OHIO

DENIES UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO OBC (Tiered access; subject to redaction and disclosure vetoes.)

 

Who May Access Information
Citation: Rev. Code §§ 3107.66; 3107.47; 3107.49
Non-identifying information is available to:
• An adopted person who is age 18 or older
• An adoptive parent of an adopted person who is under age 18
• An adoptive family member of a deceased adopted person
• A birth parent of an adopted person who is age 18 or older
• A birth sibling who is age 18 or older
• A birth family member if the birth parent is deceased

 

Identifying information is accessible to:
• An adopted person who is age 21 or older
• An adoptive parent of an adopted person who is older than age 18 but younger than 21
• The birth parent or adult birth sibling

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Access to Original Birth Certificate
Citation: Rev. Code §§ 3705.12; 3705.126
Upon the issuance of the new birth record, the original birth record shall cease to be a public record. The department shall place the
original birth record and the items sent by the probate court pursuant to § 3107.19 in an adoption file and seal the file. The contents
of the adoption file are not a public record and shall be available only in accordance with § 3705.126. The contents of the adoption
file include any contact preference form, birth parent’s name redaction request form, or social and medical history accepted and
maintained by the department.
The department shall neither open an adoption file nor make its contents available except as follows:
• The department shall inspect the file to determine the court involved.
• The department shall make the file’s contents available to an adopted person or lineal descendant of an adopted person in
accordance with § 3107.38.
• The department shall open the file to transfer releases to the file in accordance with § 3107.381.
• The department shall open the file to file a contact preference form from a birth parent and remove any previously filed
contact preference form from the birth parent.
• The department shall open the file to file a birth parent’s name redaction request form or to remove and destroy the form.
• The department shall open the file to file a denial of release form or an authorization of release form.
• The department shall make the file’s contents available to an adopted person or adoptive parent in accordance with § 3107.47.
• The department shall open the file to file a request from an adopted person under § 3107.48 or to remove and destroy the
request.
• The department shall inspect the file to assist a birth parent or birth sibling in finding the adopted person’s name by adoption
in accordance with § 3107.49.
• The court that decreed the adoption may order that the contents be made open for inspection or available for copying.

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• Adoptions prior to 1964:  Adoptees have unrestricted access to their “adoption file,” which usually contains the original birth record;

• Adoptions from January 1, 1964 - September 17, 1996:  Adopteees must be at least 18 years of age to request their adoption file. Identifying information may be redacted if a birth parent has previously filed a “name redaction request.” 

• Adoptions after September 17, 1996:  Adoptees must be least 21 years of age to request their adoption file or 18-20 years of age if requested by an adoptive parent.  Adoptee's adoption file will be released unless one or both birth parents have filed a “denial of release form.” Identifying information is redacted for a parent if only one of the two birth parents listed has filed a denial of release form.

 

Access to Non-identifying Information
Citation: Rev. Code §§ 3107.66; 3107.60
An adopted person, an adoptive parent, or an adoptive family member may submit a written request to the agency or attorney who
arranged the adoption or the probate court that finalized the adoption, for nonidentifying information about the adoptee person’s
birth parent or birth sibling contained in the agency’s, attorney’s, or court’s adoption records.
A birth parent, birth sibling, or birth family member may submit a written request for nonidentifying information about the adopted
person or adoptive parent.
The term ‘nonidentifying information’ means one of the following:
• In relation to a birth parent, any information that is not identifying information, including all of the following:
» A birth parent’s age at the time the child was adopted
» The medical and genetic history of the birth parents
» The age, sex, and medical and genetic history of an adopted person’s birth siblings and extended family members
» A person’s heritage and ethnic background, educational level, general physical appearance, religion, occupation, and
cause of death
» Any information that may be included in a social and medical history as specified § 3107.09(B)-(C)
• In relation to an adoptive parent, any information that is not identifying information, including all of the following:
» An adoptive parent’s age at the time of adoption
» An adoptive sibling’s age at the time of adoption
» The heritage, ethnic background, religion, educational level, and occupation of the adoptive parent
» General information known about the well-being of the adopted person before and after the adoption

 

Mutual Access to Identifying Information
Citation: Rev. Code §§ 3107.47; 3107.49
For adoptions completed before January 1, 1964, adopted persons have access upon request to the adoption file maintained by the
Department of Health.

For adoptions completed between 1964 and 1996:
• Any birth parent or sibling who wishes to authorize the release of identifying information shall file a release form with the
department. A release may be filed with the department at any time. The department shall establish and maintain a file of
releases.
• At age 21, an adopted person may file a petition with the Probate Court that finalized his or her adoption and inquire if a
release form has been filed. In the event of a match, identifying information may be released to the adopted person.
• The court that decreed the adoption may order that the contents of the adoption file be made open for inspection or
available for copying.

 

For adoptions completed after 1996:
• A birth parent may file with the department a denial of release form that shall be placed in the adoption file. The birth parent
may rescind an authorization of release form and rescind a denial of release form as many times as the birth parent wishes.
• An adopted person age 21 or older, or an adoptive parent of an adopted person at least age 18 but under age 21, may submit
a request to the Department of Health for a copy of the contents of the adopted person’s adoption file. If there is not an
effective denial of release form for either birth parent in the adopted person’s adoption file, the department shall provide the
adopted person or adoptive parent a copy of the contents of the adopted person’s adoption file.

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Where the Information Can Be Located
Ohio Department of Health, Adoption Information

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