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

Md. Code, Family Law § 5-3A-23

This is the official text of Md. Code, Family Law § 5-3A-23, part of Maryland’s Code, Family Law — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, and adoption.

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.

§5–3A–23.

Official statutory text

(a) (1) A child placement agency shall file a written report with a court with jurisdiction over a child whenever:

(i) the child placement agency fails to place the child for adoption with a preadoptive parent, as defined in § 3-823(i)(1) of the Courts Article:

1. within 270 days after being awarded guardianship; or

2. within 180 days after permanently removing the child from another placement; or

(ii) a court does not enter a final order of adoption within 2 years after the placement.

(2) A report under this subsection shall state each reason for the delay in placement or adoption.

(b) (1) Whenever a child placement agency files a report under this section, the child placement agency shall mail notice of the child’s status:

(i) to each of the child’s living parents who has not waived the right to notice and, if represented, counsel; and

(ii) if a court appointed counsel for the child under this subtitle, to the child’s last attorney of record.

(2) A waiver of rights under this subsection is not valid unless the waiver appears expressly in:

(i) the parent’s consent to guardianship; and

(ii) the guardianship order.

(c) (1) Whenever a court receives a report under this section, the court shall hold a hearing to:

(i) review the progress that the child placement agency has made toward adoption of the child; and

(ii) take all actions that the court considers to be in the child’s best interests.

(2) Each year after a hearing under paragraph (1) of this subsection until the court’s jurisdiction terminates, the court shall hold another review hearing.

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.