Within one hundred twenty days after the department receives an application, the department shall notify the applicant in writing of the approval or denial of the application. If the application is denied, the department must inform the applicant of the reasons for the denial. If the applicant disagrees with the department's determination, the applicant may appeal the department's determination by requesting a fair hearing under the provisions of chapter 67:17:02.

An adoption application approval does not guarantee adoptive placement of a child with the applicant.

Source: 2 SDR 62, effective April 5, 1976; 7 SDR 66, 7 SDR 89, effective July 1, 1981; 17 SDR 157, effective April 23, 1991; 37 SDR 222, effective June 7, 2011; 44 SDR 94, effective December 4, 2017 ; 51 SDR 127, effective June 1, 2025 .

General Authority: SDCL 26-4-9.1 .

Law Implemented: SDCL 26-4-9.1 .

Prior versions effective: 2017-12-04, 2011-06-07.