Rule 9-107.Objection
Last amended July 1, 2026 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 9-107
Amendment History
Maryland publishes each rule’s adoption and amendment record as a bracketed “Credits” note beneath the rule, giving the date of each Rules Order and the date it took effect. It is reproduced verbatim below.
[Adopted June 5, 1996, eff. Jan. 1, 1997. Amended June 4, 2007, eff. July 1, 2007; June 7, 2011, eff. July 1, 2011; June 20, 2017, eff. Aug. 1, 2017; Nov. 17, 2023, eff. Nov. 20, 2023; Feb. 23, 2026, eff. July 1, 2026.]
Plain-English Summary
An objection is the moment a contested adoption becomes contested. Any person with a right to participate may file a notice of objection, which may state reasons, may ask for an attorney, and may be accompanied by a request for access to the case records. The form is the one printed in Rule 9-105.
The deadlines vary with where the person was served. The ordinary period is 30 days after the show cause order is served. Service outside Maryland but within the United States gives 60 days. Service outside the United States gives 90. Where the court orders service by publication, the deadline is not less than 30 days from the later of the newspaper publication or the last day of publication on the Department of Human Services website.
The clerk serves any notice of objection, and any request for records, on all parties and the child placement agency. A party or the agency then has 10 days to respond — challenging the objector's standing or the timeliness of the filing, or identifying papers to which access should be denied or conditioned. A committee note gives examples: financial records, personal identifying information, and an agency's home study. If a response is filed, the court holds a prompt hearing.
The court then decides whether the objector has standing and whether the notice was timely, and if so, and if records were requested, enters an order permitting inspection of specified papers, with reasonable conditions if appropriate. The order can be amended at any time. A second committee note addresses a practical problem: where the electronic filing system cannot limit access as narrowly as the court has ordered, the order should say how the permitted access will be arranged — for example by requiring a redacted document and directing the clerk to hand over paper copies.
One more note, added for adult adoptions, explains a gap. Because there is no notice under Rule 9-104 and no show cause order under Rule 9-105 in an independent adoption of an adult, a living parent has no statutory right to file an objection — though nothing prevents them from moving to intervene.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to object to an adoption in Maryland?
Thirty days after the show cause order is served. Sixty days if you were served outside Maryland but within the United States, and ninety days if you were served outside the United States.
What if service was by publication?
The deadline is not less than 30 days from the later of the date the notice was published in a newspaper of general circulation or the last day it appeared on the Maryland Department of Human Services website.
Can my objection be thrown out without a hearing?
Not if someone challenges it. A party or the child placement agency has 10 days to respond on standing or timeliness, and if a response is filed the court must hold a hearing promptly on the issues it raises.
Can an objector see the case file?
Only by asking. A request for access can accompany the notice of objection, and if the court finds the objector has standing and filed on time it may enter an order permitting inspection of specified papers, with conditions such as redaction.
Can a parent object to the adoption of their adult child?
Not as of right. The committee note explains that no show cause order issues in an adult independent adoption, so there is no statutory right to file an objection — but a parent may move to intervene.