Nebraska Revised Statutes Chapter 43. Infants and Juveniles § 43-102. Petition requirements; decree; jurisdiction; filings

(1) Except as otherwise provided in the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Act, any person or persons desiring to adopt a minor child or an adult child shall file a petition for adoption signed and sworn to by the person or persons desiring to adopt. The following shall be filed prior to the hearing required under section 43-103:

(2) The county court of the county in which the person or persons desiring to adopt a child reside has jurisdiction of adoption proceedings, except that if a juvenile court already has jurisdiction over the child to be adopted under the Nebraska Juvenile Code, such juvenile court has concurrent jurisdiction with the county court in such adoption proceeding. If a child to be adopted is a ward of any court or a ward of the state at the time of placement and at the time of filing an adoption petition, the person or persons desiring to adopt shall not be required to be residents of Nebraska. The petition and all other court filings for an adoption proceeding shall be filed with the clerk of the county court. The party shall state in the petition whether such party requests that the proceeding be heard by the county court or, in cases in which a juvenile court already has jurisdiction over the child to be adopted under the Nebraska Juvenile Code, such juvenile court. Such proceeding is considered a county court proceeding even if heard by a juvenile court judge and an order of the juvenile court in such adoption proceeding has the force and effect of a county court order. The testimony in an adoption proceeding heard before a juvenile court judge shall be preserved as in any other juvenile court proceeding.