Can I leave my home at 16 without my parents' consent?

[ccsmod7]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out today.

If you are under 18, and you leave home without your guardian's consent they can file you as a runaway with local police. If you are over 18, you are considered an adult in most states and can leave home without permission.

We hope this information is helpful. Please call or chat us if you would like to talk through your situation or need any support: 1-800-RUNAWAY, www.1800runaway.org.

Best,

NRS

Can I leave my dads without my dads conset

[ccsmod7]

Hi there, thanks for reaching out, sounds like you are in a difficult situation. Here at NRS, we truly want to inform you and support you during this difficult time.

Generally speaking, you can be considered a runaway anytime you leave home without permission and your mom reports it to local police. If you are only going to be gone for a small amount of time, your mom can call police back and let them know that you have returned if she does file you as a runaway quickly. Running away in California is generally a status offense, meaning it is not illegal, rather it is something you cannot do because of your age and if you are found you could be returned home.

If you need a safe place to go please call or chat us: 1-800-RUNAWAY or www.1800runaway.org. We can look for runaway and homeless youth shelters and outreach resources in your area.

Please know we are always here for you, don't hesitate to call or chat if you need resources or support.

Best,

NRS

Hi i am from CA and i am turning 16 in December. It is really hard living with my mom. I feel like she is mentally and verbally abusive toward me. She has a strong desire to have control over me and tries to interfere with everything, My question here is that can i just leave home without her permission for a while? I don't mean running away, since I don't have a good place to go. I mean like going somewhere like a park or downtown or somewhere for a couple hours. Btw i moved into the US about 4 years ago and have literally no other family members here besides my parents and my younger brother(my mom always threatens to send me back to china, so do i have a say in where i want to stay?). And in the future if i want to run away or smth, where is a good place for me to go? But for right now, i just need more control over myself. So if I just step on my bike and leave home for a short period of time(like a couple hours maybe) without permission from my mom, will that get me into any trouble? And if I take my phone with me which i think is technically her property, what will happen then? Thanks a lot

[ccsmod3]

Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out, sounds like you are in a difficult situation as one parent seems more supportive than the other. We aren’t legal experts, therefore, it may be worth reaching out to your local non-emergency police department directly and asking if you would need one or both parent’s consent. It can be helpful to have one, but that still leaves available that one parent can file a runaway report. If you want to talk further more about your situation or want us to look for resources in your area, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY or access our live chat through our website 1800RUNAWAY.org.
Best of luck,
NRS