2011 California Code
Family Code
DIVISION 12. PARENT AND CHILD RELATIONSHIP [7500 - 7961]
CHAPTER 5. Termination of Parental Rights in Adoption Proceedings
Section 7662

(a) If a mother relinquishes for or consents to, or proposes to relinquish for or consent to, the adoption of a child, or if a child otherwise becomes the subject of an adoption proceeding, the agency or person to whom the child has been or is to be relinquished, or the mother or the person having physical or legal custody of the child, or the prospective adoptive parent, shall file a petition to terminate the parental rights of the father, unless one of the following occurs:

(1) The father s relationship to the child has been previously terminated or determined not to exist by a court.

(2) The father has been served as prescribed in Section 7666 with a written notice alleging that he is or could be the natural father of the child to be adopted or placed for adoption and has failed to bring an action for the purpose of declaring the existence of the father and child relationship pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 7630 within 30 days of service of the notice or the birth of the child, whichever is later.

(3) The alleged father has executed a written form developed by the department to waive notice, to deny his paternity, relinquish the child for adoption, or consent to the adoption of the child.

(b) The birth father may validly execute a waiver or denial of paternity before or after the birth of the child, and once signed, no notice of, relinquishment for, or consent to adoption of the child shall be required from the birth father for the adoption to proceed.

(c) All proceedings affecting a child under Divisions 8 (commencing with Section 3000) to 11 (commencing with Section 6500), inclusive, and Parts 1 (commencing with Section 7500) to 3 (commencing with Section 7600), inclusive, of this division, other than an action brought pursuant to this section, shall be stayed pending final determination of proceedings to terminate the parental rights of the father pursuant to this section.

(d) Nothing in this section may limit the jurisdiction of the court pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 6240) and Part 4 (commencing with Section 6300) of Division 10 with respect to domestic violence orders.

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 588, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2011.)