§ 5-313. Petition

   (a) Required. -- Except as provided in § 5-331 of this subtitle, a petition for guardianship shall precede a petition for adoption under this subtitle.

(b) Petitioner. -- 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.

(c) Age limit. -- A petition for guardianship of an individual shall be filed before the individual attains 18 years of age.

(d) Contents. -- A petitioner under this section shall attach to a petition:

   (1) all written consents for the guardianship that the petitioner has;

   (2) if applicable:

      (i) proof of guardianship or relinquishment of parental rights granted by an administrative, executive, or judicial body of a state or other jurisdiction; and

      (ii) certification that the guardianship or relinquishment was granted in compliance with the jurisdiction's laws; and

   (3) a notice of filing that:

      (i) states the date on which the petition was filed;

      (ii) identifies each person whose consent was filed with the petition;

      (iii) states the obligation of a parent to give the juvenile court and local department notice of each change in the parent's address;

      (iv) has printed on it the website that the Department maintains under § 2-302 of the Human Services Article; and

      (v) includes no identifying information that would be in violation of an agreement or consent.

HISTORY: 2005, ch. 464, § 3; 2007, ch. 8, § 1.