The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 15C V.S.A. § 502)
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§ 502. Standing; petition
(a) A person seeking to be adjudicated a de facto parent of a child shall file a petition
with the Family Division of the Superior Court before the child reaches 18 years of
age. Both the person seeking to be adjudicated a de facto parent and the child must
be alive at the time of the filing. The petition shall include a verified affidavit
alleging facts to support the existence of a de facto parent relationship with the
child. The petition and affidavit shall be served on all parents and legal guardians
of the child and any other party to the proceeding.
(b) An adverse party, parent, or legal guardian may file a pleading and verified affidavit
in response to the petition that shall be served on all parties to the proceeding.
(c) The court shall determine on the basis of the pleadings and affidavits whether the
person seeking to be adjudicated a de facto parent has presented prima facie evidence
of the criteria for de facto parentage as provided in subsection 501(a) of this title and, therefore, has standing to proceed with a parentage action. The court, in its
sole discretion, may hold a hearing to determine disputed facts that are necessary
and material to the issue of standing.
(d) The court may enter an interim order concerning contact between the child and a person
with standing seeking adjudication under this chapter as a de facto parent of the
child. (Added 2017, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)