15C V.S.A. § 402a
This is the official text of 15C V.S.A. § 402a, 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.
§ 402a. Adjudication of parentage if birth parent only other parent
Official statutory text
The following rules apply in a proceeding to adjudicate a presumed parent's parentage of a child if the person who gave birth is the only other person with a claim to parentage of the child:
(1) If no party to the proceeding challenges the presumed parent's parentage of the child, the court shall adjudicate the presumed parent to be a parent of the child.
(2) If the presumed parent is identified under subsection 604(a) of this title as a genetic parent of the child and that identification is not successfully challenged under said subsection, the court shall adjudicate the presumed parent to be a parent of the child.
(3) If the presumed parent is not identified under subsection 604(a) of this title as a genetic parent of the child and the presumed parent or another party challenges the presumed parent's parentage of the child, the court shall adjudicate the parentage of the child in the best interests of the child, based on the factors listed in subsections 206(a) and (b) of this title. Challenges regarding the parentage of a child born through assisted reproduction must be resolved under chapter 7 of this title.
(1) If no party to the proceeding challenges the presumed parent's parentage of the child, the court shall adjudicate the presumed parent to be a parent of the child.
(2) If the presumed parent is identified under subsection 604(a) of this title as a genetic parent of the child and that identification is not successfully challenged under said subsection, the court shall adjudicate the presumed parent to be a parent of the child.
(3) If the presumed parent is not identified under subsection 604(a) of this title as a genetic parent of the child and the presumed parent or another party challenges the presumed parent's parentage of the child, the court shall adjudicate the parentage of the child in the best interests of the child, based on the factors listed in subsections 206(a) and (b) of this title. Challenges regarding the parentage of a child born through assisted reproduction must be resolved under chapter 7 of this title.
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.