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<section article="gfl" article_name="Family Law" number="5-313" title_number="5" title_name="Children" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department">
  <level label="a">
    <text>Except as provided in § 5-331 of this subtitle, a petition for guardianship shall precede a petition for adoption under this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Only the individual who would be subject to guardianship or a local department may file a petition for guardianship under this Part II of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>A petition for guardianship of an individual shall be filed before the individual attains 18 years of age.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>A petitioner under this section shall attach to a petition:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>all written consents for the guardianship that the petitioner has;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>if applicable:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>proof of guardianship or relinquishment of parental rights granted by an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>certification that the guardianship or relinquishment was granted in compliance with the jurisdiction’s laws; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>a notice of filing that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>states the date on which the petition was filed;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>identifies each person whose consent was filed with the petition;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>states the obligation of a parent to give the juvenile court and local department notice of each change in the parent’s address;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>has printed on it the website that the Department maintains under § 2–302 of the Human Services Article; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>includes no identifying information that would be in violation of an agreement or consent.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
