Surrogacy laws vary by state in the United States, and there is no federal statute that overrides those differences. Each state decides on its own whether surrogacy contracts are enforceable, who qualifies to be an intended parent or a surrogate, and how your name gets onto the birth certificate. The same arrangement can produce a smooth pre-birth parentage order in one state and an unenforceable contract in the state next door, so the single most important legal step before signing anything is confirming which category your state falls into.
The Three Categories States Fall Into
State surrogacy laws generally sort into three groups. Permissive states have statutes or well-established court decisions that spell out how surrogacy contracts work, who qualifies, and how intended parents get recognized as legal parents. Restrictive states either ban compensated surrogacy outright, declare surrogacy contracts void, or impose criminal penalties. Silent states have no surrogacy-specific statute at all, which forces everyone involved to rely on general parentage laws and on whichever judge happens to be assigned to the case.
One boundary is worth drawing before going further: almost every modern surrogacy statute protects only gestational surrogacy, where the surrogate carries an embryo created through IVF and has no genetic connection to the child. Traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate’s own egg is used, sits in a much more uncertain legal position and is prohibited in several states that otherwise welcome gestational arrangements. If you are considering traditional surrogacy, assume that the protections described below do not apply to you until a lawyer in your state tells you otherwise.
States With Clear Surrogacy Protections
A growing number of states have enacted detailed surrogacy statutes that lay out exactly what the contract must contain, who can participate, and how parentage is established. California, Illinois, and New York are among the most developed frameworks, and each takes a different route to the same destination.
California
California’s framework under Family Code Sections 7960 through 7962 is one of the most established in the country. The statute requires both the intended parents and the surrogate to have separate attorneys, and the surrogacy agreement must be fully signed before any embryo transfer takes place or the surrogate begins injectable medications.1California Legislative Information. California Code FAM Part 7 – Surrogacy and Donor Facilitators, Assisted Reproduction Agreements for Gestational Carriers, and Oocyte Donations Once the agreement is properly executed, either party can petition the court for a parentage order before or after the child’s birth. If the paperwork is in order, the court issues the order without a hearing.2California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code FAM 7962 The intended parents’ names go on the birth certificate from the start, and the surrogate is never listed as a parent.
Illinois
Illinois offers two paths to legal parentage under its Gestational Surrogacy Act. The first is an administrative route. If the surrogate, intended parents, their attorneys, and the IVF physician each file written certifications with the Illinois Department of Public Health before the birth, parentage is established by operation of law the moment the child is born. No court order is needed. These certifications confirm that everyone met the eligibility requirements, the surrogate did not provide the egg, and the contract followed the statute’s requirements.3Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 47 – Gestational Surrogacy Act The second path is a traditional court judgment, available before, on, or after the birth. Either way, the intended parents are recognized as the legal parents immediately at birth, and the surrogate and her spouse have no parental rights or duties.4FindLaw. Illinois Code 750 ILCS 47/15 – Rights of Parentage
New York
New York’s shift is one of the most dramatic in recent years. In 1992, the state passed Article 8 of the Domestic Relations Law, which declared compensated surrogacy contracts void and contrary to public policy.5New York State Assembly. New York State Assembly – Article 8 Surrogacy History That ban stood for nearly three decades until the Child-Parent Security Act took effect, creating Family Court Act Article 5-C.6New York State Senate. New York Family Court Act Article 5-C – Judgments of Parentage of Children Conceived Through Assisted Reproduction or Pursuant to Surrogacy Agreements The new law is permissive, but it comes with extensive protections for the surrogate, codified in a Surrogates’ Bill of Rights.
Under that Bill of Rights, the surrogate retains full authority over her own healthcare decisions, including whether to consent to a cesarean delivery, whether to continue or end the pregnancy, and choice of healthcare provider. The intended parents must pay for a comprehensive health insurance policy covering the entire surrogacy period, the full pregnancy, and twelve months after delivery. They must also provide a life insurance policy with a minimum benefit of $750,000, effective before the surrogate begins any medication or embryo transfer treatment.7New York State Department of Health. Gestational Surrogates’ Bill of Rights These requirements make New York one of the more expensive states for surrogacy, but they also set a high floor for surrogate welfare.
States That Restrict or Limit Surrogacy
A handful of states still impose meaningful restrictions, though the trend over the past decade has been toward liberalization. The restrictions take different forms: some states criminalize compensated arrangements, others declare contracts void, and a few limit who can participate so narrowly that the statute excludes most people who would actually want to use it.
Louisiana
Louisiana permits gestational surrogacy in theory but limits it so severely that the statute effectively shuts out most intended parents. The law restricts enforceable surrogacy agreements to married couples who create the child using only their own eggs and sperm. No donor gametes are allowed. Commercial surrogacy is criminal in most cases.8Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9 RS 9-2718 – Purpose and Intent Anyone who needs donor eggs or sperm, any unmarried person, and any same-sex couple cannot use Louisiana’s surrogacy framework. Intended parents facing these restrictions often work with surrogates in other states.
Michigan’s Recent Overhaul
Michigan was long cited as the most restrictive surrogacy state in the country. Its 1988 Surrogate Parenting Act declared all surrogacy contracts void and made commercial surrogacy a felony. That law has been repealed. In 2024, Michigan enacted the Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Parentage Act, which took effect on April 2, 2025, replacing the old ban entirely.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws – Act 199 of 1988 (Repealed) The new law establishes a legal framework for both assisted reproduction and surrogacy, including provisions for parentage of children born through surrogacy agreements.10Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws – Act 24 of 2024 Michigan’s reversal is a striking example of how quickly this area of law is evolving, and it is a reminder to confirm the current status of any state’s law before relying on older guides.
Nebraska and Other Restrictive Postures
Nebraska takes a different approach. Surrogacy contracts are declared void and unenforceable, but engaging in surrogacy is not a crime. Pre-birth parentage orders are unavailable, so biological fathers and genetic mothers can be listed on the birth certificate at the hospital through acknowledgment forms with the surrogate’s consent, but all other intended parents must go through a post-birth adoption. Several other states maintain similar postures where the law doesn’t ban surrogacy but offers no legal infrastructure to support it, effectively pushing intended parents toward other jurisdictions or more expensive post-birth legal processes.
States Without Surrogacy-Specific Laws
A significant number of states have no statute that directly addresses surrogacy. In these jurisdictions, outcomes depend on the judge, the county, and how creatively the attorneys can apply existing parentage and adoption statutes. One family court judge might grant a pre-birth parentage order based on general parentage law. A judge in the next county might refuse. This inconsistency creates real risk for intended parents who live in or work with surrogates in these states.
Without a statutory framework, intended parents in silent states frequently rely on post-birth adoption or general parentage actions to establish their rights. The process tends to cost more, take longer, and carry uncertainty that doesn’t exist in states with clear surrogacy statutes. Some intended parents in these states choose to match with a surrogate in a permissive state specifically to avoid this problem, though that adds travel and logistical costs.
Who Qualifies to Use a State’s Surrogacy Law
States that regulate surrogacy typically set qualification standards for both intended parents and surrogates. These vary, but a few patterns are common enough to be worth understanding before you start the process.
Intended Parent Requirements
Some states require intended parents to demonstrate a medical reason for using a surrogate. Florida’s statute limits gestational surrogacy contracts to situations where the intended mother cannot physically carry a pregnancy to term, the pregnancy would pose a risk to her health, or the pregnancy would endanger the fetus.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 742.15 – Gestational Surrogacy Contract Not every state imposes a medical necessity requirement, but it is common enough to check your state’s law early.
Marital status can also decide whether you qualify. Texas requires intended parents to be married to each other to use the state’s gestational agreement protections.12State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 160.754 – Gestational Agreement Authorized Florida similarly requires a “commissioning couple” who are legally married.13Florida Legislature. Florida Code 742.15 – Gestational Surrogacy Contract In states with marriage requirements, unmarried individuals and couples may need to pursue alternative legal paths, such as a prearranged adoption agreement if one exists, or work with a surrogate in a different state.
Surrogate Requirements
Most surrogacy statutes set a minimum age for surrogates, typically 18 or 21, and many require that the surrogate has already given birth to at least one child. The prior-birth requirement exists because legislators and courts want assurance that the surrogate understands the physical and emotional realities of pregnancy before agreeing to carry a child for someone else. Surrogates also undergo medical evaluations and psychological screenings conducted by licensed professionals. Documentation of these clearances is usually a prerequisite before a court will approve the agreement or a fertility clinic will proceed with treatment.
Access for LGBTQ+ Intended Parents
No federal law specifically addresses surrogacy access for same-sex or LGBTQ+ intended parents, and state-level protections vary widely. Marriage equality opened important doors. In every state, the spouse of the person who gives birth is presumed to be the child’s second parent, and the Supreme Court confirmed in Pavan v. Smith (2017) that states cannot refuse to list a same-sex spouse on a birth certificate. Married same-sex couples can also jointly adopt in every state.
The picture gets murkier for unmarried same-sex couples. Research suggests that only about eleven states provide robust legal protections for unmarried same-sex parents, while the majority offer limited or uncertain recognition. In states like Texas and Louisiana, where surrogacy statutes require married opposite-sex couples, same-sex intended parents face additional hurdles regardless of marital status. Some states that have adopted the 2017 Uniform Parentage Act have expanded access to include unmarried same-sex couples through gestational surrogacy and assisted reproduction provisions, but adoption of those provisions remains uneven. The safest approach for LGBTQ+ intended parents is to work in a state whose surrogacy statute is explicitly inclusive or whose courts have a consistent track record of granting parentage orders to all types of intended parents.
How You Become the Legal Parent
Getting your name on the birth certificate is where the legal work pays off, and the process differs dramatically depending on the state. The three main paths are pre-birth parentage orders, post-birth parentage orders, and adoption.
Pre-Birth Orders
In permissive states, intended parents can petition the court for a parentage order while the surrogate is still pregnant, typically during the second or third trimester. The application usually includes the fully executed surrogacy contract, a physician’s affidavit confirming the genetic makeup of the embryo and the surrogate’s lack of genetic connection to the child, and personal identification for all parties. In California, if the agreement was properly executed, the court must issue the order without a hearing unless someone raises a good-faith concern about compliance with the statute.2California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code FAM 7962 The signed order is sent to the hospital and the state’s vital records office so the intended parents’ names appear on the birth certificate from the moment of delivery.
Post-Birth Orders and Adoption
In states that don’t allow pre-birth orders, intended parents must wait until after the child is born to establish parentage through a court order or adoption proceeding. The surrogate may initially appear on the birth certificate, requiring an amended certificate once the court issues its order. The process takes longer and introduces a period of legal uncertainty where the intended parents may lack formal authority to make medical decisions for the newborn.
In some states, the non-biological intended parent must complete a second-parent or stepparent adoption even if the biological parent is already recognized. This comes up most often when only one intended parent has a genetic connection to the child and the state doesn’t have a surrogacy statute that establishes both parents’ rights automatically. The adoption is usually simpler than a standard adoption, but it adds time and legal fees.
Illinois’s Administrative Path
Illinois deserves a separate mention because its parentage-by-certification process bypasses the courts entirely. If the intended parents, surrogate, their attorneys, and the physician each file the prescribed certification forms with the Illinois Department of Public Health before the birth, parentage is established by operation of law the moment the child is born. The certifications carry the same legal weight as a court judgment.3Illinois General Assembly. 750 ILCS 47 – Gestational Surrogacy Act This administrative route eliminates court filing fees and the wait for a judge’s signature.
Social Security and Post-Birth Paperwork
After the parentage order is issued and the birth certificate is finalized, intended parents still have administrative steps left. When applying for the child’s Social Security number, the Social Security Administration requires original documents or certified copies of the birth certificate and parental identification. The SSA warns against using the hospital’s automatic newborn number assignment program in surrogacy cases, because the system may link the child’s Social Security number to the surrogate instead of the intended parents, and that error is extremely difficult to reverse. If the birth certificate is being amended, wait for the final amended version before applying.
What a Surrogacy Contract Must Cover
The agreement is the legal backbone of the entire arrangement. Courts in permissive states rely heavily on the contract to decide parentage, and a poorly drafted agreement can derail an otherwise straightforward case. Requirements vary by state, but several provisions appear across nearly every enforceable surrogacy statute.
Parental Rights and Responsibilities
The contract must clearly state that the surrogate relinquishes all parental rights upon the child’s birth and that the intended parents assume full legal and financial responsibility for the child immediately, including in cases of health complications or disability. This allocation of rights is what distinguishes a surrogacy agreement from a standard custody arrangement, and it is the core provision courts look at when deciding whether to enforce the contract.
Compensation and Financial Terms
The agreement must detail every payment the surrogate will receive, including base compensation and reimbursements for travel, maternity clothing, lost wages, and other expenses. States that permit only altruistic surrogacy require the contract to specify that no payment is made beyond the surrogate’s actual out-of-pocket expenses. Where compensated surrogacy is legal, the contract should include a payment schedule and require an independent escrow account managed by a third party to hold and disburse funds. This protects the surrogate from nonpayment and the intended parents from unauthorized withdrawals.
Insurance and Medical Costs
The contract must specify who pays for the surrogate’s medical care, including prenatal visits, delivery costs, and complications. Intended parents are generally expected to provide or pay for a health insurance policy covering the pregnancy. Some policies contain surrogacy exclusion clauses, and some insurers may attempt to recover pregnancy-related costs from intended parents under lien provisions. If the surrogate’s existing policy has a surrogacy exclusion, the contract should require the intended parents to purchase a supplemental policy. New York goes further than most states, mandating a comprehensive policy covering twelve months of postpartum care plus a life insurance policy of at least $750,000.7New York State Department of Health. Gestational Surrogates’ Bill of Rights
Contingency Provisions
A well-drafted surrogacy contract addresses what happens if circumstances change during the pregnancy. This includes provisions covering the death or disability of one or both intended parents, divorce of the intended parents during the pregnancy, and designation of a guardian for the child if the intended parents become unable to assume custody. Contracts also typically include dispute resolution mechanisms, often requiring mediation before either party can file a lawsuit. These provisions exist because surrogacy pregnancies last nine months, and life doesn’t pause during that time.
Independent Legal Counsel
Nearly every surrogacy statute requires the intended parents and the surrogate to be represented by separate attorneys from different firms. This prevents conflicts of interest during contract negotiations and ensures both sides receive unbiased advice about their rights and obligations. A certificate of independent legal advice is typically attached to the final agreement and serves as evidence to the court that both parties understood what they were signing.1California Legislative Information. California Code FAM Part 7 – Surrogacy and Donor Facilitators, Assisted Reproduction Agreements for Gestational Carriers, and Oocyte Donations
How Much It Costs
The total cost of gestational surrogacy in the United States typically runs between $140,000 and $170,000 or more. That figure breaks down roughly as follows:
- Surrogate compensation: $60,000 to $75,000 or more, depending on the state, the surrogate’s experience, and whether she has carried for intended parents before.
- IVF and medical care: $15,000 to $30,000 or more, covering egg retrieval, embryo creation, transfer procedures, and prenatal care.
- Agency fees: $20,000 to $35,000 or more for matching, screening, and case management.
- Legal and escrow fees: $8,000 to $15,000, covering contract drafting, parentage orders, and escrow management.
- Insurance: $10,000 to $25,000 or more if the surrogate needs a new or supplemental health insurance policy.
These ranges shift based on geography. States with extensive surrogate protections like New York, which requires a $750,000 life insurance policy and twelve months of postpartum health coverage, land toward the higher end. Court filing fees for parentage petitions vary by jurisdiction. Intended parents should also budget for unexpected complications like a cesarean delivery, bed rest requiring lost-wage reimbursement, or legal challenges that require additional court appearances.
What Happens When Things Go Wrong
Most surrogacy arrangements proceed without major legal conflict, but when disputes arise, the contract and state law determine the outcome. The most serious scenario is a surrogate who refuses to relinquish the child after birth. In states with enforceable surrogacy statutes, the intended parents’ parentage order or the statute itself typically resolves this, because the surrogate was never the legal parent in the first place. In states without clear laws, this kind of dispute can turn into prolonged litigation where the outcome depends on a judge’s interpretation of general parentage principles.
Well-drafted contracts include dispute resolution provisions that require mediation or arbitration before either party can go to court. Mediation tends to be faster and cheaper than litigation and keeps the dispute private. Some contracts use a tiered approach where the parties must attempt mediation first, and if that fails within a set period, they proceed to binding arbitration. Financial disputes during the pregnancy, such as disagreements over which expenses qualify for reimbursement, are the most common source of conflict and are typically resolved through these mechanisms without affecting the parentage arrangement itself.
You can protect yourself by working in a state with clear surrogacy law, using experienced reproductive law attorneys, and making sure every contingency is addressed in the contract before any medical procedures begin. The legal fees spent upfront on a thorough contract are a fraction of what litigation costs after a dispute emerges.