frequent type of adoption. The legal process involves filing a petition with the probate court in your county of residence and obtaining consent from birth parents (unless their parental rights have been terminated). If the child is at least 14 years old, you must also get their consent. You must also be married to a biological parent to adopt a stepchild. 

Stepparents who want to adopt a child must also have lived with them for at least a year prior to filing the petition. Stepparent adoption also requires that one biological parent’s parental rights be terminated.

A Deeper Look at Alabama Adoption Laws

In this section, we delve deeper into Alabama adoption laws and how to adopt in Alabama.

Who is Eligible to Adopt in Alabama?

In order to adopt a child in Alabama, you must be at least 19 years old and healthy enough to care for a child. While you don’t need to own a home, you need to have stable housing and enough personal space for a child. You can be married or single, but if you are married, you need to have been married for at least three years and one person must be a U.S. citizen.

In addition to meeting these requirements, you must complete a background check as well as pre-service training through Alabama’s Trauma Informed Partnering for Permanence and Safety (TIPS) programs. TIPS training consists of 10 three-hour meetings, totaling 30 classroom hours. 

TIPS sessions cover behavioral management, separation and loss, available children, and how adoption might change your family. It’s also a chance to assess whether or not adoption is right for you and what strengths and challenges your family might have in terms of adopting a child. Ultimately, a court will only grant the adoption if it’s in the best interest of the child. 

Birth Parent Consent in Alabama

Alabama law stipulates that a birth mother cannot consent to her child’s adoption until five days after that child is born. 

If a birth mother changes her mind, she can do so within five days of that child’s birth or five business days of signing the consent forms, whichever is later. She can also try to withdraw consent through the court within 14 days, but in these situations, she must demonstrate that undoing the adoption is in her child’s best interest. 

Birth fathers must register with the state’s Putative Father Registry within 30 days of the child’s birth to be informed of potential adoptions and exercise his parental rights. Otherwise, he will be assumed to have given implied consent to any adoptions, which is not reversible. 

The Home Study Process in Alabama

Each prospective adoptive family must complete a preplacement investigation to make sure they’re ready to adopt. DHR, licensed child-placing agencies, and licensed social workers can carry out this process. 

Elements of the home study include a criminal background check, at least one in-person visit, interviews with each applicant, interviews with two references, a diagnostic evaluation, and TIPS training. The home itself must also pass certain safety requirements. 

Find Alabama Adoption Agencies and Professionals

While DHR does not maintain a directory of licensed child-placing agencies, online directories like adoptiondirectory.com allow you to search for agencies by state. Below are some licensed agencies to help you start your adoption journey. 

Statewide and National Agencies Serving Alabama

AGAPE: Provides services to both adoptive and birth families, working in both foster care and private adoption, operating out of Montgomery, Troy, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Madison. 

Alabama Department of Human Resources: DHR is the official stage agency in charge of adoption and offers the public adoption pathway in Alabama. 

Lifeline Children’s Services: Christian-focused agency based in Birmingham but operating in all 50 states. 

Birmingham Area Agencies

Alabama Family Adoption Services: Agency providing comprehensive services for both birth families and prospective adoptive parents, in addition to contracting with other agencies. 

Children’s Aid Society of Alabama: Offers adoption services as well as an Alabama Pre/Post-Adoption Connections program in collaboration with DHR that provides comprehensive training and support. 

Huntsville Area Agencies

AGAPE of North Alabama: A North Alabama-specific branch of AGAPE, providing services similar to its main offices. 

Alabama Adoption Attorneys

Many families choose to hire an attorney to help them navigate what can sometimes feel like a complicated legal process. To find a reputable attorney, check out the Alabama directory from the American Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.

Adopting from Foster Care in Alabama

According to DHR, there are approximately 6,000 kids in Alabama’s foster care system right now. Reports vary, but somewhere around 220 of those children are eligible for adoption. 

DHR is the primary agency overseeing the foster care system throughout the state. Children enter the foster care system because the state has determined that it’s in their best interest not to live with their birth families at the moment. The primary goal is always reunifications, and foster parents play a key role in caring for Alabama’s youth during what can be a turbulent, unstable period. 

In Alabama, requirements to be a foster parent are similar to requirements to adopt. You must be 19 years old and able to provide a stable home that meets certain space and safety requirements. All adults in that home must also complete a criminal background and health screening, and you must complete 30 hours of training and complete a home study. 

In some cases, the state determines that reunification is not in the child’s best interest, and the birth family’s parental rights are terminated. In these situations, a foster child often becomes eligible for adoption. 

Sometimes, the state determines that the child’s current foster home is their best option for adoption. Directly from Alabama Code, here are the factors it considers in making that judgment: 

• The child’s attachment to the foster parents
• The length of time the child has been in the home
• The age of the child in relation to the age of the foster parents
• The health and income of the foster parents
• Involvement/interference from the birth family
• The appropriateness of the foster home placement

Resources for Expectant Parents in Alabama

Opting to place a child for adoption is one of the most difficult choices that a birth mother can make. Remember that if you are expecting a child and navigating this process, you don’t have to do it alone. 

DHR maintains an official list of adoption-related resources, some of which are focused on birth families. 

In Birmingham, Family Adoption Services provides birth parent counseling and long-term support services, in addition to medical care and legal services. 

Remember, as a birth mother, you have rights. You must wait five days from your child’s birth to consent to an adoption. After that, you can revoke your consent within five business days. You can also ask the court for a revocation within 14 days, but you must demonstrate that cancelling the adoption is in your child’s best interest. 

You are in charge of your adoption journey, and while there are many individuals who can help you, all decisions are your own to make.