Yes. Utah law does not set an upper age at which a parent can place a child for adoption; a minor of any age can be adopted, and Utah’s Adoption Act, now Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 13, governs the process from newborns to seventeen-year-olds. What changes with age is the path. A newborn can be surrendered under the safe haven law or placed through an agency; a young child is placed through a relinquishment and an adoptive family; a child twelve or older has to agree. And for a parent who is overwhelmed rather than certain, there are alternatives that do not end the relationship. Here is how each works.
Newborns: safe haven and agency placement
Utah’s Newborn Safe Haven law lets a parent surrender an infant to a hospital anonymously and without legal consequence. In 2025 the Legislature expanded the law from newborns 30 days old to infants up to three months old. The parent hands the baby to hospital staff, may leave without giving a name, and DCFS takes custody and places the child. No questions, no charges, no court appearance.
A parent who wants more involvement in where the child goes, including choosing the adoptive family and setting up post-adoption contact, works with a licensed adoption agency or an adoption attorney. Utah requires that a birth mother’s consent be signed no sooner than 24 hours after the birth, before a judge or an authorized person, and once signed it is irrevocable. An unmarried father’s consent is required only if he has preserved his rights by filing a paternity action and the required notices before the mother consents.
Young children: relinquishment and adoption
For a child past infancy, the process is a relinquishment of parental rights to an agency or directly in an adoption proceeding, followed by the adoption itself. The parent signs a relinquishment before a judge or authorized person after being informed of its effect. Both legal parents’ consent is required unless a parent’s rights have been terminated or a father never preserved them. Most placements of young children in Utah are with a relative, a step-parent, or a family the parent has chosen, and post-adoption contact agreements are available where the adoptive family agrees.
Children twelve and older: the child must consent
Under Utah Code 81-13-212, a child older than twelve must consent to their own adoption unless they lack the mental capacity to do so. A teenager cannot be adopted against their will, and the court will hear from the child. In practice, adoptions of older children in Utah are almost always relative, step-parent, or foster adoptions where the child has an existing relationship with the adoptive family.
What you cannot do
You cannot simply hand a child to another family and walk away. Utah law restricts transferring custody of a child to someone who is not a relative outside of an adoption, guardianship, or court order, and informal “rehoming” arrangements leave the child without a legal parent, expose the adults to legal consequences, and leave you responsible for support. You cannot surrender a child older than three months at a hospital under the safe haven law. And you cannot use adoption to escape child support: a court will deny a relinquishment whose purpose is to avoid paying, and past-due support survives termination. Our article on giving up parental rights in Utah covers that in detail.
Alternatives to adoption
Many parents who search this question are not certain they want to end the relationship; they are in crisis. Utah offers options short of adoption.
A guardianship lets a relative or trusted adult have legal custody and make decisions for the child while the parent keeps their rights and can petition to end the guardianship later. A temporary custody arrangement through the family court can do the same for a defined period. DCFS offers voluntary services to families in crisis, and in some cases voluntary placement with a relative while the parent gets stable, without a finding of neglect. Kinship placements with grandparents or other family are common and reversible.
An attorney can tell you in one conversation which of these fits, and the choice matters, because adoption is permanent and a guardianship is not.
If you are the other parent
If your child’s other parent is planning an adoption, your consent is required if you are the legal parent, and you cannot be cut out of it. If you are an unmarried father who has not established paternity, you can be, and the deadlines run from the child’s birth. File a paternity action and the required notices immediately; our guide to the rights of unwed fathers in Utah explains the steps.
How CoilLaw helps
We handle private adoptions, step-parent and relative adoptions, relinquishments, guardianships, and contested cases throughout Utah. If you are considering placing a child, at any age, we will explain every option, including the ones that do not end your relationship with your child, and handle whichever you choose.
This article is general information about Utah law, not legal advice for your situation.
