Vermont Statutes Title 15 Sec. 6-102
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 15 Sec. 6-102
- Adoptee: means a person who is adopted or is to be adopted. See
- Agency: means the Department or a child-placing public or private entity that is licensed in this State to place minors for adoption. See
- Department: means the Department for Children and Families. See
- Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
- Records: means all documents, exhibits and data pertaining to an adoption, whether collected prior to or after the decree of adoption. See
- Registry: means the adoption registry administered by the Department. See
- State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See
§ 6-102. Records confidential
(a) All records on file with the court or in the possession of an agency, the Department of Health, the registry, or other provider of professional services in connection with an adoption are confidential and may not be inspected except as provided in this title.
(b) During a proceeding for adoption, records are not open to inspection except as directed by the court.
(c) Within 30 days after a decree of adoption becomes final, the clerk of the Superior Court shall send to the registry a copy of any document signed pursuant to section 2-105 of this title.
(d) All records on file with the court or agency shall be retained permanently and kept confidential for 99 years after the date of the adoptee‘s birth. Confidential records and indices are not open to inspection or copying by any person except as provided in this title.
(e) The records of an agency that ceases operation in this State shall be transferred to the Department for retention under the provisions of this title. (Added 1995, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 131; 2017, No. 28, § 4, eff. May 10, 2017.)