2018 Maryland Code
Family Law
Title 5 - Children
Subtitle 3A - Private Agency Guardianship and Adoption
Part II - Guardianship Proceeding
§ 5-3A-18. Authority to grant guardianship
(a) Consent or best interests. -- A court may grant a guardianship of a child only if:
(1) each of the child's living parents consents:
(i) in writing; or
(ii) by failure to timely file notice of objection after being served with a show cause order in accordance with this subtitle;
(2) an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction has granted a governmental unit or person other than a parent the power to consent to adoption, and the governmental unit or person consents; or
(3) parental rights have been terminated in compliance with the laws of a state or other jurisdiction, as described in ยง 5-3A-05 of this subtitle.
(b) Conditional consent. -- A governmental unit or person:
(1) may condition consent or acquiescence on adoption into a specific family that a child placement agency has approved for the placement; but
(2) may not condition consent or acquiescence on any factor other than placement into a specific family.