Can I move out at 17 without parent consent in Michigan?

[Unregistered]

???

Hi I'm 17 and I will be 18 in 4 months and my friend said I can move in with them and I'm thinking on doing it life at home is too hecktic but im worried about getting forced to go home she has a room just for me and they are willing to help Me get a job will they make me go home bcuz I'm 17 still???

[ccsmod15]

Re: ???

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline and sharing your situation. You’re very brave for contacting us. We want to help you as best you can. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we are completely confidential and anonymous.
We are not legal experts here at the National Runaway Safeline. Laws are different state by state and each situation is handled differently by the police. Depending upon your state you may still be considered a minor and your parents may have the right to file a runaway report if you leave without them knowing. Your friend could also be charged with harboring a minor for letting you stay with them after you runaway, but again it depends on a case by case basis.
The best way to see what would happen in your situation would be to call your local police office (the non-emergency number) and ask them what would happen if you decided to stay with your friend. You can find your local police station by searching the internet with the name of your town followed by “police station.” If you are worried about them seeing your phone number you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we can help you call them or you can call using a blocked number from your own phone.
If this option doesn’t work or you want to explore further options feel free to reach out to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-786-2929. Again we are glad you reached out to us and we wish you the best of luck.
~NRS

[Ashley1290]

If I have a warrant will they pick me up

If I'm 17 and I have warrants will they come find me

[ccsmod10]

RE: If I have a warrant will they pick me up

Hello There!

Thanks for utilizing our online forum. It sounds like you may find yourself in a difficult situation right now. We should mention that we are not legal experts here, but generally having a warrant for your arrest can be very serious. It can mean police are trying to locate you and be taken in when found. How they locate can vary. It can be a probation officer or anyone else that knows about the warrant can call police or any general run in authorities that can run your name.
Again we are not legal experts, but if you wanted to talk more about what you are going through or how to keep safe if you have runaway or are thinking of doing so, please call us or live chat with us. We can always try to locate some legal resources or shelters or find any other way to best support you.

Stay Safe,
NRS

[Unregistered]

School issue's

Hi I am 14 and I am having trouble with school I am not doing good in it I have always had trouble and I live with my mom and she is always on me and me only on school not my brother or my sister and I have thought about moving out and going to live with my brother and him having custody over me but I found out I have to be 17 to move out and if I do I don't get in trouble I am not sure if I will. Will I?

[ccsmod3]

Re: School issue's

Hello there,

Thanks so much for sharing your situation on our forum. We’re sorry to hear you are having trouble in school and with your mom. It sounds like you’ve thought about living with your brother and through your research discovered you have to be 17. We are not legal experts here; however, we can look up legal aid if we know your exact city. We’re also available to just talk more about your situation. We encourage you to reach out directly through our Live Chat. Good luck!

[Unregistered]

Can I move out? I am 17

I've been treated like nothing almost my whole life, as long as I can remember. I can't do it anymore. I have a job I feel good grades, I'm doing good things in my life. My mom is always finding things to freak out on me about to make my life miserable. She is never happy with me and everything is always my fault, I can not do it anymore. She doesn't help me with anything I pay for everything on my own already. I have places I could go. I just want to know if I can leave at 17, and what would happen if I did.

[ccsmod7]

Re: Can I move out? I am 17

Hello there,

Thanks for reaching out today. We are sorry to hear that you have been treated so poorly at home. You deserve to be loved and supported by your mom, rather than being made miserable.

So typically the majority age is 18, and that is the age where you can leave home without parental permission. However, majority ages change from state to state, so you might google your state’s majority age to make sure. If you left home at 17 without parental permission, you mom has the right to file a runaway report for you with the police. If the police take a runaway report for you, you would be entered into a national database as a runaway and if police find you they would typically return you home. Running away is usually considered a status offense because of your age, rather than being illegal. So it is not something that would stay on your permanent record.

You mentioned that you have a job, good grades, and are doing good things in your life. We are glad to hear it, you really sound like a great kid. Since it sounds like you support yourself, you might qualify for emancipation. Emancipation laws vary state by state and some states do not even have it. But you might look into emancipation in your state to see if you would qualify. The first step is to contact a lawyer or legal aid group. If you call or chat us, we can look into emancipation in your state and look for legal aid resources for you.

Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you want to talk about your situation or if you are in need of shelter or legal aid resources.

We wish you the best,

NRS

[Guest]

I am 16 years old in my mom in dad are not together in my mom said to move out can i in Oklahoma

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like you’re facing a tough situation
We are not legal experts, but, speaking generally, here are a couple of factors to consider. If a guardian approves, a youth can live elsewhere. The guardian would then be saying, yes, I know where they are and I approve it.

Also, if both your mom and your dad have guardianship, it’s possible that your dad can approve of where you stay next.

If this is a question of you running away, without telling any of your guardians where you’re going, know that it’s never illegal to run away. The police’s job is to return you to your guardian if they find you.

Finally, remember that your safety is the most important. If you’re traveling by yourself, consider having someone to contact if you get in a difficult situation. Also, consider if you have anyone you can reach out to in the new place where you going, who can provide support if you need it.


-NRS

[Guest]

My girlfriend has a bad home life- drugs, abuse, alcohol. She refuses to go to the police. Her brother was drunk driving on more than one occasion with her and my parents know. They offered to let her stay with us and she has for a few days but she's worried she'll have to go back home because she's seventeen. She'll be eighteen in September. Can she be reported as a runaway? Could I tell the police about the abuse and other problems and she could stay with us? I need to help her.

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out to NRS for help! It sounds like your girlfriend is going through really tough time, but it’s awesome that she has you for support.

You mentioned that she’s living in a home where there’s drugs and alcohol abuse, which is definitely an unsafe environment. She can definitely report the unsafe home to the child protective services, the National Child Abuse Hotline is (800) 422-4453 and the website is childhelp.org there they can talk with her about having her custody transferred or other options that NRS aren’t aware of.

You also mentioned letting her stay with you, which is very noble and caring. We’re not legal experts at NRS, however we do know a bit about runaway laws. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth. So your parents could have to face legal charges if that’s what the police or her parents decide.

The best way to see what would happen in your situation would be to call your local police office (the non-emergency number) and ask them what would happen if you decided to stay with your friend. You can find your local police station by searching the internet with the name of your town followed by “police station.” If you are worried about them seeing your phone number you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we can help you call them or you can call using a blocked number from your own phone.

[Guest]

im 17 and turn 18 on october 2nd, can i legally leave my house without getting filed as a runaway?

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you want to know if you can move out of your home before 18. We understand that you are really close to being 18 and that must be making things harder for you. While we are not legal experts but generally speaking a person is not considered an adult until they are 18. This means that their guardians are legally responsible for them. So the parent is required by law to provide for the youth (food, shelter, school, etc.) If they fail to do so then they can face legal consequences. This also means that the youth cannot live anywhere else without parents’ consent. There are exceptions to this rule but those include getting the court involved such as emancipation or Child Protective Services removing the parent’s rights.
We hope you found this information helpful. If you feel like there is anything that we can to help please do not hesitate to give us a call anytime 1-800-786-2929.
Best,
NRS

[Guest]

My granddaughter moved out at 17 in Missouri because they say it's the law. Mind you she was not abused in any way but her mom would not let her smoke living at home. My daughter is a single mother of 5 and moved to Missouri 1 1/2 years ago. Now granddaughter is not going to school like she promised but does work at Sonic. Mind you here in Nevada where she was born could not start Kindergarten until she was almost 6. She has one more year until she graduates; she turns 18 in October. She wants to just get her GED would you consider this a wise decision. She is very smart and it's beyond me to understand why she would choose this path.

[ccsmod10]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us for support. We unfortunately cannot give advice as we are non-directive. You know the situation best. It seems like you want to look out for your granddaughter in the best way that you can and that is very admirable. It must be frustrating to want the best for her and to feel like she isn’t doing that. It seems like you are already helping her by trying to reach out for help, but is there anything you are doing for self-care to get through what seems like a very trying time? Again, thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it is very thoughtful of you to try to figure out a way to help your daughter and look out for your granddaughter. You could also try to reach out to Team HOPE (866) 305-4673, which is a number run by parents who have dealt with similar issues to what you’re going through. We are a youth based organization while they are parent-based so they may be able to help you in ways that we could not.

Be well, NRS

[Guest]

Hi I'm 17 right now but I'm turning 18 in 6 days would I be able to leave my house without my parents permission and not get in trouble I'm stuck in a apartment with my dad and he can be abusive at times and I'm sick and tired of it and want to leave I don't care about trying to get him in trouble with the police I just want to get out of here as fast as possible but I won't have anywhere to go either so I'd be forced to walk back to my hometown which is a town in Illinois called Algonquin and I'd be walking from holt Michigan I know it's a far walk and it's about 430 miles away but I just moved here I don't know anyone and it's the only choice I got really

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thanks for being so brave and reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. We will do whatever we can to provide you a few resources in addition to providing non-judgmental support. It definitely sounds like things are stressful but it is great that you are currently in a safe place.
Although we do not provide legal advice, it is our understanding that a minor running away is not a crime but simply a status offense. In other words, if the police find out where you are located then they will attempt to return you back home. That being said, the most important thing to consider is your safety. If you do not feel comfortable staying at home due to the abuse that you described, you might consider contacting Child Help (National Child Abuse Hotline) to file an abuse report. Child Help will assign a case worker to investigate the abuse. They can be reached at 800/422-4453. We would be more than happy to make that call with you on the line if you think you need us to provide some additional support. We can be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY. If you are in immediate danger you can always call 911, especially if your well-being is in jeopardy. Another idea to think about is if you have a legal guardian or parent in Illinois there is a chance we can help you with a free bus ticket through our Home Free program. Although we would need to talk to you on the phone to see if you qualify, it might be worth exploring further. Home Free is a family reunification program through Greyhound and the National Runaway Safeline.
Alternatively we can try to help you find safe places that you can go. If you would like we have a database with resources and we can look into shelter options in your area, whatever you feel most comfortable with we will do.
We are here if you would like to reach out to us by phone. You should be commended for taking the initiative to reach out for help. It sounds like you are a responsible youth who just wants to do the right thing. You can always call us 1-80-786-2929. Keep your head up and let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Good luck!
NRS

[Guest]

I'm 16 turning 17 in January n my friends mom said it was okay for me to move in with her she has talked to her parents and they approve but my parents won't let me! I've done some pretty bad things at home in because of it they treat me like I'm 2 an I'm fed up with it..i know how to take care of my self I can get a job..i just wanna know if it possible to move out at 16?

[ccsmod7]

Hey, thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are looking to move out of your house, and you are fed up with how things are going at home. That makes sense, and it is normal for people to start to feel a sense of independence as they get older.

While we are not legal experts here, what we can say is most states have a thing called an “age of majority.” What that means is when you reach that age you are legally considered an adult. In most states, the age of majority is 18, but that can vary by state. Since you live in Michigan, you could try calling a legal aid hotline and asking what some of your rights are at your current age, and when you turn 17 or 18. You could also try contacting the non-emergency number for your local police and asking them as well. If you needed help finding these numbers, you can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Also, in most states if you are not an adult, you usually need your parents’ permission to go live with somebody else.

It sounds like things are challenging at home right now, but you are definitely not alone. It sounds like you have some supportive friends, and you can always give us a call or go on our website and check out our online chat. Good luck!

[Guest]

Hi I'll be 17 next month and I was wondering if I could move from my father to my mother's without any legal punishments, they have joint custody over me but I can't stand him nor his new wife and stepson

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS! It sounds like home life is getting pretty tough living at your dad’s house, with your step-mom and her son. So, were not legal experts, but you mentioned that your parents have joint custody. Being 16, you should be able to decide where you want to live. If your mom was working with a divorce lawyer when your parents separated, it may be useful to ask her to contact them again. They would be able to give you more concrete information on how to move to your moms. We also offer conference calling, so if you wanted to talk to your dad about living with your mom, we could help facilitate that conversation.

You are more than welcome to call into our 24/7 safeline where you can explain a bit more about the situation, there may be other options! We also have an online chatting service, via our website. Our number is (800) 786-2929!

Hope to hear from you soon, NFS