{"data":{"id":"us-vt/15a-v.s.a.-3-301","jurisdiction":"us-vt","citation":"15A V.S.A. § 3-301","heading":"Standing to petition to adopt","body":"(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section, the only persons who have standing to petition to adopt a minor under this article are:\n(1) a person with whom a minor has been placed for adoption or who has been selected as a prospective adoptive parent by a person authorized under this title to place the minor for adoption; or\n(2) a person with whom a minor has not been placed for adoption or who has not been selected or rejected as a prospective adoptive parent pursuant to Article 2, Part 1 and Part 2 of this title, but who has had physical custody of the minor for at least six months immediately before seeking to file a petition for adoption and is allowed to file the petition by the court for good cause shown.\n(b) The spouse of a petitioner shall consent to the petition unless judicially declared incompetent.\n(c) A petition for adoption of a minor stepchild by a stepparent may be filed under Article 4 of this title and a petition for adoption of an emancipated minor may be filed under Article 5 of this title.","path":["Title 15A: Adoption Act","Chapter 003: General Procedure for Adoption","Subchapter 003: PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF MINOR"],"source_url":"https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/15A/003","current_through":"2025 session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T17:17:00Z","sha256":"084ec1afde1b34206f030cbf614d1d10f3b22f9fea05ecb926c215eb6a9449a0","source_id":"us-vt","stale":false,"prev":"us-vt/15a-v.s.a.-3-208","next":"us-vt/15a-v.s.a.-3-302"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}