I am planning on running away or being emancipated

[Unregistered]

i am planning on running away. but it's a last resource for me. i want to be emancipated. what are good reasons to be emancipated? and how can i prove them? i am 14 living in california. and if i become emancipated can i move in with an adult. she is a friend of mine. or do i have to support my own living if i become emancipated? please answer. thank you.

[ccsmod3]

Re: I am planning on running away or being emancipated

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you are considering leaving and are strongly considering emancipation as an option. We aren’t legal experts, but we do have access to some basic information. We can’t say for certain if you’d be able to get emancipated or not and if we know what part of CA you are in, we might be able to provide some more specific resources. Also, we are not sure if you’d be able to move in with your friend who is over 18, that would probably be for the judge to decide.

To our knowledge, in the state of California, there are three ways to become emancipated.
1) get married
2) join the military
3) go to court and have the judge declare you emancipated.
For a judge to declare a minor emancipated, the minor….
o Must be at least fourteen years old.
o Must be living apart from parents with their consent or acquiescence.
o Must be managing finances and have a legal source of income.
o The judge must find that emancipation is in best interest.
o The judge also wants to see that minor is in school or has a GED.

http://www.lsc-sf.org/problems/emancipation.html

We’d be happy to continue talking to you about your situation. You are welcome to contact us directly either by calling us 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through our Live Chat (red button on www.1800runaway.org) from 4:30 to 11:30pm CST. Best of luck to you!