Colorado Adoption Laws

Adoption Laws in Colorado

How to access adoption records?

• Obtain non identifying information:

  Non-identifying information may be available to adoptive parents, adopted adults and descendants of age 18 or more than that of the deceased adopted adults.

• Obtain identifying information:

  Adoption registry provides the identifying information.

• Use of the confidential intermediary:

  To search the birth relatives of age more than 18, adoptive parents, birth siblings, Adopted adults and birth parents and half-siblings of the age 18 or more than that can file a motion in the court to appoint a confidential intermediary. Contact will be made after the court consents, when these two parties consent.

  Contact:
  Colorado Confidential Intermediary Services
  PO Box 260460
  Lakewood, CO 80226
  (303) 237-6919
  http://www.cocis.org

• Obtain an original birth certificate:

  Those adoptions finalized after 1st September 1999, adoptee of age 18 or more than that will get automatic access to original birth records if birth parents have not filed a confidentiality request within 3 years of relinquishment.

  If adoptee is from an adopted sibling group, and all the members of that group are of age 18 before the records can be released. If confidentiality request is on file one can use the confidential intermediary process for contacting and releasing of the original birth records.

  For those adoptions finalized prior to 1st September 1999, adoptee and the birth parents can access to original birth records by the mutual consent.

• Use of the adoption registry:

  Following parties can use the adoption registry:

  1. adoptive parents for getting the medical information related to the adopted person
  2. birth siblings
  3. birth parents and their lineal ascendants
  4. adopted adults
  5. descendents of deceased genetic parents
  6. descendants of a deceased adopted adult

  Both birth parents must consent for either to be matched with an adopted adult unless only one parent is named on the original birth certificate or the other birth parent is deceased or cannot be contacted.

  Contact:
  Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry
  Colorado Department of Health
  4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
  Denver, CO 80222
  (303) 692-2188