2025 Session Last amended: 2012 session

§ 260C.505 — Petition

Plain-Language Summary

This section sets the deadline for filing the petition that begins permanency or termination of parental rights proceedings. The petition must be filed at or before the time the child has been in foster care or in the care of a noncustodial or nonresident parent for 11 months, or on the faster timeline required when expedited filing applies under section 260C.503. The court administrator then serves the petition for the admit-deny hearing. No petition is required if the social services agency intends to recommend that the child return to the parent at or before that hearing.

Practical Notes
This section is about the filing deadline for the petition, not the grounds for ending parental rights. The petition that starts permanency or termination proceedings generally must be filed by the time your child has been in foster care for 11 months, unless the agency plans to recommend returning the child to you at or before the admit-deny hearing.