Cal. FAM § 7893
This is the official text of Cal. FAM § 7893, 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
(a) If the court, by order or judgment, declares a child free from the custody and control of both parents under this part, or one parent if the other no longer has custody and control, the court shall at the same time take one of the following actions:
(1) Appoint a guardian for the child.
(2) At the request of the State Department of Social Services or a licensed adoption agency, or where the court finds it is in the child’s best interest, refer the child to a licensed adoption agency for adoptive placement by the agency.
(b) When the court refers the child to a licensed adoption agency for adoptive placement by the agency:
(1) The agency is responsible for the care of the child and is entitled to the exclusive custody and control of the child at all times until a petition for adoption has been granted.
(2) After the referral, no petition for guardianship may be filed without the consent of the agency.
(3) No petition for adoption may be heard until the appellate rights of the natural parents have been exhausted.
(1) Appoint a guardian for the child.
(2) At the request of the State Department of Social Services or a licensed adoption agency, or where the court finds it is in the child’s best interest, refer the child to a licensed adoption agency for adoptive placement by the agency.
(b) When the court refers the child to a licensed adoption agency for adoptive placement by the agency:
(1) The agency is responsible for the care of the child and is entitled to the exclusive custody and control of the child at all times until a petition for adoption has been granted.
(2) After the referral, no petition for guardianship may be filed without the consent of the agency.
(3) No petition for adoption may be heard until the appellate rights of the natural parents have been exhausted.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a family matter in California?
See all California Family lawyers
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.