Close-Family Adoption

A Modern Pathway to Legal Parenthood under AB 227 (2025)

Nevada’s AB 227, enacted during the 83rd Legislative Session (2025), modernized our state’s adoption laws to recognize and simplify close-family adoptions – sometimes called stepparent, kinship, or relative adoptions.

This new framework honors the families who step forward — grandparents, stepparents, adult siblings, aunts, uncles, or other close relatives — to provide permanent, loving homes for children already within their care and kinship circle.

At The Cooley Law Firm, we are proud to stand at the forefront of this important change. Attorney Shelly Booth Cooley was actively involved in the drafting and legislative advocacy for AB 227 and now guides families through every step of the close-family adoption process with precision, empathy, and respect.

What Is a Close-Family Adoption?

A close-family adoption allows a relative within a defined degree of relationship to adopt a child without agency placement and with a streamlined court process.

Under AB 227, eligible relatives may include:

  • Stepparents or domestic partners
  • Adult siblings
  • Grandparents
  • Great-grandparents
  • Aunts and uncles

This process recognizes that many Nevada children are already being safely raised by family members — and that these caregivers deserve an efficient, dignified path to legal parenthood.

Key Changes Under AB 227 (83rd Session)

AB 227 updates and replaces NRS 127 and related statutes to bring Nevada in line with modern family-building practices. Among the most important reforms:

  • Creation of the “Close-Family Adoption” Category – Distinct from agency, identified, or child welfare/dependency adoptions.
  • No Home Study and Investigation Requirements – When the petitioner is a qualifying relative and the child has already been in that home, a home study and investigation is not required.
  • Updated Consent and Relinquishment Provisions – Aligning with modern standards for specific consents and relinquishments and ensuring clarity for birth parents.
  • Streamlined Hearings – In many cases, hearings may be waived when statutory requirements are met and all consents are properly executed.
  • Recognition of Existing Parental Rights – AB 227 respects established legal parentage and focuses on confirming the child’s permanent placement within family.

These changes were designed to reduce delay, expense, and emotional strain for families providing care to their kin.