Adoption Agencies in Nevada

If you are a pregnant woman or birth mother please click here to see information that is geared to your needs. 

If you are an adopting family we believe you will find the information below helpful. We begin by giving you information regarding child adoption law in Nevada (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in Nevada.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Nevada adoption agencies through which you can browse for additional information.

Before starting to search for a child to adopt or an agency to assist you, it is important that you understand how the adoption laws in Nevada may affect your decisions. Making informed decisions is the best way of increasing your chances of adopting a child.  By way of example, we have listed below a few of the important parts of Nevada child adoption law including such topics as advertising, adoption facilitators, adoption expenses, and the critical issue of ending the biological parental rights (called a Consent, Relinquishment or Surrender).

Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Use of Advertisement
Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 127.283; 127.310(1)

An agency that provides child welfare services or any child-placing agency may publish in any newspaper published in this State or broadcast by television a photograph or any relevant personal information concerning any child who is difficult to place for adoption.
A child-placing agency shall not publish or broadcast:

Any personal information that reveals the identity of the child or his parents
A photograph or personal information of a child without the prior approval of the agency having actual custody of the child.
No person or organization, other than an agency that provides child welfare services, may advertise in any periodical or newspaper, or by radio or other public medium, that he or she will place children for adoption, or accept, provide, or obtain children for adoption, unless he or she holds a valid license to place children for adoption.

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 127.240; 127.285(1)

No person may place, arrange the placement of, or assist in placing or in arranging the placement of, any child for adoption without securing and having in full force a license to operate a child-placing agency issued by the division. This subsection applies to agents, servants, physicians, and attorneys of parents or guardians, as well as to other persons.

This section does not prohibit a person, including a person acting in his or her professional capacity, from sharing information regarding an adoption if no money or other valuable consideration is paid.

An attorney may not receive compensation for taking part in finding children for adoption, or finding parents to adopt children.

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 127.287(3)

A person may pay medical and other necessary living expenses as long as payment is not contingent on placement of the child for adoption.

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: §§ 127.285; 127.290

An attorney may not receive payment for finding children for adoption or finding adoptive parents.
An agency must be licensed to receive payment for arranging, or assisting in arranging, an adoption.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: § 127.287

A person may not pay a birth mother to consent to placing her child for adoption.
A birth mother may not accept payment for expenses with the intent not to consent to an adoption.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 127.127
The petitioners shall, within 15 days of filing the adoption petition or 5 months after the child begins to live in the home, whichever is later, file an affidavit listing all fees, donations, and expenses paid by them in connection with the adoption.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Rev. Stat. § 127.040

Written consent to the specific adoption proposed by the petition or for relinquishment to an agency authorized to accept relinquishments is required from:
Both parents, if both are living
One parent, if the other is deceased
The guardian of the child appointed by the court

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Rev. Stat. § 127.020

The consent of the child, if age 14 or older, is required.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 127.090; 127.040

Consent is not required of a parent who has been adjudged insane for 2 years if the court is satisfied by proof that such insanity is incurable.
Consent of a parent to an adoption shall not be necessary where parental rights have been terminated by an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Rev. Stat. § 127.070

All releases for and consents to adoption executed in this State by the mother before the birth of a child or within 72 hours after the birth of a child are invalid.

Release for or consent to adoption may be executed by the father before the birth of the child if the father is not married to the mother.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 127.070; 127.080

A release executed by the father who is not married to the mother becomes invalid if:
The father of the child marries the mother of the child before the child is born.
The mother of the child does not execute a release for or consent to adoption of the child within 6 months after the birth of the child.
No petition for adoption of the child has been filed within 2 years after the birth of the child.
Consent by the mother to a specific adoptive placement cannot be revoked except when the adoptive family is found to be unsuitable or the placement is in violation of the law.

A minor parent may execute a relinquishment for adoption and cannot revoke it upon coming of age.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 128.085; 128.150

The putative father, if known, is served with notice of termination proceedings. The hearing is not held until the child's birth, or 6 months after the filing of the petition, whichever is later.
The putative father must appear at the proceeding and claim custodial rights.

Please visit adoption law in Nevada for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Nevada had 1,158 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 110 were under the age of 1 year, and 523 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Nevada public child welfare agencies was only 278, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Nevada adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of Nevada, you are not limited to adopting a child from Nevada.  You can adopt a child born in Nevada, a child born in any other U.S. state, or even a foreign born child.  What is important for you to understand is that infants and children are available for adoption in Nevada, in each of the other the 49 states, and in many foreign countries. 

Yes, we can help you and so can any licensed child adoption agency (we have listed several below).  By way of introduction to Adoption Services, Inc, I will relate to you a little about myself and our child adoption agency.

Almost 40 years ago I (Dr. Vince Berger) began working as a psychologist with pregnant teens in the Pittsburgh city school system. It was very challenging because in those days there were very few services for these young women, society was not yet accepting of unmarried and/or pregnant teens, and the word "adoption" was hardly ever used.

I loved the work I was doing and knowing that I was personally able to help so many of the pregnant women I was working with. But something was missing - I did not feel I was helping people enough. So, I set out to provide the personal and professional care that a birth mother and adopting family need and deserve in the adoption process.

I started a full service, non-profit adoption agency. Not just any agency, but one that was, and still is, dedicated to helping birth parents and adopting families receive the best and most comprehensive of adoption related services. Over the past 20 years, my staff and I have helped over 9,000 adopting families, birth parents, their babies and children.

I love helping people. I work 6 days a week and answer calls at all hours. The hours I put in are long but never hard, since I find so much joy and strength in helping others.

My goal continues to be to help you. Accordingly, in addition to the website you are on now and the Adoption Services website, we created Adopting Family Resources and International Adoption Help as well as Child Adoption Laws and Child Adoption Resources and Pregnancy And Children to give you a information and help.

I hope that you will call me or my staff so we can help you in the adoption process. However, if you don't want to call us, then please review the agencies listed here and give one of them a call. Do not give up until you get the help and attention you need and deserve.

Thank you for letting us help, and good luck.

Dr. Berger
and the staff of Adoption Services

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN Adoption)
2065 East Sahara Avenue
Suite C
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Phone: (702) 385-3351
Fax: (702) 388-8723

Catholic Community Services of Northern Nevada
PO Box 5099
500 East 4th Street
Reno, NV 89513
Phone: (775) 322-7073
Fax: (775) 322-8197

LDS Family Services
513 South Ninth Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 385-1072
Fax: (702) 385-3053

Premier Adoption Agency
590 West Mesquite Boulevard
Suite 202B
Mesquite, NV 89027
Phone: (702) 346-4922
Fax: (702) 346-0330
Toll-Free: (800) 876-0187

The Adoption Alliance
1785 East Sahara Avenue
Suite 340
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Phone: (702) 968-1986
Fax: (702) 968-1989

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