§ 5073. Birth certificate corrections, completions
(a)(1) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, within six months
after the date of birth, the State Registrar may correct or complete a birth certificate
in the Statewide Registration System upon application of a parent, the hospital in
which the birth occurred, or the certifying attendant.
(2) At any time after the date of birth, the State Registrar may complete a birth certificate
to add the name of a parent only upon request of the registrant or his or her parent
or guardian and upon the receipt of:
(A) a properly executed voluntary acknowledgment of parentage; or
(B) a decree of a court or administrative agency of competent jurisdiction adjudicating
parentage.
(3) Within six months after the date of birth, the State Registrar may complete or change
the name of a child upon joint application of the parents or upon application of the
parent if only one parent is listed on the birth certificate. A court order shall
not be required, except for completions or changes of name more than six months after
the date of birth.
(b) If the State Registrar determines that a correction or completion requested under
this section is unwarranted, he or she may deny an application, in which case the
applicant may petition the Probate Division of the Superior Court. The court shall
review the petition and relevant evidence de novo to determine if the correction or
completion is warranted. The court shall transmit a decree ordering a correction or
completion to the State Registrar, who shall correct or complete the certificate in
accordance with the decree.
(c) A corrected or completed certificate shall be free of any evidence of the change and
shall not be marked “Amended.” However, the State Registrar shall record and maintain
in the Statewide Registration System the source of the information, the nature and
content of the change, the identity of the person making the change, and the date
the change was made.
(d) [Repealed.] (Amended 1979, No. 56, § 8; 1979, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 9; 1985, No. 33, § 1; 2017, No. 46, § 22, eff. July 1, 2018; 2018, No. 11 (Sp. Sess.), § I.6, eff. July 1, 2019; 2021, No. 15, § 2.)