2023 Tennessee Code › Title 36 - DOMESTIC RELATIONS (§§ 36-1-101 — 36-8-104) › Chapter 1 - ADOPTION (§§ 36-1-101 — 36-1-305) › Part 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 36-1-101 — 36-1-149) › Section 36-1-115 - Persons eligible to file adoption petition - Residence requirements - Preference for foster parents

(a)
Any person over eighteen (18) years of age may petition the chancery or circuit court to adopt a person and may request that the adopted person's name be changed.
(b)
The petitioners must have physical custody or must demonstrate to the court that they have the right to receive custody of the child sought to be adopted as provided in §
36-1-111(d)(6)
at the time the petition is filed, unless they are filing an intervening petition seeking to adopt the child.
(c)
If the petitioner has a spouse living, competent to join in the petition, such spouse shall join in the petition; provided, that if the spouse of the petitioner is a legal or biological parent of the child to be adopted, such spouse shall sign the petition as co-petitioner, and this shall be sufficient consent by the legal or biological parent for the petitioner's spouse to adopt the child of the legal or biological parent, and no surrender shall be necessary by such co-petitioning legal or biological parent. Such action by the legal or biological parent shall not otherwise affect the legal relationship between that parent and the child.
(d)
The petitioner or petitioners shall live and maintain their regular place of abode in this state when the adoption is filed. Nonresidents may also file a petition to adopt a child in this state if they file the petition in the county where a court granted the nonresidents, a licensed child-placing agency, or the department of children's services partial or complete guardianship or legal custody of the child, or where the child was placed in the legal custody of the licensed child-placing agency or the department of children's services.
(e)
If one (1) or both of petitioners is an active duty service member in the United States military, the service member and any co-petitioner with the service member may file a petition for adoption in this state without actual residency in this state, if the service member has lived, or maintained a regular place of abode, within this state for six (6) consecutive months immediately prior to entering military service or if this state is the service member's state of legal residence as identified to the United States military.
(f)
[Deleted by 2023 amendment.]
(g)
(1)
When a child is placed in a foster home by the department or otherwise, and becomes available for adoption due to the termination or surrender of all parental or guardianship rights to the child, those foster parents shall be given first preference to adopt the child if the child has resided in the foster home for twelve (12) or more consecutive months immediately preceding the filing of an adoption petition.
(2)
In becoming adoptive parents, the foster parents shall meet all requirements otherwise imposed on persons seeking to adopt children in the custody of the department, and shall be subject to all other provisions of this part.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 363, s 15, eff. 5/5/2023.
Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 937, s 12, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by 2018 Tenn. Acts, ch. 875, s 14, eff. 7/1/2018.
Amended by 2016 Tenn. Acts, ch. 919, s 10, eff. 7/1/2016.
Acts 1951, ch. 202, §§ 4, 40 (Williams, §§ 9572.18, 9572.52); Acts 1959, ch. 223, § 1; Acts 1961, ch. 150, § 1; 1971, ch. 232, § 1; 1971, ch. 329, § 1; 1972, ch. 612, § 7; impl. am. Acts 1975, ch. 219, § 1; Acts 1976, ch. 481, § 1; 1977, ch. 232, § 1; 1979, ch. 107, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 36-105; §
36-1-105
; Acts 1995, ch. 532, § 1.