{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-family-law-5-313","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, Family Law § 5–313","heading":"","body":"(a) Except as provided in § 5-331 of this subtitle, a petition for guardianship shall precede a petition for adoption under this subtitle.\n(b) Only the individual who would be subject to guardianship or a local department may file a petition for guardianship under this Part II of this subtitle.\n(c) A petition for guardianship of an individual shall be filed before the individual attains 18 years of age.\n(d) A petitioner under this section shall attach to a petition:\n(1) all written consents for the guardianship that the petitioner has;\n(2) if applicable:\n(i) proof of guardianship or relinquishment of parental rights granted by an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction; and\n(ii) certification that the guardianship or relinquishment was granted in compliance with the jurisdiction’s laws; and\n(3) a notice of filing that:\n(i) states the date on which the petition was filed;\n(ii) identifies each person whose consent was filed with the petition;\n(iii) states the obligation of a parent to give the juvenile court and local department notice of each change in the parent’s address;\n(iv) has printed on it the website that the Department maintains under § 2–302 of the Human Services Article; and\n(v) includes no identifying information that would be in violation of an agreement or consent.","path":["Article - Family Law"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gfl\u0026section=5-313","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T19:58:17Z","sha256":"991876dd9eab710764d5cf256f9891f72083f6539e737d18f378895ca9809c53","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-family-law-5-310","next":"us-md/md.-code-family-law-5-314"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}