{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-199.570","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 199.570","heading":"Adoption records confidential -- Exception -- New birth certificate --","body":"Change in records.\n(1) (a) The files and records of the court during adoption proceedings shall not be\nopen to inspection by persons other than parties to the proceedings,  their\nattorneys, and representatives of the cabinet except under order of the court\nexpressly permitting inspection.\n(b) Upon the entry of the final order in the case, the clerk shall place all papers\nand records in the case in a suitable envelope which s hall be sealed, or a\ndigital file with restricted access, and shall not be open for inspection by any\nperson, except as provided in KRS 199.572. Health information received\npursuant to KRS 199.525 shall be added to the adoption case file. The clerk of\nthe Circuit Court shall set up a separate docket and order book for adoption\ncases and these files and records shall be kept locked.\n(c) No person having charge of any adoption records shall disclose the names of\nany parties appearing in such records or furnis h any copy of any such records\nto any person or other entity that does not meet the requirements of KRS\n199.572, except upon order of the court which entered the judgment of\nadoption.\n(2) After entry of the adoption judgment, the clerk of the Circuit Court  shall promptly\nreport to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services of Kentucky full information\nas called for on forms furnished by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services,\nnecessary to make a new birth certificate conforming to the standard birth\ncertificate form. Upon receipt of this information, the Cabinet for Health and\nFamily Services shall cause to be made a new record of the birth and it shall be\nfiled with the original certificate, and the original certificate shall be stamped with\nthe words, \"CONFIDENTIAL -- subject to copy and/or inspection only on written\norder of the court.\"\n(3) The new certificate shall set forth the new name, if any, of the adopted child, the\nnames of the adoptive parents, and such other information deemed necessary in\naccordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the Cabinet for Health and\nFamily Services in issuing of birth certificates. If the adopted child is under\neighteen (18) years of age, the birth certificate shall not contain any information\nrevealing the child is adopted and shall show the adoptive parent or parents as the\nbiological parent or parents of the child. If requested by the adoptive parents, the\nnew birth certificate when issued shall contain the location of birth, hospital, and\nname of doctor o r midwife. This information should be given only by an order of\nthe court in which the child was adopted. The new birth certificate shall recite the\nresidence of the adoptive parents as the birthplace of the child and this shall be\ndeemed for all legal purposes to be the birthplace of the child. If no birth certificate\nis on file for a child born in Kentucky, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services\nshall prepare a certificate of birth in accordance with the information furnished the\ncabinet by the clerk of the Circuit Court which issued the adoption order. The\nCabinet for Health and Family Services shall furnish to the clerks of the Circuit\nCourts the necessary forms to carry out the provisions of this section. If the child\nwas born in another state, the order of adoption shall be forwarded to the division of\nvital statistics of the state concerned to be changed in accordance with the laws of\nsuch state. If the child was born in a foreign country, the report of adoption shall be\nreturned to the attorney or  agency handling the adoption for submission to the\nappropriate federal agency.\n(4) Thereafter when any copy of the certificate of birth of any child is issued it shall be\na copy of the new certificate of birth, except when an order of the court granting t he\njudgment of adoption shall request the issuance of the copy of the original\ncertificate of the child's birth.\n(5) If any judgment of adoption is reversed, modified, or vacated in any particular, the\nclerk of the Circuit Court shall notify the Cabinet for Health and Family Services of\nthe reversal or modification and the effect of same, and the cabinet shall make any\nnecessary changes in its records.","path":["KRS Chapter 199"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54823","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:54Z","sha256":"e0bd4f4196ab3af1a316e0a52176751c14deaec0cb819a8541d845aa16afe8a5","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-199.565","next":"us-ky/krs-199.572"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}