Chapter 48

48.80(1) (1) Any municipality is hereby authorized and empowered to sponsor the establishment and operation of any committee, agency or council for the purpose of coordinating and supplementing the activities of public and private agencies devoted in whole or in part to the welfare of youth therein. Any municipality may appropriate, raise and expend funds for the purpose of establishing and of providing an executive staff to such committees, agencies or councils; may levy taxes and appropriate money for recreation and welfare projects; and may also receive and expend moneys from the state or federal government or private persons for such purposes.

48.80(2) (2) No provision of this section shall be construed as vesting in any youth committee, council or agency any power, duty or function enjoined by law upon any municipal officer, board or department or as vesting in such committee, council or agency any supervisory or other authority over such officer, board or department.

48.80(3) (3) In this section municipality means a county, city, village or town.

subch. XIX of ch. 48 SUBCHAPTER XIX

ADOPTION OF MINORS; GUARDIANSHIP

48.81 48.81 Who may be adopted. Any child who is present in this state at the time the petition for adoption is filed may be adopted if any of the following criteria are met:

48.81(1) (1) Both of the child’s parents are deceased.

48.81(2) (2) The parental rights of both of the child’s parents with respect to the child have been terminated under subch. VIII or in another state or a foreign jurisdiction.

48.81(3) (3) The parental rights of one of the child’s parents with respect to the child have been terminated under subch. VIII or in another state or a foreign jurisdiction and the child’s other parent is deceased.

48.81(4) (4) The person filing the petition for adoption is the spouse of the child’s parent with whom the child and the child’s parent reside and either of the following applies:

48.81(4)(a) (a) The child’s other parent is deceased.

48.81(4)(b) (b) The parental rights of the child’s other parent with respect to the child have been terminated under subch. VIII or in another state or a foreign jurisdiction.

48.81(5) (5) Section 48.839 (3) (b) applies.

48.81(6) (6) The child is being adopted under s. 48.97 (3).

48.81 History History: 1987 a. 383; 1989 a. 161; 1997 a. 104; 2015 a. 380.

48.81 Note NOTE: 1997 Wis. Act 104, which affected this section, contains explanatory notes.

48.81 Annotation Under this section, the nonmarital partner of a child’s biological parent is not eligible to adopt the child because the nonmarital partner is not the biological parent’s spouse. That legislative limit on eligibility to adopt a child does not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A.M.B. v. Circuit Court, 2024 WI 18, 411 Wis. 2d 389, 5 N.W.3d 238, 22-1334.

48.82 48.82 Who may adopt.

48.82(1) (1) The following persons are eligible to adopt a minor if they are residents of this state:

48.82(1)(a) (a) A husband and wife jointly, or either the husband or wife if the other spouse is a parent of the minor.

48.82(1)(b) (b) An unmarried adult.

48.82(3) (3) When practicable and if requested by the birth parent, the adoptive parents shall be of the same religious faith as the birth parents of the person to be adopted.

48.82(4) (4) No person may be denied the benefits of this subchapter because of a religious belief in the use of spiritual means through prayer for healing.

48.82(5) (5) Although otherwise qualified, no person shall be denied the benefits of this section because the person is deaf, blind or has other physical handicaps.

48.82(6) (6) No otherwise qualified person may be denied the benefits of this subchapter because of his or her race, color, ancestry or national origin.

48.82 History History: 1981 c. 359 s. 16; 1983 a. 350; 1989 a. 161; 1991 a. 316.

48.82 Annotation Standing to object to adoption proceedings turns on the right to petition for adoption; grandparents excluded from petitioning under s. 48.90 (1) (a) had no standing to object to the adoption of their grandchildren. L.P. v. B.G., 177 Wis. 2d 424, 501 N.W.2d 908 (Ct. App. 1993).

48.825 48.825 Advertising related to adoption.

48.825(1) (1) In this section:

48.825(1)(a) (a) “Advertise” means to communicate by any public medium that originates within this state, including by newspaper, periodical, telephone book listing, outdoor advertising sign, radio, or television, or by any computerized communication system, including by electronic mail, Internet site, Internet account, or any similar medium of communication provided via the Internet.

48.825(1)(b) (b) “Another jurisdiction” means a state of the United States other than Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States or an Indian tribe.

48.825(1)(c) (c) “Internet account” means an account created within a bounded system established by an Internet-based service that requires a user to input or store access information in an electronic device in order to view, create, use, or edit the user’s account information, profile, display, communications, or stored data.

48.825(2) (2) Except as provided in sub. (3), no person may do any of the following:

48.825(2)(a) (a) Advertise for the purpose of finding a child to adopt or to otherwise take into permanent physical custody.

48.825(2)(b) (b) Advertise that the person will find an adoptive home or any other permanent physical placement for a child or arrange for or assist in the adoption, adoptive placement, or any other permanent physical placement of a child.

48.825(2)(c) (c) Advertise that the person will place a child for adoption or in any other permanent physical placement.

48.825(3) (3) This section does not apply to any of the following:

48.825(3)(a) (a) The department, a county department, or a child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.60 to place children for adoption, in licensed foster homes or group homes, or in the homes of guardians under s. 48.977 (2).

48.825(3)(b) (b) An individual or agency providing adoption information under s. 48.55.

48.825(3)(c) (c) A foster care and adoption resource center funded by this state or a postadoption resource center funded by this state.

48.825(3)(d) (d) An individual who has received a favorable recommendation regarding his or her fitness to be an adoptive parent in this state from the department, a county department or a child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.60 or in another jurisdiction from an entity authorized by that jurisdiction to conduct studies of potential adoptive homes.

48.825(3m) (3m) No person may publish by a public medium an advertisement that violates this section. If the owner, agent, or employee of the public medium receives a copy of the license of the person or agency requesting the advertisement that indicates that the person or agency is licensed to provide adoption services in this state, there is a rebuttable presumption that the advertisement does not violate this section.

48.825(4) (4) Nothing in this section prohibits an attorney licensed to practice in this state from advertising his or her availability to practice or provide services relating to the adoption of children.

48.825(5) (5) Any person who violates sub. (2) or (3m) may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than 9 months or both.

48.825 History History: 1997 a. 104; 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 293; 2009 a. 94; 2013 a. 314.

48.825 Note NOTE: 1997 Wis. Act 104, which affected this section, contains explanatory notes.

48.83 48.83 Jurisdiction and venue.

48.83(1) (1) Except as provided in s. 48.028 (3) (b), the court of the county where the proposed adoptive parent or child resides or the court of the county where a petition for termination of parental rights to the child was filed or granted under subch. VIII, upon the filing with that court of a petition for adoption or for the adoptive placement of a child, has jurisdiction over the child until the petition is withdrawn, denied, or granted. Venue in a proceeding for adoption or adoptive placement of a child shall be in the county where the proposed adoptive parent or child resides at the time the petition is filed or in the county where a petition for termination of parental rights to the child was filed or granted under subch. VIII. The court may transfer the case to a court in the county in which the proposed adoptive parents reside.

48.83(2) (2) If the adoption is denied, jurisdiction over the child shall immediately revert to the court which appointed the guardian, unless the appointing court is a court of another state or foreign jurisdiction, in which case the court of the county where the child is shall have jurisdiction.

48.83 History History: 1975 c. 39; 1977 c. 449 s. 497; 1981 c. 81, 391; 1989 a. 161; 2009 a. 94; 2015 a. 378.

48.831 48.831 Appointment of guardian for child without a living parent for adoptability finding.

48.831(1) (1) Type of guardianship. This section may be used for the appointment of a guardian of a child who does not have a living parent if a finding as to the adoptability of a child is sought. Except as provided in ss. 48.977 and 48.978, s. 48.9795 applies to the appointment of a guardian for a child who does not have a living parent for all other purposes. An appointment of a guardian of the estate of a child who does not have a living parent shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures specified in ch. 54.

48.831(1m) (1m) Petition. Any of the following may file a petition for appointment of a guardian for a child who is believed to be in need of protection or services because he or she is without a living parent as described under s. 48.13 (1):

48.831(1m)(a) (a) The department.

48.831(1m)(b) (b) A county department.

48.831(1m)(c) (c) A child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.61 (5) to accept guardianship.

48.831(1m)(d) (d) A relative or family member of the child or a person whom the child has resided with and who has also acted as a parent of the child.

48.831(1m)(e) (e) A guardian appointed under s. 48.9795, ch. 54, 2017 stats., or ch. 880, 2003 stats., whose resignation as guardian has been accepted by a court under s. 48.9795 (11), s. 54.54 (1), 2017 stats., or s. 880.17 (1), 2003 stats.

48.831(1r) (1r) Notice. When a petition is filed under sub. (1m), the court shall provide notice of the fact-finding hearing under sub. (3) to all interested parties as provided in s. 48.27 (6). If the court knows or has reason to know that the child is an Indian child, the court shall provide notice to the Indian child’s Indian custodian, if any, and tribe, if known, in the manner specified in s. 48.028 (4) (a). No hearing may be held under sub. (3) until at least 10 days after receipt of the notice by the Indian child’s Indian custodian and tribe or, if the identity or location of the Indian child’s Indian custodian or tribe cannot be determined, until at least 15 days after receipt of the notice by the U.S. secretary of the interior. On request of the Indian child’s Indian custodian or tribe, the court shall grant a continuance of up to 20 additional days to enable the requester to prepare for the hearing.

48.831(2) (2) Report. If the department, county department, or child welfare agency files a petition, the court shall order the department, county department, or child welfare agency to file a report with the court containing as much of the information specified under s. 48.425 (1) (a) and (am) as is reasonably ascertainable and, if applicable, the information specified under s. 48.425 (1) (g). If the petition is filed by a relative or other person specified under sub. (1m) (d), the court shall order the department or a child welfare agency, if the department or agency consents, or a county department to file a report containing the information specified in this subsection. If the child is an Indian child, the court may order the department, county department, or child welfare agency, or request the tribal child welfare department of the Indian child’s tribe, if that department consents, to file a report containing the information specified in this subsection. The department, county department, child welfare agency, or tribal child welfare department, if that department consents, shall file the report at least 5 days before the date of the fact-finding hearing on the petition.

48.831(3) (3) Fact-finding hearing. The court shall hold a fact-finding hearing on the petition, at which any party may present evidence relevant to the issue of whether the child has a living parent. If the court finds that the child has a living parent, the court shall dismiss the petition or grant the petitioner leave to amend the petition to a petition under s. 48.42 (1).

48.831(4) (4) Dispositional hearing.

48.831(4)(a) (a) If the court, at the conclusion of the fact-finding hearing, finds that the child has no living parent, the court shall proceed to a dispositional hearing. Any party may present evidence, including expert testimony, relevant to the issue of disposition. In determining the appropriate disposition, the court shall consider any factors under s. 48.426 (3) (a) to (d) that are applicable.

48.831(4)(b) (b) If the court finds that adoption is in the child’s best interest, the court shall order that the child be placed in the guardianship and custody of one of the following:

48.831(4)(b)1. 1. A county department authorized to accept guardianship under s. 48.57 (1) (e) or (hm).

48.831(4)(b)2. 2. A child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.61 (5) to accept guardianship.

48.831(4)(b)3. 3. The department.

48.831(4)(c) (c) If the court finds that adoption is not in the child’s best interest, the court shall order that the child be placed in the guardianship of the department and place the child in the custody of a county department or, in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, the department or an agency under contract with the department.

48.831(4)(cm) (cm) If the child is an Indian child who is in the custody of an Indian custodian, the court may not remove the child from the custody of the Indian custodian under par. (c) unless the court finds by clear and convincing evidence, including the testimony of one or more qualified expert witnesses, that continued custody of the Indian child by the Indian custodian is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child under s. 48.028 (4) (d) 1. and the court finds that active efforts under s. 48.028 (4) (d) 2. have been made to prevent the breakup of the Indian child’s family and that those efforts have proved unsuccessful. In placing an Indian child following a transfer of guardianship and custody under par. (b) or (c), the custodian appointed under par. (b) or (c) shall comply with the order of placement preference under s. 48.028 (7) (b) or, if applicable, s. 48.028 (7) (c), unless there is good cause, as described in s. 48.028 (7) (e), for departing from that order.

48.831(4)(d) (d) Section 48.43 (5), (5m) and (7) applies to orders under pars. (b) and (c).

48.831(4)(e) (e) The court shall order the custodian appointed under par. (b) or (c) to prepare a permanency plan under s. 48.38 for the child within 60 days after the date of the order. A permanency plan ordered under this paragraph is subject to review under s. 48.38 (5). In preparing a permanency plan, the department, county department or child welfare agency need not include any information specified in s. 48.38 (4) that relates to the child’s parents or returning the child to his or her home. In reviewing a permanency plan, a court or panel need not make any determination under s. 48.38 (5) (c) that relates to the child’s parents or returning the child to his or her home.

48.831 History History: 1989 a. 161; 1995 a. 73, 275; 1997 a. 27, 334; 2005 a. 387; 2009 a. 94; 2015 a. 172; 2019 a. 109; 2021 a. 240 s. 30.

48.832 48.832 Transfer of guardianship upon revocation of guardian’s license or contract. If the department revokes the license of a county department licensed under s. 48.57 (1) (hm) to accept guardianship, or of a child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.61 (5) to accept guardianship, or if the department terminates the contract of a county department licensed under s. 48.57 (1) (e) to accept guardianship, the department shall file a motion in the court that appointed the guardian for each child in the guardianship of the county department or agency, requesting that the court transfer guardianship and custody of the child. The motion may specify a county department or child welfare agency that has consented to accept guardianship of the child. The court shall transfer guardianship and custody of the child either to the county department or child welfare agency specified in the motion or to another county department under s. 48.57 (1) (e) or (hm) or a child welfare agency under s. 48.61 (5) which consents to the transfer. If no county department or child welfare agency consents, the court shall transfer guardianship and custody of the child to the department.

48.832 History History: 1989 a. 161; 1997 a. 27.

48.833 48.833 Placement of children for adoption by the department, county departments, and child welfare agencies.

48.833(1) (1) Placement by department or county department. The department or a county department under s. 48.57 (1) (e) or (hm) may place a child for adoption in a licensed foster home without a court order if the department or county department is the guardian of the child or makes the placement at the request of another agency that is the guardian of the child, if the investigation made under s. 48.75 (3) has been supplemented to evaluate whether the home is suitable for the child, and if the proposed adoptive parents have completed the preadoption preparation required under s. 48.84 (1) or the department or county department determines that the proposed adoptive parents are not required to complete that preparation. The department or a county department under s. 48.57 (1) (e) or (hm) may also place a child for adoption in a licensed foster home without a court order under s. 48.63 (3) (b). When a child is placed under this subsection in a licensed foster home for adoption, the department or county department making the placement shall enter into a written agreement with the proposed adoptive parent, which shall state the date on which the child is placed in the licensed foster home for adoption by the proposed adoptive parent.

48.833(2) (2) Placement by child welfare agency. A child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.60 may place a child for adoption in a licensed foster home without a court order if the child welfare agency is the guardian of the child or makes the placement at the request of another agency that is the guardian of the child, if the investigation made under s. 48.75 (3) has been supplemented to evaluate whether the home is suitable for the child, and if the proposed adoptive parents have completed the preadoption preparation required under s. 48.84 (1) or the child welfare agency determines that the proposed adoptive parents are not required to complete that preparation. A child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.60 may also place a child for adoption in a licensed foster home without a court order under s. 48.63 (3) (b). When a child is placed under this subsection in a licensed foster home for adoption, the child welfare agency making the placement shall enter into a written agreement with the proposed adoptive parent, which shall state the date on which the child is placed in the licensed foster home for adoption by the proposed adoptive parent.

48.833(3) (3) Indian child; placement preferences. In placing an Indian child for adoption under sub. (1) or (2), the department, county department, or child welfare agency shall comply with the order of placement preference under s. 48.028 (7) (a) or, if applicable, s. 48.028 (7) (c), unless the department, county department, or child welfare agency finds good cause, as described in s. 48.028 (7) (e), for departing from that order.

48.833 History History: 1981 c. 81, 384; 1985 a. 176; 1989 a. 336; 1993 a. 446; 1995 a. 275; 2005 a. 293, 448; 2007 a. 96, 186; 2009 a. 28, 94; 2015 a. 378.

48.834 48.834 Placement of children with relatives or siblings for adoption by the department, county departments, and child welfare agencies.

48.834(1) (1) Placement with relatives. Before placing a child for adoption under s. 48.833, the department, county department under s. 48.57 (1) (e) or (hm), or child welfare agency making the placement shall consider the availability of a placement for adoption with a relative of the child who is identified in the child’s permanency plan under s. 48.38 or 938.38 or who is otherwise known by the department, county department, or child welfare agency.

48.834(2) (2) Placement with siblings. If a child who is being placed for adoption under s. 48.833 has one or more siblings, as defined in s. 48.38 (4) (br) 1., who have been adopted or who have been placed for adoption, the department, county department under s. 48.57 (1) (e) or (hm), or child welfare agency making the placement shall make reasonable efforts to place the child for adoption with an adoptive parent or proposed adoptive parent of such a sibling who is identified in the child’s permanency plan under s. 48.38 or 938.38 or who is otherwise known by the department, county department, or child welfare agency, unless the department, county department, or child welfare agency determines that a joint placement would be contrary to the safety or well-being of the child or any of those siblings, in which case the department, county department, or child welfare agency shall make reasonable efforts to provide for frequent visitation or other ongoing interaction between the child and the siblings, unless the department, county department, or child welfare agency determines that such visitation or interaction would be contrary to the safety or well-being of the child or any of those siblings.

48.834 History History: 2005 a. 448; 2009 a. 79.

48.835 48.835 Placement of children with relatives for adoption.

48.835(1) (1) Definition. In this section and s. 48.837, “custody” means physical custody of a child by the child’s parent not in violation of a custody order issued by a court. “Custody” does not include physical custody of a child during a period of physical placement with a parent who does not have legal custody of the child.

48.835(2) (2) Adoptive placement. A parent having custody of a child may place the child for adoption in the home of a relative of the child without a court order.

48.835(3) (3) Petition for termination of parental rights required; exception.

48.835(3)(a) (a) If the child’s parent has not filed a petition for the termination of parental rights under s. 48.42, the relative with whom the child is placed shall file a petition for the termination of the parents’ rights at the same time the petition for adoption is filed, except as provided under par. (b).

48.835(3)(b) (b) If the person filing the adoption petition is a stepparent with whom the child and the child’s parent reside, the stepparent shall file only a petition to terminate the parental rights of the parent who does not have custody of the child.