Beginning January 1, 2026, Registers of Deeds across North Carolina will be able to issue certified copies of adoptive birth certificates. This change follows the passage of Senate Bill 248, Birth Certificates for Persons Adopted, which became Session Law 2025-9 after being signed by Governor Josh Stein on June 26.
Drew Reisinger, Buncombe County Register of Deeds, stated that the new law will allow adoptees and certain family members to obtain certified copies of adoptive birth certificates locally. Eligible individuals include the adoptee, their children, adoptive parents, spouse, brothers, or sisters.
Previously, adoptees could only get these documents through the North Carolina Office of Vital Records in Raleigh. The new law is intended to improve customer service by allowing access at local offices. Original birth certificates issued before adoption and related records will remain sealed and unavailable for release.
Buncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger said: “This new law is a big win for adoptees to have equal access to their vital records. We are grateful for legislation that ends a discriminatory and time-consuming process for adoptees who could only receive their birth record from the State rather than their local register of deeds. Adoptees can now benefit from easy access like all other residents born here.”
The NC Office of Vital Records plans to provide Adoption Security training for Registers of Deeds staff statewide. Training will address issuance procedures, privacy protections, secure handling practices, confidentiality requirements, and updates to electronic systems.
For more information about obtaining certified copies or about the implementation process in Buncombe County, contact the Register of Deeds office at 205 College St., Asheville; call 828-250-4303; or email [email protected].
In other developments concerning Buncombe County students’ academic readiness:
A recent report showed that among senior students taking the science portion of the ACT in Buncombe County school districts during the 2022-23 school year, 28.5% were considered ready for college (source). For juniors taking science in the same period, this figure was slightly higher at 30.1% (source). In reading proficiency among seniors on the ACT test during that year, 41.1% were deemed college-ready (source), while juniors had a rate of 43.2% (source). For math proficiency on the ACT among seniors in Buncombe County schools during 2022-23, 25.6% met college readiness standards (source), compared with 32.7% among juniors (source).
