{"id":375303,"date":"2016-10-17T13:28:26","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T18:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/new-york-law\/new-york-paternity-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-03-27T11:21:09","modified_gmt":"2018-03-27T16:21:09","slug":"new-york-paternity-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/new-york-law\/new-york-paternity-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"New York Paternity Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New York Paternity Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last reviewed\n

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In the past, determining paternity was not always an easy task. Imagine, after all, trying to determine a biological father based only on blood type<\/a> — the odds aren’t great. However, with the rise of DNA technology<\/a>, potential parents are now able to quickly and reliably determine biological relationships with a simple swab of the cheek. Although such technology is now available over the counter in many areas, states like New York have emphasized that only DNA tests ordered by courts or medical professionals can be used to establish paternity<\/a> for legal purposes.<\/p>\n

New York automatically presumes that a father married to the mother at the time of birth is the legal father. This can sometimes raise issues if the child is not actually the husband’s biological child<\/a>. However, paternity issues more often arise when parents are unmarried at the time of birth. In those situations, New York allows for two processes to establish paternity:<\/p>\n

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  1. An acknowledgment of paternity signed by the father at the time of birth; or<\/li>\n
  2. An order of filiation issued by the court on a petition to establish paternity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    New York allows petitions for paternity to be initiated by the:<\/p>\n