North Carolina: Access to OBCs and Non-ID
NORTH CAROLINA
DENIES UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO OBC (Court order required)
Who May Access Information
Citation: Gen. Stat. §§ 48-9-103; 48-9-104; 48-9-109
Non-identifying information is available to:
• The adoptive parent
• The adult adopted person
• A minor adopted person who is a parent or an expectant parent
A licensed child-placing agency or a county Department of Social Services may agree to act as a confidential intermediary for the
purpose of sharing identifying information for any of the following:
• A birth parent
• An adult adopted person
• An adult birth sibling of an adult adopted person
• An adult birth half-sibling of an adult adopted person
• An adult family member of a deceased birth parent
• An adult family member of a deceased adopted person
Access to Original Birth Certificate
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 48-9-106
Upon receipt of a certified copy of a court order issued pursuant to § 48-9-105 authorizing the release of an adopted person’s original
birth certificate, the State Registrar shall give the individual who obtained the order a copy of the original birth certificate with a
certification that the copy is a true copy of a record that is no longer a valid certificate of birth.
Access to Non-identifying Information
Citation: Gen. Stat. §§ 48-9-103; 48-3-205
Any person listed above may request a copy of any document prepared pursuant to § 48-3-205 and any additional nonidentifying
health-related information about the adopted person’s original family. The information that is provided at the time of the adoptive
placement includes:
• The date of the child’s birth and any other reasonably available non-identifying information
• The age of the birth parents at the time of the child’s birth
• The heritage of the birth parents, including nationality, ethnic background, and race
• Education completed by the birth parents at the time of the child’s birth
• The general physical appearance of the birth parents
• All reasonably available non-identifying information about the health and genetic history of the child, the birth parents, and
other members of the birth parents’ families
Non-identifying information about the adopted person’s present circumstances may be disclosed to a birth parent, an adult sibling,
or the guardian of a minor sibling.
Mutual Access to Identifying Information
Citation: Gen. Stat. §§ 48-9-104; 48-9-109
Except as provided below, no one shall release from any sealed records the name, address, or other identifying information about
an adopted person, adoptive parent, birth parent, or individual who, but for the adoption, would be the adopted person’s sibling or
grandparent, except upon order of the court.
A child-placing agency may agree to act as a confidential intermediary for a person listed above without appointment by the court
in order to obtain and share non-identifying birth family health information, facilitate contact, or share identifying information with
the written consent of all parties. An agency also may agree to act as a confidential intermediary for the adoptive parents of a minor
adopted person without appointment to obtain and share non-identifying birth family health information.
If such agency determines that the person who is the subject of the search, or a lineal ascendant of that person, is deceased, the
agency may obtain a copy of the death certificate and deliver it to the person who requested the services.
Nothing in this article is meant to prevent:
• An employee of a court, agency, or any other person from:
» Inspecting confidential records, other than records maintained by the State Registrar, for the purpose of discharging any
obligation
» Disclosing the name of the court or agency involved in the adoption to an individual described above who can verify his or
her identity
» Disclosing or using information contained in sealed records for statistical or research purposes
• In agency placements, a parent placing a child for adoption and the adopting parents from authorizing an agency to release
information to each other that may reveal the identity of an adopted person, an adoptive parent, or an adopted person’s
placing parent
• The Division of Social Services from sharing information regarding the identity of birth parents with an agency acting as a
confidential intermediary
Where the Information Can Be Located
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services