How long does an adult adoption take in Colorado?

C.R.S. 14-1-101 sets no waiting period, no placement period and no minimum interval before the decree. The pace is driven by two things: whether the adult waives service on JDF 529, and whether your court sets a hearing. The Judicial Branch says most Colorado courts hold none.

Do I need a home study to adopt an adult in Colorado?

C.R.S. 14-1-101 contains no investigation, home study, background check or fingerprint requirement, and JDF 496 lists no such step. Colorado's home study rules sit in the Children's Code and are written around a child placed for adoption, so they do not reach an adult case on their terms.

Do birth parents get notice of a Colorado adult adoption?

No. C.R.S. 14-1-101 never mentions parents, and the only summons it authorises is served on the adult being adopted. You do have to list the adult's birth mother and birth father by full name in JDF 528, but they are not parties and nothing is served on them.

Can the court refuse an adult adoption in Colorado once the adult consents?

C.R.S. 14-1-101 states that on the filing of a consent the prayer of the petition shall be granted and a decree of adoption shall be rendered and entered. The section sets out no best interests finding and no discretionary standard, which makes the adult's own answer the decisive filing in the case.

What happens if the adult in Colorado cannot consent for themselves?

C.R.S. 14-1-101 allows a legally qualified conservator or other representative to file the consent where the adult is not competent to give it. That is the route families use for an adult with a significant disability. Guardianship and conservatorship are separate proceedings that create no parent and child relationship.

How does a Colorado adult adoption change inheritance?

The decree declares the adult your heir at law, entitled to inherit from you as if they were your child born in lawful wedlock (C.R.S. 14-1-101). Colorado's Probate Code then recognises a parent and child relationship between an adoptee and the adoptive parent for intestate succession (C.R.S. 15-11-118).

Can the adult I adopt in Colorado inherit under a relative's will?

Not automatically. C.R.S. 15-11-705(6) excludes an adult adoptee from a class gift made by someone other than the adoptive parent, unless the adoption happened before 18, or the adopter was the adoptee's stepparent or foster parent, or the adopter functioned as their parent before 18.

Can the adult take my last name in a Colorado adult adoption?

Yes. C.R.S. 14-1-101 says the decree may or may not change the name as the court deems advisable, and JDF 529 and JDF 531 offer one choice: the last name is retained or changed to match the petitioner's. Other name changes go through a separate case using JDF 432.

How to Adopt an Adult in Colorado

Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Colorado · Last updated October 7, 2026

Colorado runs adult adoption as a short civil lawsuit whose stated purpose is to make one adult the heir at law of another, which creates a permanent legal parent and child relationship carrying inheritance and next of kin consequences. The whole rule is one section, C.R.S. 14-1-101, and it is open to any adult. No list of qualifying categories, no disability requirement, no foster or stepchild predicate, and no minimum number of years between you. The adult does not even have to be younger than you are. What Colorado does instead is treat that adult as a respondent in a real case. You file a petition, a summons issues under the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, and the adult files a written answer by the return date either consenting or disclaiming. A disclaimer means the petition is dismissed. A consent means the decree shall be granted. If the adult is not competent to consent, a legally qualified conservator or other representative may consent instead. Four things that bite elsewhere do not bite here. Neither spouse consents or joins, and the Judicial Branch instructs that each adoptive parent files a separate petition. Birth parents get no consent and no notice, though you must name them in the petition. No home study or investigation appears in the section at all. Most courts hold no hearing. You file in the juvenile court for the county where either of you lives, pay $197, and work from the statewide forms JDF 528 through JDF 531. Attorney review of your paperwork is available through DocDraft.

Find out where you stand in Colorado

Who are you hoping to adopt?

DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.

Who can be adopted as an adult in Colorado?

Any adult who consents. C.R.S. 14-1-101 lets any person petition to adopt an adult as an heir at law, with no list of qualifying categories, no disability or foster predicate, and no requirement that the adult be younger than the petitioner. Colorado sets no minimum age gap either.

Which court handles an adult adoption in Colorado?

The juvenile court for the county where the petitioner or the adult being adopted resides (C.R.S. 14-1-101). Outside the City and County of Denver that means the juvenile division of the district court; Denver has its own juvenile court. Either party's county of residence works.

Does a spouse have to consent to an adult adoption in Colorado?

No. C.R.S. 14-1-101 contains no reference to a spouse, so neither the petitioner's spouse nor the adult adoptee's spouse consents or joins. The Judicial Branch instruction sheet JDF 496 adds that each adoptive parent must file a separate petition rather than one joint petition.

What does it cost to file an adult adoption in Colorado?

The filing fee is $197, built from the $167 adoption docket fee in C.R.S. 13-32-101(1)(g) plus the $30 district court equal justice fee in subsection (9). Certified copies of the decree cost $20 each. Fee waiver forms JDF 205, 206 and 209 are available.

Colorado adult adoption at a glance

Adult adoption is a court order making one adult the permanent legal parent of another adult, with the inheritance and next of kin effects that follow. Colorado states that purpose on the face of the statute: the decree declares the adult the heir at law of the petitioner, entitled to inherit as if the adult had been the petitioner's child born in lawful wedlock (C.R.S. 14-1-101). The process is built like an ordinary civil case. The adult is the respondent, a summons issues under the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, and the answer either consents or disclaims. Consent means the decree shall be granted. No category list, no age gap, no spousal consent, no home study, and no birth parent notice. The Judicial Branch publishes the full form set, JDF 528 through JDF 531.

Adopting the 20 year old you fostered, in Mesa County

The young woman you fostered from age 14 turns 20 next month and asks you to make it legal. Because she is under 21, Colorado gives her a choice: ask the court to approve adoption as a child under C.R.S. 19-5-201, the only route that can change the parents on her birth certificate, or use the adult route in C.R.S. 14-1-101. She picks the adult route. You file JDF 528 in the juvenile division of the district court for Mesa County and pay $197. She signs JDF 529, waiving service, consenting, and asking for your last name. Your husband signs nothing. No home study, no hearing. The judge signs JDF 531. Because you were her foster parent, C.R.S. 15-11-705(6)(b) keeps her inside class gifts in relatives' wills.

Relevant Laws

C.R.S. 14-1-101 (adoption of adults, the whole rule)

Title 14, Article 1 contains one section. It opens adult adoption to any person, files it in the juvenile court for either party's county, issues a summons under the civil rules, requires a written answer consenting or disclaiming, makes the adult the petitioner's heir at law, and leaves the name change to the court.

C.R.S. 19-5-201 (the 18 to 20 route choice) and 19-1-103 (juvenile court)

Section 19-5-201 lets the court approve adoption as a child for a person 18 or older and under 21. Section 19-1-103 defines juvenile court as the Denver juvenile court or the juvenile division of the district court elsewhere, and defines an adult as a person 18 or older.

C.R.S. 13-32-101(1)(g) and (9) (the $197 filing fee)

Subsection (1)(g) sets a fee of one hundred sixty-seven dollars for a petitioner in adoption proceedings, keyed to adoption proceedings generally rather than to a child. Subsection (9) adds a thirty dollar equal justice fee on district court civil filings from January 1, 2025, giving the $197 charged.

C.R.S. 15-11-705(6) and 15-11-118 (inheritance and the class gift limit)

Section 15-11-118 recognises a parent and child relationship between an adoptee and the adoptive parent for intestate succession. Section 15-11-705(6) excludes an adult adoptee from a class gift by a transferor who is not the adoptive parent, subject to three exceptions including a stepparent or foster parent adopter.

Colorado Judicial Branch: Adult Adoption self-help page and JDF 496

The Judicial Branch publishes a dedicated adult adoption page plus JDF 496, How to Adopt an Adult, revised May 28, 2025. It gives the four step process, the $197 filing fee and $20 certified copy charge, the separate petition rule for each adoptive parent, and the full form list.

Regional Variances

Colorado adult adoption rules at a glance

Who may be adopted

Any adult, on their own consent. C.R.S. 14-1-101 reaches any person desiring to adopt an adult as heir at law, with no enumerated categories. A person 18 or older and under 21 may instead be adopted as a child if the court approves (C.R.S. 19-5-201).

Age relationship

None. C.R.S. 14-1-101 contains no age differential and no age order rule, so the adult being adopted need not be younger than the petitioner. The minimum adopter age of 21 in C.R.S. 19-5-202 belongs to the Children's Code route for a child, not to this section.

Consent of the adult being adopted

Required, and collected as a court filing rather than a signature on an agreement. A summons issues under the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure and the adult files a written answer by the return date, consenting or disclaiming. JDF 529 is that answer.

If the adult cannot consent

C.R.S. 14-1-101 permits a legally qualified conservator or other representative to file the consent where the adult is not competent to give it. This is the only alternative consent the section recognises, and no other person may supply it.

Consent of the petitioner's spouse

Not required, and no joinder either. C.R.S. 14-1-101 never mentions a spouse. JDF 496 instructs that each adoptive parent must file a separate petition, so a married couple does not file one joint petition for the same adult.

Consent of the adult adoptee's spouse

Not required. The section contains no reference to a spouse, husband, wife or marriage, and none of the operative forms, JDF 528, JDF 529 or JDF 531, carries a spousal consent field or signature line.

Birth parents

No consent and no notice. The only summons C.R.S. 14-1-101 authorises is served on the adult being adopted. Their full names must still be stated in JDF 528, the Petition for Adult Adoption, but they are not made parties to the case.

Court and venue

The juvenile court for the county where the petitioner or the adult resides (C.R.S. 14-1-101). That is the Denver juvenile court inside the City and County of Denver and the juvenile division of the district court everywhere else (C.R.S. 19-1-103). No durational residency applies.

Filing fee

$197, listed by the Judicial Branch under juvenile non criminal cases and sourced to C.R.S. 13-32-101(1)(g) and (9). Certified copies are $20 each. Waiver is sought on JDF 205 and JDF 206, or JDF 209 for recipients of qualifying public benefits.

Investigation or home study

None appears in C.R.S. 14-1-101 and none appears in the JDF 496 step list. Subsection (3) does say the action follows the Children's Code adoption procedure insofar as practicable, and those home study provisions are written around a child placed for adoption.

Hearing

Often none. The Judicial Branch states that most courts do not hold a hearing on an adult adoption, though some may and will give notice of the date. C.R.S. 14-1-101 prescribes no hearing, no personal appearance and no waiting period.

Name change

Available in the same decree at the judge's discretion under C.R.S. 14-1-101. The forms narrow it to one option: the adult's last name is retained or changed to match the petitioner's. Other name changes run as a separate adult name change case under JDF 432.

Inheritance

The decree declares the adult the heir at law of the petitioner, entitled to inherit from the petitioner as if a child born in lawful wedlock. C.R.S. 15-11-118 recognises the parent and child relationship for intestate succession, and C.R.S. 15-11-119 severs the genetic parent tie subject to exceptions.

Class gifts by other people

Limited. Under C.R.S. 15-11-705(6) an adult adoptee is not treated as the adoptive parent's child when construing a gift by a transferor who is not that parent, unless the adopter was a stepparent or foster parent, or functioned as a parent before the adoptee turned 18.

Forms

A complete statewide set. JDF 496 is the instruction guide, JDF 528 the Petition, JDF 529 the Answer and Consent, JDF 530 the Notice and Summons, and JDF 531 the Decree. A Spanish version of JDF 529 is published alongside the English form.

Suggested Compliance Checklist

Pick the route if the adult is 18 to 20

Before you open the forms days after starting

Decide between C.R.S. 14-1-101 and asking the court to approve adoption as a child under C.R.S. 19-5-201. Per JDF 496 only the second can change the parents listed on the birth certificate. Anyone 21 or older has no choice to make.

Identify your juvenile court and confirm venue

Before drafting days after starting

Venue is the county where you or the adult resides (C.R.S. 14-1-101). Use the Judicial Branch Court Finder to locate the juvenile division of the district court for that county, or the Denver juvenile court if either of you lives in the City and County of Denver.

Prepare JDF 528, the Petition for Adult Adoption

First document to draft days after starting

State the residence basis for venue, the full names of the adult's birth mother and birth father, and the adult's date and place of birth. File one petition per adoptive parent. Attorney review of the petition is available through DocDraft.

Prepare JDF 529, and decide on service

With the petition days after starting

If the adult signs JDF 529 at the start, they waive all service of summons and you skip formal service. The form is also where they tick consent and choose whether their last name changes to match yours. Otherwise caption JDF 530 for the process server.

File the packet and pay $197

When the forms are signed days after starting

File JDF 528, JDF 529, the captioned JDF 530 and the captioned JDF 531 with the court, and pay the $197 fee under C.R.S. 13-32-101(1)(g) and (9). To ask for a waiver instead, file JDF 205 and JDF 206, or JDF 209 on qualifying public benefits.

Complete service and file the return

Before the return date if service was not waived days after starting

Give the petition and summons to a sheriff's office or a professional process server, since you cannot serve them yourself. The server completes the lower half of JDF 530 and you file the completed summons with the court as proof.

Get the decree and plan around the class gift limit

After the court signs JDF 531 days after starting

Order certified copies at $20 each; the decree is primary evidence of status in any court. Then check C.R.S. 15-11-705(6) against any will or trust written by someone other than you, since an adult adoptee may fall outside a class gift in it.

Task	Description	Document	Days after starting
Pick the route if the adult is 18 to 20	Decide between C.R.S. 14-1-101 and asking the court to approve adoption as a child under C.R.S. 19-5-201. Per JDF 496 only the second can change the parents listed on the birth certificate. Anyone 21 or older has no choice to make.	-	Before you open the forms
Identify your juvenile court and confirm venue	Venue is the county where you or the adult resides (C.R.S. 14-1-101). Use the Judicial Branch Court Finder to locate the juvenile division of the district court for that county, or the Denver juvenile court if either of you lives in the City and County of Denver.	-	Before drafting
Prepare JDF 528, the Petition for Adult Adoption	State the residence basis for venue, the full names of the adult's birth mother and birth father, and the adult's date and place of birth. File one petition per adoptive parent. Attorney review of the petition is available through DocDraft.	-	First document to draft
Prepare JDF 529, and decide on service	If the adult signs JDF 529 at the start, they waive all service of summons and you skip formal service. The form is also where they tick consent and choose whether their last name changes to match yours. Otherwise caption JDF 530 for the process server.	-	With the petition
File the packet and pay $197	File JDF 528, JDF 529, the captioned JDF 530 and the captioned JDF 531 with the court, and pay the $197 fee under C.R.S. 13-32-101(1)(g) and (9). To ask for a waiver instead, file JDF 205 and JDF 206, or JDF 209 on qualifying public benefits.	-	When the forms are signed
Complete service and file the return	Give the petition and summons to a sheriff's office or a professional process server, since you cannot serve them yourself. The server completes the lower half of JDF 530 and you file the completed summons with the court as proof.	-	Before the return date if service was not waived
Get the decree and plan around the class gift limit	Order certified copies at $20 each; the decree is primary evidence of status in any court. Then check C.R.S. 15-11-705(6) against any will or trust written by someone other than you, since an adult adoptee may fall outside a class gift in it.	-	After the court signs JDF 531

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Colorado guides

Adverse Possession in Colorado: Eighteen Years, and the Winner May Have to Pay

Asset Protection Planning in Colorado (2026)

Colorado Notice to Vacate: 2026 Landlord Rules & 10-Day Statute

Dealing With Debt Collectors in Colorado (2026)

Expunging a Criminal Record in Colorado (2026)

Filing a Workplace Harassment Complaint in Colorado

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