(a) Except as provided in § 5-331 of this subtitle, a petition for guardianship shall precede a petition for adoption under this subtitle. (b) 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) A petition for guardianship of an individual shall be filed before the individual attains 18 years of age. (d) 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 § ates 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.
Maryland Legal Code