State presenters outline how parentage is established in Washington — from hospital acknowledgements to court orders

Anne Stone of the Washington Fatherhood Council opened the provider-learning session by urging broader inclusion of fathers in family policy and noting research linking positive father engagement to stronger child outcomes: “families do better when fathers are positively engaged in their lives,” she said.

Speakers from the Washington State Division of Child Support (DCS) and the King County Prosecutor’s Office explained the three legal routes to establish parentage in Washington: marital presumption, a court order, or an administrative Acknowledgement of Parentage (AOP). Jill Shrop, parentage and paternity initiatives manager at the DCS Division of Child Support, said the 2018 Legislature’s Senate Bill 6037 updated the state’s parentage law to recognize diverse family forms.

The AOP is an administrative form filed with the Washington State Department of Health that creates a legal parent–child relationship when both parties agree. A presenter reported that “over 23,000 acknowledgements of parentage were filed in 2025,” and that in 2025 more than 90% of children born to unmarried parents in Washington had parentage established via the voluntary acknowledgement process, with roughly 80% of those signed at the hospital. The DCS staff explained that AOPs completed and submitted through a hospital within five days of birth are generally filed at no cost to families; public submissions not routed through a hospital may carry an $18 Department of Health filing fee (the Division of Child Support can pay the fee for families who come to DCS).

The presenters walked through AOP form logistics: the form includes an acknowledgement statement, instructions and definitions; signatures may be notarized or witnessed (one parent’s signature can be notarized while the other’s is witnessed); completed forms must be filed with the Department of Health’s Center for Health Statistics to be effective. Presenters also described the denial-of-parentage form (used to exclude a person from a birth record), rescission rules and the limited court window to challenge AOPs: rescission may be filed within 60 days of a signed acknowledgement or denial, and courts permit challenges for limited reasons (fraud, duress or factual mistake) within four years of filing.

For parents who do not sign an AOP at the hospital, the Division of Child Support offers a free voluntary paternity testing program. DCS staff said the program’s eligibility rules include that the child was born in Washington, is under two years old, no second parent is named on the birth record, no prior parentage has been established, and both parties consent and are adults. The DCS-contracted lab scheduling (presenters named the contractor used during the session) uses cheek-swab samples and typically produces results in two to three weeks; DCS reported that about 25% of tested alleged fathers are excluded by the test, and that included fathers are often encouraged to complete an AOP.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office described the court path for contested or out-of-scope cases. Sarah Jackson said cases reach the office through TANF referrals, non-assistance requests, or dependency matters; intake paralegals gather facts and the office will pursue genetic testing with a chain-of-custody protocol when needed. Prosecutors stressed the importance of personal service of petitions (not service by publication), explained that a court-ordered genetic test often compels participation, and noted limited enforcement tools (including, in some circumstances, warrants or sanctions). Once parentage is established in court the certified order is sent to the Department of Health to update the birth record; courts can also address related issues such as back support (up to 60 months), parenting plans and name changes.

Presenters addressed special situations: deceased-parent cases (testing relatives to establish biological relationship, which may help with social-security or tribal-enrollment issues), incarcerated parents (prosecutor’s office can arrange testing in detention), and tribal coordination (offices reach out to tribes when members are involved). A statutory exception was noted for sexual-assault conception; courts handle those claims in a special hearing.

Speakers closed with practical guidance: hospital-provided AOP information (oral and written) is federally required, DCS reimburses most hospitals for offering AOP services, hospitals must submit signed AOPs within 10 days to the Department of Health, and families can always submit a completed AOP with the $18 fee at any time. Presenters urged attendees to contact DCS or the prosecutor’s office for case-specific questions and provided follow-up contacts and an evaluation link.

The session ended with organizers thanking the presenters and noting that the Department of Children, Youth, and Families is administering the Washington Fatherhood Council while staff positions were reallocated.