At 17 can you legally move out

Going to court will also not help much because the courts cannot force the runaway 17 year old to return home. See also… Boston Immigration Attorneys. In most states, running away from home is not illegal. This is because the law provides that juvenile courts only have power over juveniles under 17 years of age when they run away or desert home. However, the law requires parents to continue supporting the runaway 17 year old until they turn They may only withdraw support if somehow the court terminates that obligation.

However, parents need only to offer the basic necessities to meet their obligation. Surviving on the street in the cold is not easy and exposes runaways to a lot of dangers. There is also the risk that the runaway my take up negative habits like abusing drugs or alcohol. This means the police will be asked to look out for you. If the police find you they will want to know why you left home.

The police and Child Safety have a duty to listen to you and investigate your story. You have the right to feel safe and should tell the police or Child Safety where you want to go if there are reasons why you do not feel safe or able to go home.

You should not be sent home straight away. You will not be taken off the missing persons list until you:. Child Safety can ask the court for an order if they think you are not safe within your home or unable to look after yourself properly. These orders can mean you will not be able to live with your family for a long time. You should get legal advice if you think this may happen to you.

There is no law that says services such as youth shelters must tell your parents where you are. If you are concerned about this, ask about the rules of the place where you are staying. Crisis Care may tell your parents where you are IF:. You can also contact the Queensland Youth Housing Coalition on or visit www. If you need somewhere to stay for a short time there are emergency youth shelters, refuges or hostels where you may be able to stay for up to 3 months.

They are usually supervised by workers on a hour basis. The amount if any you pay to stay there depends on how long you stay and whether you have an income. Sometimes emergency youth shelters might not be able to help because they are full. Many may even occasionally dream of what it would be like to live on their own, or at least with the "cool family" down the street.

For most teenagers, these are just fantasies, but for others, the desire and need to leave is very real. Teens may legally leave home when they reach the age of majority. The age of majority in most states is 18 years old, except for the following:.

If a teen chooses to move out of his parents' house when he reaches the age of majority, he will be legally responsible for his support and maintenance. If a teen is still attending high school when he reaches the age of majority and continues to live with his parents, they are obligated to continue to support him until he completes high school. The National Runaway Switchboard reports that 30 percent of teens run away, and they do so for a variety of reasons including:.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention defines a runaway as a child who meets one of the following criteria:.

The laws regarding runaway teens differ among states. In most states, running away from home is not a crime, which means that the teen cannot be put in prison, although he can be held in police custody until he can be returned to his family. For example in Michigan , although the legal age of majority is 18, the court has no jurisdiction to force a teen runaway under the age of 17 to return home, so it is unlikely that the police would even get involved.

In other states, like Texas, running away is considered a status offense. The teen may be forced to return home, held in a detention center until his parents can pick him up, or even put on probation by a judge. Teens are considered homeless if they run away and are:.

Many teens run away from home to escape physical or emotional abuse. These teens are treated differently than those who run away simply because they want more freedom or dislike the rules imposed by their parents. In Virginia , for example, a teen is considered a runaway if he leaves home "without reasonable cause.

Instead of being returned home, the teen would be placed with another family member, adult friend, or a foster or group home. In Maine , the Department of Health and Human Services is called for all runaway cases, regardless of the reason. If DHSS believes that returning a child to his home would cause him harm, or if the teen does not agree to being returned to his parents, then DHSS can obtain temporary custody and place the teen with another family member, adult friend, or in a foster or group home.

Of course, a teen who runs away due to abuse must tell a trusted adult the reason he ran away from home to not be forcibly returned to his parents. By the time a youth is 17 years old, they are on the cusp of young adulthood and nearing the day where they will gain certain legal rights to choose their own living situations.

For it to be legal to move out at 17 or 16 for that matter , the emancipation of a minor, a court must generally confirm the child has enough adult-like maturity to be on his or her own. Financial independence. In general, children must prove they can support themselves in order to get emancipated. Call CPS. You are a minor in the eyes of the law. They can help you. Your family actually has a legal obligation to house you and can be taken to court for kicking you out.

If they kicked you out, call the police and they will call CPS or the equivalent agency and they will straighten the situation out one way or another.

You will likely end up back in your house or in a group home awaiting relatives, foster parents or be stuck in the group home until you reach the Age of Majority. Once a minor is legally emancipated, parents no longer have to feed, house, or pay child support for the emancipated minor. Kicking an underage child meaning under 18 in most states out of the house, without the child being emancipated, can often be considered child abandonment, which is a crime.

But when a child turns 18, parents can, in fact, legally evict their child.