Move Out Laws

[YesImGrown]

Then you just go on with your grown arse. Go on and leave home. But you aren't eligible for state benefits. You'll have to get a job to support yourself.

I have no problem supporting myself I babysit and get 200 a week , no that's not a lot but its something also the people im moving in with said its okay if i don't work because they'd prefer me to focus just on school. I take all AP classes and want to become a Pediatrician so it takes alot of studying and work to be on top and my home life just isnt the place that can happen

 

[CSO286]

I live in Texas and in March I will be 17. Can I legally leave my home without my moms permission? My mom isnt the tolerable type so i cant just walk out and leave , If she or my step dad try and stop me what can I do? Do I have to stay?? My mom is 100% against the move out but i have arrangements already made. My home used to be abusive. We were even taken from my mom for 6 years.Even now my mom goes back to those dark times and might call me stupid and ugly. Or say she wishes i was never born but its improved from how it used to be. Also I have 7 brothers and a baby sister. 6 of those brothers are under 9 . So its very loud and chaotic and moving will give me my own space and the peace i need to excel in school. Homework is impossible to get done with all my siblings running around.
Any advice would be nice!
Also do you know what kind of texas benifits I might be able to apply for at 17??? I get ssi benefits but i contacted the social security administration and they told me when i leave i have to leave my benifits there and that my mom would continue to receive them. What benefits can i recieve????

I have no problem supporting myself I babysit and get 200 a week, no that's not a lot but its something also the people im moving in with said its okay if i don't work because they'd prefer me to focus just on school. I take all AP classes and want to become a Pediatrician so it takes alot of studying and work to be on top and my home life just isnt the place that can happen

And you think that you can handle a high pressure career track like medicine when you can't even study with your siblings around????

You're not moving out unless you have your parent's consent.

 

[YesImGrown]

And here it is again from https://extranet.acf.hhs.gov/irg/profile.html?selection=STA&stateGeoBox=48:


From statute(http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/FA/htm/FA.101.htm#101.003

You may not be an adult at 17 but yes you can legally move out. The discussion is about whether or not your an adult or not its about moving out and the attorney general even said When a child turns 17, they can move out according to the Texas law. The police will not force them to return home. It is always better though, to work through your problems rather than to run from them. The child needs to be able to support himself/herself and tell parents where they are living.
Supporting yourself doesn't exactly mean bringing in an income its maintaining grades , getting to school and not doing what typical teens do and use it as an excuse just to do what you want and I can legally support myself

 

[Zigner]

You may not be an adult at 17 but yes you can legally move out. The discussion is about whether or not your an adult or not its about moving out and the attorney general even said When a child turns 17, they can move out according to the Texas law. The police will not force them to return home. It is always better though, to work through your problems rather than to run from them. The child needs to be able to support himself/herself and tell parents where they are living.
Supporting yourself doesn't exactly mean bringing in an income its maintaining grades , getting to school and not doing what typical teens do and use it as an excuse just to do what you want and I can legally support myself

Alrighty then!

 

[YesImGrown]

And you think that you can handle a high pressure career track like medicine when you can't even study with your siblings around????

You're not moving out unless you have your parent's consent.

Yes I believe when the time comes I will be able to handle the pressure. Being a teen now and studying with all of my siblings running around is difficult but you cant compare a teen studying to a full grown professional adult handling the pressures of being a doctor. And yes for now , me being a teen working towards a career in medicine , I do need an appropriate area so I can study and be the best doctor I can.
As for the move out question , I searched
At what age can you legally move out in Texas?
The answer was
Typically eighteen years old, unless married, in the military, or by court order. Answers The age of majority is 18. However, at 17 the only thing the cops can make you do is contact your parents or guardians and tell them that your ok and where your at. They will not force a 17-year-old back home.

 

[TheGeekess]

You may not be an adult at 17 but yes you can legally move out. The discussion is about whether or not your an adult or not its about moving out and the attorney general even said When a child turns 17, they can move out according to the Texas law. The police will not force them to return home. It is always better though, to work through your problems rather than to run from them. The child needs to be able to support himself/herself and tell parents where they are living.
Supporting yourself doesn't exactly mean bringing in an income its maintaining grades , getting to school and not doing what typical teens do and use it as an excuse just to do what you want and I can legally support myself

Oh, well, that's good to know. I'll let the power company know that when they ask me to pay the bill.

 

[cbg]

Oh, honey, when you get the teenaged know it all arrogance knocked out of you it's going to be one really hard fall, isn't it? You really don't have a clue.

 

[stealth2]

Why are you even asking if you know all the answers?

And while the cops may not drag you home? Your parents can - and should - file against the people putting you up for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

And.... before you apply to college (let alone med school) - please learn how to write.

 

[quincy]

Yes I believe when the time comes I will be able to handle the pressure. Being a teen now and studying with all of my siblings running around is difficult but you cant compare a teen studying to a full grown professional adult handling the pressures of being a doctor. And yes for now , me being a teen working towards a career in medicine , I do need an appropriate area so I can study and be the best doctor I can.
As for the move out question , I searched
At what age can you legally move out in Texas?
The answer was
Typically eighteen years old, unless married, in the military, or by court order. Answers The age of majority is 18. However, at 17 the only thing the cops can make you do is contact your parents or guardians and tell them that your ok and where your at. They will not force a 17-year-old back home.

YesImGrown, why aren't you in school? Am I unaware of an October 24 holiday?

 

[Zigner]

YesImGrown, why aren't you (and the rest of the juveniles posting today) in school? Am I unaware of an October 24 holiday?

Shush now - she knows what she's doing. Don't bother the grown up child.

 

[Proserpina]

What are you people THINKING?!

How dare you provide the actual laws!

The very thought!

 

[TinkerBelleLuvr]

Maybe the police, at first, won't drag your behind back home, but your parents have the right to file, IN COURT, to have to considered incorrigible and to have your rear end hauled to J.A.I.L. Option two will involve the police. You can have all the time in the world to study in your jail cell. And yes, this is a legal option.

 

[single317dad]

OK here is what i know after a lot of research and you can tell a cop this. A letter from the attorney general says the definition of a few things. 1. It is stated that the definition of a child is "person over the age of 10 but under the age of 17". according to that definition a 17 year old is not a child. The definition of a runaway according to the attorney general is "a child who has left home voluntarily without parental consent with no intent to return. once again a 17 year old can not be a runaway if you have to be a child to be considered a runaway. second a missing child report wont work either. once again its for a child. A missing persons report is geared toward adults and doesn't require any action by the police to bring you home if you are located and reasonably safe.

You copied that from Yahoo Answers. The fact that you believe anything you read on that site is evidence that you are not ready to move out into the world.

EDIT: Found a few things out there in the interwebs.

https://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/opinions/50abbott/op/2003/htm/ga0125.htm

The age of the child is significant because a seventeen-year-old who voluntarily leaves home without parental consent and without intending to return may not be taken into custody under the Juvenile Justice Code, Family Code title III. An unemancipated (2) seventeen-year-old is not a "child" within the Juvenile Justice Code. See Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 51.02(2)(A)-(B) (Vernon 2004) (defining "child" as a person ten years of age or older and under 17, or a person between 17 and 18 who engaged in or is alleged to have engaged in certain conduct before becoming 17). A child under 17 who is voluntarily absent from home without the consent of his or her parent or guardian "for a substantial length of time or without intent to return" has engaged in "conduct indicating a need for supervision," id. § 51.03(b), and may be taken into custody by a law enforcement officer. See id. § 52.01(a)(3). In contrast, a seventeen-year-old who engages in the same conduct may not be taken into custody pursuant to the Juvenile Justice Code. See Tex. Att'y Gen. Op. No. JC-0229 (2000) at 4-5.

SUMMARY
While a child under 17 who is voluntarily absent from home without the consent of his or her parent or guardian "for a substantial length of time or without intent to return" may be taken into custody by a law enforcement officer pursuant to Family Code provisions, a seventeen-year-old who engages in the same conduct may not be.

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/FA/3/51/51.02

(2) "Child" means a person who is:
(A) ten years of age or older and under 17 years of age; or
(B) seventeen years of age or older and under 18 years of age who is alleged or found to have engaged in delinquent conduct or conduct indicating a need for supervision as a result of acts committed before becoming 17 years of age.
- See more at: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/FA/3/51/51.02#sthash.RdPRMAKn.dpuf

OP, while what you're saying may have some merit on the face, you need to be able to read and understand all of a law, not just the parts someone copied into a Yahoo answer, to be able to use that law as an argument. The whole of the issue is much more complex than the snippets people use to prove or disprove their points.

 

[CavemanLawyer]

There is alot of misinformation in this thread but it isn't surprising because Texas' statutes on this issue aren't exactly in harmony. Child and adult have different definitions depending on what statute you are using.

As others have said the general age of majority is 18. The age that you are an adult for purposes of criminal responsibility is 17. These are two completely different things.

So no you cannot legally move out at 17. Once you are 17 you are no longer a juvenile however so you cannot be taken into custody for CHINS (Child in need of supervision, what is used for a runaway child.) But contrary to what has been posted you absolutely are still considered a runaway at age 17. This means that if you are staying with any other adult THEY can be charged with harboring a runaway. It is true that a police officer cannot just take you into custody at age 17 for being a runaway, but guess what? CPS will be called out and look into your safety considering that your parents are unable to control you and your living conditions. If CPS initiates emergency proceedings at that point yes you can be taken into state custody.

If you really want to leave home then you can apply for emancipation or convince your parents to consent. But since you have your entire life ahead of you one more year shouldn't kill you.

 

[Ladyback1]

I
Also do you know what kind of texas benifits I might be able to apply for at 17??? I get ssi benefits but i contacted the social security administration and they told me when i leave i have to leave my benifits there and that my mom would continue to receive them. What benefits can i recieve????

Ya know why you don't get the SSI benefits directly in your hot little hands? BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT OF LEGAL AGE!
Mom is your payee because you are not of legal age.

Yes I believe when the time comes I will be able to handle the pressure. Being a teen now and studying with all of my siblings running around is difficult but you cant compare a teen studying to a full grown professional adult handling the pressures of being a doctor. And yes for now , me being a teen working towards a career in medicine , I do need an appropriate area so I can study and be the best doctor I can.

Just wait until you are in college trying to study and there's a party in your dorm! Then you'll understand chaos...
Just wait until your first round of clinicals in a major hospital's ER....then you know chaos, stress and pressure (make no mistake, you will be required to rotate through the ER)

Hun, you have all the answers yourself. Why are you wasting time with us, mere adults (and most of us parents), who have been there, done that, got the Tshirt and could lead guided tours!
Really, get over yourself. And grow up!
Supporting yourself means you can pay your bills, you can buy your own food, you can provide your own transportation....going to school and getting good grades DOES NOT equate to being able to support yourself.