Wisconsin

Who may adopt?
A resident of the State.
A husband and wife jointly.
A stepparent.
An unmarried adult.

Consent for adoption to be executed?
A hearing is held within 30 days of the filing of a petition for voluntary termination of parental rights, but not before the birth of the child.

Revocation of consent?
Generally consents are irrevocable, but a parent who has consented to termination may, within 1 year, petition for relief on grounds: ie., mistake, newly-discovered evidence, fraud, misrepresentation, or misconduct. See the statute for detailed exceptions to the 1-year provision.

Who may place a child for adoption?
A parent having custody of the child.
The department.
A licensed child-placing agency.

Advertising?
No person may do any of the following:

Advertise for the purpose of finding a child to adopt
Advertise that the person will find an adoptive home for a child or arrange for or assist in the adoption or adoptive placement of a child
Advertise that the person will place a child for adoption

This section does not apply to any of the following:

The department, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency
An individual or agency providing adoption information
A foster care and adoption resource center or postadoption resource center
An individual who has received a favorable recommendation regarding his or her fitness to be an adoptive parent in this State from the department, a county department, a licensed child welfare agency, or in another jurisdiction from an entity authorized by that jurisdiction to conduct studies of potential adoptive homes
An individual seeking to place his or her child for adoption
No person may publish by a public medium an advertisement that violates this section. If the owner, agent, or employee of the public medium receives a copy of the license of the person or agency requesting the advertisement that indicates that the person or agency is licensed to provide adoption services in this State, the advertisement does not violate this section.

Facilitators?
This issue is not addressed in the statutes reviewed.

Putative Father's Registry?
No. The putative father may file a declaration of parental interest at any time, except after termination of the putative father's parental rights.
The declaration must be in writing and signed by the putative father.

Expenses?
Birth parent-
Pre- and post-adoptive counseling.
Maternity clothes.
Local transportation.
Medical and hospital care.
Legal services.
Living expenses up to $1,000 when necessary to protect the health and
welfare of mother or fetus.
Birthing classes.
A gift to the mother, not to exceed $50 in value.

Department/Agency
Fees may be charged for services provided or investigations completed.
The department may charge a fee of $75 to review foreign adoption documents and provide certification.

Information provided in part by the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

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Credits: Sandra Hanks Benoiton