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How to Adopt an Adult in Iowa

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

Iowa charges nothing to file an adult adoption. Iowa Code 602.8105(1)(e) fixes the fee for an adoption petition under chapter 600 at zero dollars, and when the legislature raised the general civil petition fee to $215 effective July 1, 2026, it left the adoption line untouched. The proceeding itself is a district court case that permanently makes one adult the legal parent of another adult, carrying the inheritance and next of kin consequences that follow. Iowa also sets no list of who may be adopted. Chapter 600 reaches the adoption of any natural person (Iowa Code 600.3(1)) and then simply never states conditions for the person being adopted. The limits Iowa does impose sit on the petitioner's side in Iowa Code 600.4. There is no minimum age gap, and the adult being adopted need not even be younger than you. Consent is where Iowa gets specific. The adult must consent in writing, and may sign before a notary rather than in open court (Iowa Code 600.7(1)(d) and 600.7(2)(b)). Any guardian of that adult must consent too (600.7(1)(a)). A married petitioner normally files jointly with their husband or wife (600.4(2)); one who qualifies to file alone needs that spouse's written consent under a provision drafted only for adult adoptions (600.7(1)(c)). Birth parents neither consent nor receive notice, and no termination of parental rights is required (600.3(2)(a)(1)). No investigation is required because the person being adopted is an adult (600.8(7)(a)(1)). Attorney review of your petition is available through DocDraft.

Find out where you stand in Iowa

Who are you hoping to adopt?

DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.

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

Zero dollars. Iowa Code 602.8105(1)(e) sets the fee for filing and docketing an adoption petition under chapter 600 at zero dollars, statewide. The 2026 fee legislation that moved the general civil petition to $215 for fees paid on and after July 1, 2026 left that adoption line unchanged.

Who can be adopted as an adult in Iowa?

Any adult. Iowa Code 600.3(1) reaches the adoption of any natural person, and chapter 600 states no conditions at all for the person being adopted. There is no disability category, no former stepchild category and no foster care category, because Iowa has no eligibility list to qualify under.

Which spouse has to consent to an adult adoption in Iowa?

The petitioner's. A married person adopting normally files jointly with their husband or wife under Iowa Code 600.4(2). A married person who qualifies to file alone under 600.4(3) must instead obtain that spouse's written consent under 600.7(1)(c). Chapter 600 asks nothing of the adoptee's spouse.

Which court handles an adult adoption in Iowa?

The district court. Iowa Code 600.3(1) directs the petition to the juvenile court or court for the county, and Iowa Code 600A.2(7) defines court as a district court. Iowa has no probate, family, surrogate's or chancery court. Venue follows either party's county of residence or domicile.

Iowa adult adoption at a glance

An Iowa adult adoption is a district court order establishing a permanent parent and child relationship between two adults, with all the rights and duties that relationship carries (Iowa Code 600.13(4)). Two things set Iowa apart. The petition costs zero dollars to file (Iowa Code 602.8105(1)(e)), and chapter 600 contains no provision describing who may be adopted, so there is nothing for the adult to qualify under. Iowa regulates the other side instead: 600.4 governs who may adopt. No minimum age gap applies and the adoptee need not be younger. Consents run to the adult, any guardian of that adult, and the petitioner's spouse where the petitioner files alone (600.7(1)). Birth parents neither consent nor get notice, and no investigation is required for an adult.

Adopting your adult stepdaughter in Scott County without paying a filing fee

The whole case here turns on a choice Iowa hands a married stepparent. You may file jointly with your wife under Iowa Code 600.4(2), or alone under 600.4(3)(a) because you are the stepparent of the 24 year old you helped raise from age eleven. Filing alone keeps your wife off the petition, and she signs a written consent instead under 600.7(1)(b) and 600.7(1)(c). Your stepdaughter signs hers before a notary. Her birth father neither consents nor receives notice, and no termination of parental rights applies (600.3(2)(a)(1)). She takes your surname, pleaded under 600.5(3) and effected by the decree. Her inheritance tie to her mother survives under 633.223(3). The Scott County clerk charges zero dollars. Attorney review of your petition is available through DocDraft.

Relevant Laws

Iowa Code 600.3 (commencement, venue, and no termination of parental rights for an adult)

Directs an action for the adoption of any natural person to the juvenile court or court for the county where the adult being adopted, or the petitioner, is domiciled or resides. Provides that no termination of parental rights is required if the person to be adopted is an adult, and limits each petition to one person.

Iowa Code 600.7 (consents to the adoption)

Lists the four consents an Iowa adoption needs: any guardian of the person to be adopted, the spouse of a petitioner who is a stepparent, the spouse of a petitioner separately petitioning to adopt an adult, and the person to be adopted if fourteen or older. Allows consent before a notary.

Iowa Code 600.8 (placement investigations and reports)

Provides in subsection 7 that an investigation or report is not required where the person to be adopted is an adult. Subsection 9 separately lets the department investigate any adoption petition on its own initiative or on court order, and subsection 7 requires a judicial ruling after a criminal disclosure.

Iowa Code 602.8105 (clerk of the district court filing fees)

Sets the fee for filing and docketing a petition for adoption pursuant to chapter 600 at zero dollars. The 2026 amendment to this section, applicable to fees paid on and after July 1, 2026, raised the general civil petition fee to $215 and left the adoption figure unchanged.

Iowa Code 633.223 (effect of adoption on intestate succession)

Extinguishes intestate succession between the adopted person and the biological parents in both directions and substitutes the adoptive parents, treating the adopted person as a biological child. Subsection 3 preserves the tie where the adopting person is the spouse of a biological parent.

Regional Variances

Iowa adult adoption rules at a glance

Who may be adopted

Any adult. Iowa Code 600.3(1) reaches the adoption of any natural person and chapter 600 states no conditions for the person being adopted. The only text touching the adoptee's identity is 600.4(3), which lets a married person file alone where the person to be adopted is not the other spouse.

Who counts as an adult

A person who is married or eighteen years of age or older, under Iowa Code 600A.2(2) as imported by 600.2(1). Marriage alone qualifies someone at any age. An unmarried person under eighteen is a minor under 600A.2(14) and uses the minor adoption track instead.

Age relationship

No requirement of any kind. Chapter 600 contains no minimum number of years and does not require the adult being adopted to be younger than the petitioner. The 180 day period in 600.10 is a residence period for a minor person, not an age gap.

Consent of the adult being adopted

Required in writing under Iowa Code 600.7(1)(d), which attaches at fourteen so every adult clears it. Under 600.7(2)(b) an adult may sign before a notary rather than in the presence of the court. Iowa Code 600.6(4) excludes this one consent from the petition attachments.

Consent of a guardian

Required. Iowa Code 600.7(1)(a) lists the consent of any guardian of the person to be adopted first among the four. This is the consent that matters where the adult has a court appointed guardian, and it is separate from the adult's own consent.

Consent of the petitioner's spouse

Joinder by default: a married person adopting files jointly under Iowa Code 600.4(2). Where the petitioner qualifies to file alone under 600.4(3), written consent is required instead under 600.7(1)(c), a provision drafted specifically for adult adoptions, or under 600.7(1)(b) for a stepparent.

Consent of the adoptee's spouse

Nothing is required. Chapter 600 imposes no consent, no joinder and no notice on the spouse of the person being adopted. Every reference to a spouse in the chapter concerns the petitioner's spouse, so this is an absence in the text rather than a stated exemption.

Birth parents

No consent and no notice. Iowa Code 600.7(1) does not list a parent, and adult adoption notice under 600.11(3) runs only to the adult and persons required to consent. Iowa Code 600.3(2)(a)(1) dispenses with termination of parental rights, though 600.5(6) still requires parents to be named.

Court and venue

District court. Iowa Code 600.3(1) names the juvenile court or court for the county, and 600A.2(7) defines court as a district court. File where the adult being adopted, or the petitioner, is domiciled or resides. Iowa Code 600.3(3) lets the court transfer, stay or dismiss in the interest of substantial justice.

Residency

None. Chapter 600 sets no durational residency requirement for any petitioner and does not require the petitioner to be an Iowa resident. Iowa Code 600.3(1) supplies a venue rule only, keyed to the county of domicile or residence of either party.

Filing fee

Zero dollars under Iowa Code 602.8105(1)(e). Other costs still apply: service of the hearing notice under Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 1.305, and the new birth certificate fee, which Iowa Code 144.46(1) leaves to department rule rather than fixing by statute.

Investigation

Expressly not required for an adult under Iowa Code 600.8(7)(a)(1). Three powers are not age limited: the department may investigate under 600.8(9), the court must rule on waiver after a 600.5(9) criminal disclosure under 600.8(7)(b), and 600.13(2) allows further investigation in an interlocutory decree.

Name change

Yes, in the same decree. Iowa Code 600.5(3) makes any new name requested mandatory petition content, and 600.13(5)(a) provides that the name is changed by issuance of the decree where so designated. Iowa Code 600.13(5)(c)(2) sends the new birth certificate to the adult directly.

Inheritance

Full substitution in both directions under Iowa Code 633.223(1) and (2), with no age gate anywhere in the Probate Code. Iowa Code 633.223(3) preserves the tie to a biological parent whose spouse is the adopting person, and is drafted to reach a person rather than a child.

Forms

None. The Iowa Judicial Branch publishes no statewide adoption form and lists no adoption topic among its self help subjects. The petition, consents, hearing notice and proposed decree are drafted to the content requirements of Iowa Code 600.5, 600.6, 600.7 and 600.11.

Suggested Compliance Checklist

Confirm the adult meets Iowa's definition and pick your 600.4 provision

Before you draft anything days after starting

Verify the person is married or eighteen or older under Iowa Code 600A.2(2), then identify whether you qualify under 600.4(1) as an unmarried adult, 600.4(2) jointly with your spouse, or 600.4(3) alone. Iowa Code 600.5(7) requires you to name that provision.

Obtain the birth certificate or verified birth record

Before drafting the petition days after starting

Iowa Code 600.6(1) requires a certified copy of the birth certificate showing parentage of the person being adopted, or a verified birth record where that certificate is not available. Order it early, since it governs how the adult's current legal name is pleaded under 600.5(1).

Draft the adoption petition

First document to prepare days after starting

Work through the items in Iowa Code 600.5 that reach an adult, including any new name requested, any guardian, any parent, your criminal history disclosure under 600.5(9), and the value of property held for the adult. Attorney review of the petition is available through DocDraft.

Collect the written consents

Before filing days after starting

Prepare the adult's consent, any guardian's consent under Iowa Code 600.7(1)(a), and your spouse's consent under 600.7(1)(b) or 600.7(1)(c) if you are filing alone. Each must name both parties and be signed before a notary or in the presence of the court under 600.7(2).

File the petition in district court

When the papers are signed days after starting

File in the county where the adult being adopted, or you, are domiciled or reside (Iowa Code 600.3(1)), attaching the documents 600.6 requires but not the adult's own consent. The clerk collects zero dollars under 602.8105(1)(e). One petition per adult under 600.3(4).

Apply for the hearing and serve twenty days notice

At least 20 days before the hearing days after starting

Ask the court to set the hearing under Iowa Code 600.11(1), then serve the petition, its attachments and the notice on the adult and anyone required to consent, per 600.11(3) and 600.11(4). File proof of notice, or an acceptance of service, before the hearing.

Attend the hearing and request a final decree

On your hearing date days after starting

Both of you must be present unless the court excuses one (Iowa Code 600.12(2)). Ask for a final decree rather than the interlocutory decree permitted by 600.13(2). Confirm the decree designates the new name if one was requested, so 600.13(5)(a) effects it.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Expunging a Criminal Record in Iowa (2026)

Filing a Workplace Harassment Complaint in Iowa

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