Section 5-313 - Petition. - Maryland Statutes

§ 5-313. Petition.
 

(a)  Required.- Except as provided in § 5-331 of this subtitle, a petition for guardianship shall precede a petition for adoption under this subtitle. 

(b)  Petitioner.- Only the individual who would be subject to guardianship or a local department may file a petition for guardianship under this Part II of this subtitle. 

(c)  Age limit.- A petition for guardianship of an individual shall be filed before the individual attains 18 years of age. 

(d)  Contents.- A petitioner under this section shall attach to a petition: 

(1) all written consents for the guardianship that the petitioner has; 

(2) if applicable: 

(i) proof of guardianship or relinquishment of parental rights granted by an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction; and 

(ii) certification that the guardianship or relinquishment was granted in compliance with the jurisdiction's laws; and 

(3) a notice of filing that: 

(i) states the date on which the petition was filed; 

(ii) identifies each person whose consent was filed with the petition; 

(iii) states the obligation of a parent to give the juvenile court and local department notice of each change in the parent's address; 

(iv) has printed on it the website that the Department maintains under § 2-302 of the Human Services Article; and 

(v) includes no identifying information that would be in violation of an agreement or consent. 
 

[2005, ch. 464, § 3; 2007, ch. 8, § 1.]