Family & Safety

A putative father is a man who might be a child's biological father but is not the legal father because he:

• Is not married to the child’s mother on or before the date the child was or is to be born and 
• Has not established paternity of the child in a court proceeding before the filing of the adoption When an adult becomes a child's legal parent petition (noun) A written request to a court (verb) To request from a court for the child.  

For example, if a man has sex with a woman whom he is not married to and that woman has a child, that man would be a putative father. If you are a putative father, you can protect your rights by registering with the Putative Father Registry. You will then be told if the child is put up for adoption. 

You can register before the child's birth. If you do not register with the Putative Father Registry within 30 days of the child's birth, the child can be adopted without your knowledge or consent When someone gives permission for someone else to do something . You could lose all rights to the child.  A lack of knowledge of the pregnancy or birth is not a good reason for failure to register.