Adopting a Child in South Carolina

Any South Carolina resident may petition the family court to adopt; nonresidents may adopt only in listed circumstances (for example a special-needs child, a relative placement, military stationed in the state, or when all required consents name the nonresident). Consent or relinquishment is required from the adoptee if over 14 and from the parents (with specific rules for unmarried fathers based on support and contact), unless parental rights were terminated or another exception applies. A preplacement investigation of the adoptive home and a background investigation must be completed before placement, and a postplacement investigation before the final hearing. The court grants the adoption if, among other findings, the child has been in the petitioner's custody for 90 days and the adoption is in the child's best interest; the final hearing is generally held within six months of filing.

Any person may adopt a spouse's child or a relative's child under a simplified process: no pre- or postplacement investigation or report is required and no accounting of disbursements is needed unless the court orders them, and for good cause the court may waive the 90-day waiting period before the final hearing. The other parent's consent or relinquishment is still required unless that parent's rights have been terminated or another statutory exception applies.