In order to have a court order a paternity test, a court must have a reason to seek that paternity is established in a case.  Usually court ordered paternity tests are ordered when a man will not voluntarily agree to a legal paternity test, but the mother often must also provide reasonable evidence to justify an assertion that the man is indeed the father of the child.  This is often done by having the mother provide details under oath about her relationship with the man she is alleging is the father of the child, including providing dates of contact around the time of conception, as well as  any further contact during pregnancy and birth.  The court will be especially interested in any evidence of financial support provided by the alleged father for the child, cohabitation of the two individuals, and any other action that the man may have taken that suggests he may be the father of the child.

In some states, if a man has assumed responsibility for parenting a child and has acted as the father of the child, he may be legally responsible even if he is not the biological father of the child.  In other states, a man may not be obliged to care for any child not biologically related to him.

If a voluntary legal DNA paternity test or a court ordered paternity test determine a man is the father of a child, a order of child support will likely be issued and a visitation schedule and custody hearings will also be held to determine what arrangements are in the best interest of the child.

If you are interested in obtaining a court ordered paternity test, it is strongly suggested you consult a family lawyer prior to moving forward on any legal action.  Given the highly emotionally charged nature of custody and paternity hearings, having proper legal counsel is very important before proceeding.  If you are not able to afford a lawyer, you may want to check with a legal aid clinic in your area, or see if there are any family lawyers who offer their services pro bono in your area.

Court ordered paternity tests can provide valuable evidence of paternity when there is a legal dispute.  However, it may also be in your best interest to try to establish paternity outside of the court system if there is no pressing legal need to do so, or if paternity is very much in question.  In these cases, you may find that using a simple, at home DNA paternity test is much cheaper and easier than going through a court to get an order of paternity test.   For more information about legal DNA paternity testing and at home DNA tests please return to the Legal DNA Paternity Testing website.

DNA paternity testing is a powerful tool in paternity disputes.  Modern day DNA tests can identify or exclude individuals with close to 100% accuracy.  If you would like to take a DNA paternity test to answer questions regarding paternity, you have two main options: a home paternity test kit or legal DNA paternity testing.  Both kinds of tests are highly accurate.

The advantages of using a home kit is that they are generally cheaper, results are quick and they are easily available over the counter.  Home kits are a useful DNA paternity test for those seeking certainty regarding paternity, but are not (currently) involved in legal proceedings regarding this issue.

If there are legal implications involved with the outcome of the paternity test, however, you will need to undergo legal DNA paternity testing.  This testing must be done by an accredited laboratory, and is generally done in person, although some companies may offer at home testing either by having one of their lab technicians make a ‘house call’ or by having some other impartial witness collect the samples and certify the test (you will need to make sure, however, that your state will accept results taken outside a laboratory).

There are many online companies that offer affordable at home DNA paternity test kits and who offer accredited legal DNA paternity testing.  When selecting a company for legal DNA paternity testing, you should ensure that the company has AABB accreditation and is certified to do such testing for the state you live in.

A DNA paternity test can cost anywhere in the range of $100-$500 depending on the provider and whether it is an at home test or a legally certifiable test.  When pricing a DNA paternity test, you should make sure that the cost involves both the collection materials and receiving the results (some companies offer a cheap price upfront for an at home DNA paternity test kit, but obtaining the actual results will cost considerably more).

By knowing your options regarding DNA paternity testing and making a careful selection of a DNA testing lab, you will be on the road to have your questions answered regarding paternity.  For more articles and answers to common questions regarding DNA paternity testing, visit the Legal DNA Paternity Testing homepage.