<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<section article="gfl" article_name="Family Law" number="5-320" title_number="5" title_name="Children" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Guardianship to and Adoption Through Local Department">
  <level label="a">
    <text>A juvenile court may grant guardianship of a child only if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>the child does not object;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the local department:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>filed the petition; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>did not object to another party filing the petition; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <level label="1">
          <text>each of the child’s living parents consents:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>in writing;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>knowingly and voluntarily, on the record before the juvenile court; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="C">
          <text>by failure to file a timely notice of objection after being served with a show–cause order in accordance with this subtitle;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction has granted a governmental unit or person other than a parent the power to consent to adoption, and the unit or person consents; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>parental rights have been terminated in compliance with the laws of a state or other jurisdiction, as described in § 5–305 of this subtitle; or</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>in accordance with § 5–323 of this subtitle, the juvenile court finds termination of parental rights to be in the child’s best interests without consent otherwise required under this section or over the child’s objection.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>A governmental unit or person:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>may condition consent or acquiescence on adoption into a specific family that a local department approves for the placement; but</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>may not condition consent or acquiescence on any factor other than placement into a specific family.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
