How do I go about obtaining a birth certificate for the baby? If he already has one in his name, what happens to it?

Full question:

I am a resident of Alabama. Two days back I found an abandoned baby covered in dirt in an alley. I took the child home and called the emergency services to check on any missing child reports in the city. They confirmed that they received no reports of missing children in the area and they are ready to take the baby into state custody. I contacted my attorney and am going to take up legal custody of the child. How do I go about obtaining a birth certificate for the baby? If he already has one in his name, what happens to it?

• Category: Paternity
• Date: 04/07/2025
• State: Alabama

Answer:

In the given instance, the one who assumes custody of the abandoned baby, in Alabama, they can obtain the birth certificate for the baby per the provisions in Code of Ala.§ 22-9A-8. It reads:

“(a) Whoever assumes the custody of a live-born infant of unknown parentage shall report on a form and in a manner prescribed by the State Registrar within five days to the Office of Vital Statistics all of the following information:

     (1) The date and place of finding.

     (2) Sex, race, and approximate birth date of the child.

     (3) Name and address of the person or institution with whom the child has been placed for care.

     (4) Name given to the child by the custodian of the child.

     (5) Other data required by rules of the board.

(b) The place where the child was found shall be entered as the place of birth.

(c) A report registered under this section shall constitute the certificate of birth for the child.

(d) If the child is identified and a certificate of birth is found or obtained, the report registered under this section shall be placed in a special file and shall not be subject to inspection except upon an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.”

The provision also has provided for the instance where the child may already have a birth certificate issued in his/her name. Clause (d) states that the existing birth certificate shall only be inspected when there is an order of a competent court to carry out such inspection. There are instances where the child, after attaining the age of majority, may want to find his/her biological parent and may approach the court for inspecting the certificate of birth that existed prior to the one issued pursuant to an application made per Code of Ala.§ 22-9A-8.