Access Your Adoption Records

Tennessee’s adoption records are some of the most accessible adoption records in the country. The rules were drawn in an effort to balance the various competing interests and are thus, a little complex. The law attempts to give adopted adults most of the information in the adoption record, while protecting all members of the “Triad” (adoption-talk for the birth parents, adoptive parents and the adopted person), from unwanted contact with the others.

The first premise is that any person, including an adopted person, has a right to know about their history and heritage. The second premise is that all members of the adoption triad should be permitted to decide if they want to be contacted by one another, and that violation of the expressed desire not to be contacted should carry criminal and civil penalties. You will find the actual code sections that govern access to adoption records at T.C.A. §36-1-125 to 36-1-141. The Tennessee Code is available free online and assistance is usually available from your local library. 

Most Tennessee records can be accessed without an attorney through an administrative process conducted by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Post Adoption Unit.

Occasionally, after you have obtained what is available from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, you may want more, or in a medical emergency or other cases where waiting for the Department of Children’s Services to respond to a request for information is not appropriate, a court order is required. If a court order is required, you will need an attorney.  These requests are rare but Dawn Coppock has experience in these cases. If you need assistance with a request for information for adoption records, contact Dawn Coppock.

On January 1, 1996, records of adoptions or attempted adoptions that existed pre-March 16, 1951, and all records of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society were opened to adopted persons, their birth and adoptive relatives. The March 16, 1951 date was used because prior to that date, no adoption records were sealed. Adoption records were sealed on that date by legislative action, but interestingly, the legislature never expressly sealed the records retroactively. The pre-1951 records were sealed by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services anyway. All Tennessee Children’s Home Society records were opened in recognition of the scandalous practices of that state-chartered adoption agency.

Non-identifying information is generally information that would not lead to the discovery of a person’s identity. A section of the Tennessee Code lists information that is considered non-identifying, and requires the Department to release the information upon written request to an adopted person 18 years of age or older, the adoptive parents of an adopted child under 18 years of age, biological or legal relatives of the adopted person, or the adopted person’s lineal descendant. Birth parents can also receive information under this section. Non-identifying information is listed as:

1. The date and time of birth of the adopted person and such person’s weight and other physical characteristics at birth;
2. The age of the adopted person’s biological relatives at the time of such person’s birth;
3. The nationality, ethnic background, race and religious preference of the biological or legal relatives;
4. The education level of the biological or legal relatives, their general occupation and any talents or hobbies;
5. A general physical description of the biological or legal relatives, including height, weight, color of hair, color of eyes, complexion and other similar information;
6. Whether the biological or legal parent had any other children, and if so, any available non-identifying information about such children; and
7. Available health history of the adopted person, and the person’s biological or legal relatives, including specifically, any psychological or psychiatric information which would be expected to have any substantial effect on the adopted person’s mental or physical health.

This information is available without judicial action or demonstration of any particular need for the information. There is a fee to access this information.

Tennessee Code Annotated § 36-1-127(c) requires release of all information, including identifying information to adopted persons, 21 years old or older, upon the adopted person’s request, proof of identification, payment of a fee, and written acknowledgment of contact veto rules, including an agreement not to contact anyone eligible to file a contact veto. If the person obtaining information wants to contact someone eligible to file a contact veto, they must have the contact veto registry checked and get clearance to make the contact before any contact is made. No judicial action or demonstration of a particular need is required to obtain information under this section.

Effective July 1, 1999, any person about whom information could be released pursuant to T.C.A. § 36-1-127(c) can file a request to be given advance notice before any record containing information about them can be released. The notice of impending release is to be mailed to the registered person 15 days prior to the release of the information to the party that requested it.

The process for making the written request is set out in T.C.A. § 36-1-128(h). The address is found at the end of this page.

Identifying information is never given out in the following situations without a court order:

1. If the adoptee is under 21 years old;
2. If the records show that the birth mother was a victim of rape or incest and has not consented to release of the information;
3. If the requesting party or such person’s representative had their parental rights to the adopted person involuntarily terminated for cause; or
4. If the record indicates that the requesting party or that person’s relative neglected or committed a crime of violence against the adopted person.

The following information is not available at all:

1. The adoptive parents’ home study (this is documentation of the underlying investigation; but the court report, which is a summary of the investigation, is available); and
2. Crisis pregnancy counseling information regarding the birth parents.

Those eligible to get identifying information from the Department of Children’s Services will also get a letter authorizing them to obtain their original or amended birth certificates from the Department of Health, court records, adoption agency records, and adoption records from any other information source.

1. for purposes of treating or preventing a physical, psychological or psychiatric condition affecting any person,
2. for purposes of establishing legal status or standing for inheritance or for property rights determinations, or for the determination of legal relationships for third parties,
3. for the movant to prosecute or defend a legal proceeding,
4. movant is any public agency which requires the disclosure of the information in such record for the purposes directly related to its authorized duties,
5. movant is an individual who has sought disclosure under the provisions of T.C.A. §§ 36-1-127(e)(2) or (3); or,
6. movant is a lineal descendant of a deceased adopted person.

If you go down this rabbit hole you likely will need an attorney.

For information regarding adoption records: 

Department of Children’s Services

Post Adoption Services Unit

UBS Tower, 9th Floor

Nashville, TN 37243

Phone: 615-532-5637 (Post Adoption Services Hotline) 

Email: EI_DCS [email protected]