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US Safe Haven Laws allow a parent to relinquish their unharmed infant to a designated
Safe Haven provider within a specific time after birth. Each state has its a unique Safe Haven law.
While each law has similar components, the age and location restrictions differ per state.
Click on your state name to go the laws for that state.
Alabama
Infant's Age Requirement:
Infant must be 72 hours old or younger.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The Infant may be relinquished by his or her parent
Who May Receive the Infant:
Infant may be turned over to:
1) An emergency medical services provider.
2) A licensed hospital that operates an emergency department.
Alaska
Infant's Age Requirement:
Infant who is younger than 21 days of age may be surrendered.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
An infant may be surrendered by his or her parent.
Who May Receive the Infant:
The infant may be left in the physical custody of any of the following:
1) A person the parent reasonably believes would provide for the health and safety of the infant and who would act appropriately to care for the infant
2) A peace officer, community health aide, physician, or hospital employee.
3) A person who is employed by fire department or emergency medical service.
A parent may not be criminally prosecuted for surrendering a child of the parent if:
1) The infant who is younger than 21 days of age.
2) The infant is not the subject of a court order affecting custody of the child.
3) The infant has not been physically injured before abandonment.
Arizona
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn infant may be relinquished who is 30 days old or younger.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The child may be relinquished by the parent or an agent of the parent.
Who May Receive the Infant:
The infant may be left with a safe haven provider includes any of the following:
1) A firefighter who is on duty
2) An emergency medical technician who is on duty
3) A medical staff member at a general hospital or a rural general hospital
A staff member or volunteer at any of the following organizations that posts a public notice that it is willing to accept a newborn infant:
4) A licensed private child welfare agency
5) A licensed adoption agency
6) A church
Arkansas
Infant's Age Requirement:
The infant is 30 days old or younger.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The infant may be relinquished by the parent or a person designated by the parent.
Who May Receive the Infant:
A medical provider, law enforcement agency, or fire department
California
Infant's Age Requirement:
A child who is 72 hours old or younger may be relinquished.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The child may be relinquished by his or her parent or other person having lawful custody.
Who May Receive the Infant:
A child may be left at a safe-surrender site that includes any of the following:
1) A location designated by the board of supervisors of a county or by a local fire agency, upon the approval of the appropriate local governing body of the agency, to be responsible for accepting physical custody of a child
2) A location within a public or private hospital that is designated by that hospital to be a safe-surrender site
Colorado
Infant's Age Requirement:
A child who is 72 hours old or younger may be relinquished.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The parent of the child may voluntarily relinquish the child.
Who May Receive the Infant:
A child may be delivered to either of the following:
1) A firefighter when the firefighter is at a fire station
2) A hospital staff member who engages in the admission, care, or treatment of patients when the staff member is at a hospital or community clinic emergency center
Connecticut
Infant's Age Requirement:
A child who is 30 days old or younger may be relinquished.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The child may be relinquished by his or her parent or a lawful agent of the parent.
Who May Receive the Infant:
Can be relinquished to:
Hospital emergency room where physical custody may be taken.
The parent or agent is not required to provide any name or information.
Delaware
Infant's Age Requirement:
A baby may be relinquished to a safe haven provider not more than 14 days old.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
A person may voluntarily surrender a baby.
Who May Receive the Infant:
A baby may be surrendered directly to an employee or volunteer of the emergency department of a Delaware hospital inside of the emergency department provided that said baby is surrendered alive, unharmed, and in a safe place therein.
District of Columbia
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn, 14 days old or younger
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The law does not specify by whom.
Who May Receive the Infant:
May be surrendered who a licensed physician or other person authorized to accept.
Florida
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn infant may be relinquished who is 7 days old or younger.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The infant may be relinquished by his or her parent.
Who May Receive the Infant:
The child may be left at a hospital, emergency medical services station, or fire station.
Georgia
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn child who is no more than 30 days old may be relinquished.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The mother of the child may relinquish the child.
Who May Receive the Infant:
Relinquish the child in the physical custody of an employee, agent, or member of the staff of a medical facility, fire station, or police station who is on duty, whether there in a paid or volunteer position.
Hawaii
Infant's Age Requirement:
A child who is no more than 72 hours old may be relinquished.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
A person may leave the child with a safe haven provider.
Who May Receive the Infant:
The child may be left with the personnel of a hospital, fire station, police station, or emergency services provider.
Idaho
Infant's Age Requirement:
A child who is no more than 30 days old may be delivered to a safe haven provider.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
A custodial parent may deliver the child to a safe haven provider.
Who May Receive the Infant:
Safe haven providers include the following:
1) Licensed hospitals
2) Licensed physicians and staff working at their offices and clinics
3) Advanced-practice professional nurses, including certified nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and certified registered nurse anesthetists
4) Licensed physician assistants
5) Medical personnel certified as first responders, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics
Illinois
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn infant may be relinquished who is 30 days old or younger
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The law does not specify by whom.
Who May Receive the Infant:
A newborn infant may be relinquished to a hospital; police station, including a municipal police station, a county sheriff's office, a campus police department located on any college or university, or any of the district headquarters of the Illinois State Police; fire station; or emergency medical facility.
Indiana
Infant's Age Requirement:
The relinquished child may not be more than 30 days old.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
The child may be relinquished by his or her parent or any person designated by the parent.
Who May Receive the Infant:
1) With an emergency medical services provider by the child's parent.
2) By dialing the 911 emergency call number and staying with the child until an emergency medical services provider arrives to take custody of the child.
Iowa
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn infant may be relinquished who is 30 days old or younger.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
A parent of a newborn infant may relinquish physical custody
Who May Receive the Infant:
The child be may relinquished to an institutional health facility.
A parent of a newborn infant may make telephone contact with a 911 service and relinquish physical custody
Kansas
Infant's Age Requirement:
An infant who is 60 days old or younger may be relinquished.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
A parent or other person having lawful custody of the infant
Who May Receive the Infant:
Physical custody of the infant may be surrendered to any employee who is on duty at a fire station, city or county health department, or medical care facility.
Kentucky
Infant's Age Requirement:
A newborn infant may be surrendered to a safe haven provider who is younger than 30 days old.
Who May Relinquish the Infant:
By a parent or any person who leaves the infant with a safe haven provider.
Who May Receive the Infant:
Safe haven providers include hospitals, emergency medical services providers, staffed police stations or fire stations, or participating places of worship.