Rule 5.451.Contact after adoption agreement

Division 2. Rules Applicable in Family and Juvenile Proceedings · Chapter 1. Contact and Coordination · Last amended 2024 · Last verified September 10, 2026

In one sentenceRule 5.451 requires a post-adoption contact agreement to be made on the Judicial Council form, keeps jurisdiction in the adopting court, and caps the fee to enforce or change it.

Full Text of Rule 5.451

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d)

(a) Applicability of rule

This rule applies to any adoption of a child filed under Family Code section 8714, 8714.5, 8802, 8912, or 9000.

(b) Preparing the agreement

Any agreement must be prepared and submitted on Contact After Adoption Agreement (form ADOPT-310) and include all terms required under section 8616.5

(1) The court that grants the petition for adoption and approves the contact after adoption agreement retains jurisdiction over the agreement.

(2) Any petition for enforcement of an agreement must be filed on Request to: Enforce, Change, End Contact After Adoption Agreement (form ADOPT-315).

(3) Any petition for modification or termination of an agreement must be filed on Request to: Enforce, Change, End Contact After Adoption Agreement (form ADOPT-315).

(d) Costs and fees

The fee for filing Request to: Enforce, Change, End Contact After Adoption Agreement (form ADOPT-315) must not exceed the fee assessed for the filing of an adoption petition.

End

Plain-English Summary

An adoption can be accompanied by an agreement for continuing contact with birth relatives. This rule applies to adoptions under the listed Family Code sections and requires the agreement to be prepared and submitted on the contact-after-adoption form, containing all the terms the statute requires.

Jurisdiction stays where the adoption was granted: the court that granted the petition and approved the agreement retains jurisdiction over it. Enforcement, modification, and termination all go on the same request form.

The fee provision keeps the remedy usable — the fee for filing that request must not exceed the fee assessed for filing an adoption petition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which court enforces a contact after adoption agreement?

The court that granted the adoption petition and approved the agreement retains jurisdiction over it.

How do I enforce or change the agreement?

File Request to: Enforce, Change, End Contact After Adoption Agreement (form ADOPT-315). The same form is used for enforcement, modification, and termination.

What does it cost?

The filing fee must not exceed the fee assessed for filing an adoption petition.

Amendment History

Rule 5.451 amended effective January 1, 2024; adopted as rule 1180 effective July 1, 1998; previously amended and renumbered as rule 5.400 effective January 1, 2003; previously amended effective July 1, 2001, July 1, 2003;January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2018; previously renumbered effective January 1, 2013.

(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2024; previously amended effective January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2013.) (Subd (b) relettered and amended effective January 1, 2024; adopted as subd (c); previously amended effective January 1, 2003; and January 2013.) (Subd (c) relettered and amended effective January 1, 2024; adopted as subd (d); previously amended effective July 1, 2001, January 1, 2003, July 1, 2003, January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2013.) (Subd (d) relettered and amended effective January 1, 2024; adopted as subd (e) previously amended effective July 1, 2001, January 1, 2003, July 1, 2003, and January 1, 2013.)

Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California. Last verified September 10, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: contact after adoption agreement CaliforniaADOPT-310 post adoption contactopen adoption agreement enforcement