15A V.S.A. § 102
This is the official text of 15A V.S.A. § 102, part of Vermont’s V.S.A — part of the compiled statutory law of Vermont, published by the state as "V.S.A." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
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.
§ 4-102. Legal consequences of adoption of stepchild
Official statutory text
(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, the legal consequences of an adoption of a stepchild by a stepparent are the same as under sections 1-103 through 1-106 of this title.
(b) An adoption by a stepparent does not affect:
(1) the legal relationship between the adoptee and the adoptee's parent who is the adoptive stepparent's spouse or deceased spouse;
(2) the right of the adoptee or a descendant of the adoptee to inheritance or intestate succession through or from the adoptee's former parent; or
(3) an existing court order for visitation or communication with a minor adoptee by a person related to the adoptee through the parent who is the adoptive stepparent's spouse or deceased spouse; or
(4) a court order or agreement for visitation or communication with a minor adoptee approved by the court pursuant to section 4-112 of this title.
(c) Failure to comply with an agreement or order for visitation or communication is not a ground for challenging the validity of an adoption by a stepparent.
(b) An adoption by a stepparent does not affect:
(1) the legal relationship between the adoptee and the adoptee's parent who is the adoptive stepparent's spouse or deceased spouse;
(2) the right of the adoptee or a descendant of the adoptee to inheritance or intestate succession through or from the adoptee's former parent; or
(3) an existing court order for visitation or communication with a minor adoptee by a person related to the adoptee through the parent who is the adoptive stepparent's spouse or deceased spouse; or
(4) a court order or agreement for visitation or communication with a minor adoptee approved by the court pursuant to section 4-112 of this title.
(c) Failure to comply with an agreement or order for visitation or communication is not a ground for challenging the validity of an adoption by a stepparent.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Vermont?
Find a Vermont lawyer
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.