{"data":{"id":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-48-22-302","jurisdiction":"us-wv","citation":"W. Va. Code § 48-22-302","heading":"Timing and execution of consent or relinquishment.","body":"(a) No consent or relinquishment may be executed before the expiration of seventy-two hours after the birth of the child to be adopted.\n(b) A consent or relinquishment executed by a parent or guardian as required by the provisions of section 22-301 must be signed and acknowledged in the presence of one of the following:\n(1) A judge of a court of record;\n(2) A person whom a judge of a court of record designates to take consents or relinquishments;\n(3) A notary public;\n(4) A commissioned officer on active duty in the military service of the United States, if the person executing the consent or relinquishment is in military service; or\n(5) An officer of the foreign service or a consular officer of the United States in another country, if the person executing the consent or relinquishment is in that country.","path":["CHAPTER 48. DOMESTIC RELATIONS.","ARTICLE 22. ADOPTION."],"source_url":"https://code.wvlegislature.gov/48-22-302/","current_through":"as of 2026-08-03; contains at least the enactments of the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T00:30:31Z","sha256":"ebdc924eab978179786f20f5472be132a9a1d2cd35f039bbca233893a142611d","source_id":"us-wv","stale":true,"prev":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-48-22-301","next":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-48-22-303"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}