Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Cal. FAM § 7851.5

This is the official text of Cal. FAM § 7851.5, part of California’s Family Code — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, domestic violence protections, and adoption. This particular section falls under Division 12, “Parent and Child Relationship.”

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

The petitioner shall be liable for all reasonable costs incurred in connection with the termination of parental rights, including, but not limited to, costs incurred for the investigation required by this article. However, public agencies and nonprofit organizations are exempt from payment of the costs of the investigation. The liability of a petitioner for costs under this section shall not exceed nine hundred dollars ($900). The court may defer, waive, or reduce the costs when the payment would cause an economic hardship which would be detrimental to the welfare of the child.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.