{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-7503-3.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10, § 10-7503-3.1","heading":"Notice of plan for adoption","body":"A. 1. Before or after the birth of a minor born out of\n\nwedlock, the Department of Human Services, a licensed child-placing\n\nagency, or an attorney representing prospective adoptive parents of\n\nthe minor may, by in-hand service to the putative father or\n\ncertified mail to the putative father, to be signed by the putative\n\nfather only, notify or cause to be notified a putative father of the\n\nminor that the mother of the child is considering an adoptive\n\nplacement for the minor through a Notice of Plan for Adoption. If\n\nservice of the Notice of Plan for Adoption is made by in-hand\n\nservice, delivery of the Notice must be made by a person licensed to\n\nmake service of process in civil cases. Residence service delivered\n\nto or signed by a person residing in the home of the putative father\n\nor any other forms of substitute service shall not be sufficient\n\nservice pursuant to this subsection.\n\n2. Service of a Notice of Plan for Adoption may be served in\n\nthe manner permitted in this subsection upon a putative father\n\nwithin this state or outside of this state.\n\nB. The Notice of Plan for Adoption shall include the following:\n\n1. The identity of the mother, that she is pregnant and the\n\nestimated date of birth, that the notified person may be the father\n\nof the minor, and that a plan for the adoption of the minor is being\n\nconsidered by the mother;\n\n2. A preaddressed form for filing by mail or in person with the\n\nPaternity Registry of the Department of Human Services and a copy to\n\nbe returned to the attorney or agency who sent it. On this form,\n\nthe recipient shall sign the form and indicate one of the following\n\nchoices:\n\na. \"I do not know if I am the father of this minor. I\n\ndesire to receive notice of the adoption proceedings\n\nor the proceeding to terminate parental rights. I\n\nunderstand that this creates no evidence that could be\n\nintroduced in court to prove paternity. Its only\n\nlegal effect is to entitle me to notice, at the\n\naddress listed on the form, of an adoption proceeding\n\nthat may be filed after the birth of the minor.\"\n\nb. \"I hereby file my notice of intent to claim paternity.\n\nI understand that a notice of intent to claim\n\npaternity may be revoked at any time by filing a\n\nnotice to disclaim with the Paternity Registry of the\n\nDepartment of Human Services. I also understand that\n\nan unrevoked notice of intent to claim paternity may\n\nbe used as evidence in any future court proceeding in\n\nwhich it may be relevant, including a child support\n\nproceeding. I desire to receive notice of the\n\nadoption proceeding or the proceeding to terminate\n\nparental rights.\"\n\nc. \"I acknowledge paternity. I understand that this\n\nacknowledgement of paternity cannot be revoked and may\n\nbe used as evidence in any future court proceeding in\n\nwhich it may be relevant, including a child support\n\nproceeding. I desire to receive notice of the\n\nadoption proceeding or the proceeding to terminate\n\nparental rights.\"\n\nd. \"I deny paternity. I am not the father of the minor\n\nand I do not want to receive notice of any adoption\n\nproceeding, or proceeding to terminate my parental\n\nrights regarding the minor. I understand that I am\n\nwaiving and surrendering any parental rights in\n\nrelation to the minor in connection with the adoption\n\nof the minor. I understand that my consent to the\n\nadoption will not be required.\"\n\ne. \"I may or may not be the father of the minor. I do\n\nnot want to receive notice of any adoption proceeding,\n\nor proceeding to terminate my parental rights\n\nregarding the minor. I understand that I am waiving\n\nand surrendering any parental rights in relation to\n\nthe minor in connection with the adoption of the\n\nminor. I understand that my consent to the adoption\n\nwill not be required.\"\n\n3. In addition, the Notice of Plan for Adoption shall inform\n\nthe putative father that:\n\na. if the form is not received by the Department of Human\nmy parental rights\n\nregarding the minor. I understand that I am waiving\n\nand surrendering any parental rights in relation to\n\nthe minor in connection with the adoption of the\n\nminor. I understand that my consent to the adoption\n\nwill not be required.\"\n\n3. In addition, the Notice of Plan for Adoption shall inform\n\nthe putative father that:\n\na. if the form is not received by the Department of Human\n\nServices or the attorney or child-placing agency\n\nsending it within thirty (30) days from the date that\n\nthe Notice of Plan for Adoption is served, the failure\n\nto file the form shall constitute:\n\n(1) a waiver of the right to receive further notice\n\nof any adoption proceedings or proceedings to\n\nterminate parental rights, if any, that may be\n\nfiled regarding the minor,\n\n(2) a denial of interest in the minor, which denial\n\nshall result in the court's termination of the\n\nnotified party's parental rights to the minor and\n\napproval of an adoption without his consent if an\n\nadoption proceeding is filed regarding the minor\n\nand the adoption is approved by the court,\n\nb. if the form is received by the Paternity Registry of\n\nthe Department of Human Services or the attorney or\n\nchild-placing agency sending it within thirty (30)\n\ndays of the date of service of the Notice of Plan for\n\nAdoption, and it indicates that any of the options\n\nspecified in subparagraphs a, b and c of paragraph 2\n\nof this subsection have been chosen, the notified\n\nperson shall have a right to receive notice of any\n\nadoption proceedings or any termination of parental\n\nrights proceedings that may be filed regarding the\n\nminor, at the address given by the putative father on\n\nthe form, or at an address later provided to the\n\nPaternity Registry of the Department of Human\n\nServices. The return of the form to the Paternity\n\nRegistry of the Department of Human Services or the\n\nattorney or child-placing agency sending the form is\n\nthe only action by which the notified person will\n\nretain the right, if any, to notice of adoption or\n\ntermination of parental rights proceedings regarding\n\nthe minor,\n\nc. the filing of the enclosed form shall not, by itself,\n\nconstitute the bearing of parental responsibilities,\n\nand shall not, by itself, establish parental rights,\n\nd. the filing of the enclosed form or the failure to file\n\nthe enclosed form shall not affect the duty to support\n\nthe mother or child during the pregnancy or after the\n\ndelivery of the minor,\n\ne. if a petition to adopt the minor is not filed within\n\ntwelve (12) months of the placement of the minor for\n\nadoption, failure to mail the enclosed notice form\n\nshall not affect the notified person's parental rights\n\nand responsibilities,\n\nf. the failure to give such notice shall not be grounds\n\navailable to the father to establish that he was\n\ndenied knowledge of the pregnancy, and\n\ng. receipt by a putative father of a Notice of Plan for\n\nAdoption or return of the form does not obligate the\n\nmother of the minor to proceed with an adoptive\n\nplacement of the minor.\n\nC. If the form is not received by the Paternity Registry of the\n\nDepartment of Human Services, the attorney or child-placing agency\n\nwithin thirty (30) days from the date that the Notice of Plan for\n\nAdoption is served, the failure to file the form shall constitute:\n\n1. A waiver of the right to receive further notice of any\n\nadoption proceedings or proceedings to terminate parental rights, if\n\nany, that may be filed regarding the minor; and\n\n2. A denial of interest in the minor, which denial shall result\n\nin the court's termination of the notified party's parental rights\n\nto this minor and approval of an adoption without his consent if an\n\nadoption proceeding is filed regarding this minor and the adoption\n\nis approved by the court.\n\nD. If the form is received by the Paternity Registry of the\n\nDepartment of Human Services, or the attorney or child-placing\nest in the minor, which denial shall result\n\nin the court's termination of the notified party's parental rights\n\nto this minor and approval of an adoption without his consent if an\n\nadoption proceeding is filed regarding this minor and the adoption\n\nis approved by the court.\n\nD. If the form is received by the Paternity Registry of the\n\nDepartment of Human Services, or the attorney or child-placing\n\nagency within thirty (30) days of the date of service of the Notice\n\nof Plan for Adoption, and it indicates that any of the options\n\nspecified in subparagraphs a, b and c of paragraph 2 of subsection B\n\nof this section have been chosen, the putative father shall have a\n\nright to receive notice of any adoption proceedings or any\n\ntermination of parental rights proceedings that may be filed\n\nregarding the minor, at the address of the putative father given on\n\nthe form, or at an address later provided to the Paternity Registry\n\nof the Department of Human Services. The return of the form to the\n\nPaternity Registry of the Department of Human Services, or the\n\nattorney or child-placing agency sending the form within thirty (30)\n\ndays is the only action by which the notified person will retain the\n\nright, if any, to notice of adoption or termination of parental\n\nrights proceedings regarding the minor.\n\nE. The filing of the enclosed form shall not, by itself,\n\nconstitute the bearing of parental responsibilities, and shall not,\n\nby itself, establish parental rights.\n\nF. The filing of the enclosed form or the failure to file the\n\nenclosed form shall not affect the duty to support the mother or\n\nminor during the pregnancy or after the delivery of the minor.\n\nG. If a petition to adopt the minor has not been filed within\n\ntwelve (12) months of placement of the minor for adoption, failure\n\nto mail the enclosed notice form shall not affect the notified\n\nperson's parental rights and responsibilities.\n\nH. The failure to give such notice shall not be grounds\n\navailable to the father to establish that he was denied knowledge of\n\nthe pregnancy.\n\nI. Receipt by a putative father of a Notice of Plan for\n\nAdoption or return of the form does not obligate the mother of the\n\nminor to proceed with an adoptive placement of the minor.","path":["OK Code","Title 10"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os10.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"9144bec26fffb73ddefd68878f56145901877ea9c3a39bd501640184dcb5d273","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-7503-2.7","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-7503-3.2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}