In most states across the US, minors gain full legal rights once they reach 18 years old, which is known as the “age of majority”. However, some states have a higher age of majority, which continues to restrict the legal rights of young people who would be considered full adults anywhere else in the country. In these states, 18 year olds—and in Mississippi, even 19 and 20 year olds—can be expected to work, vote, rent housing, sign contracts, pay taxes, and take on other adult responsibilities while still being denied full independence in areas such as parental control, custody, marriage, medical decision-making, property management, court rights, or financial autonomy. These laws can create serious barriers for young people trying to leave controlling households and oppressive parents, protect their own money and property, or make important personal decisions without parental interference. High age of majority laws create a system of partial adulthood in which young people can be burdened with adult responsibilities while still being denied some of the legal autonomy and protections normally associated with adulthood.
Young people should have the full legal rights of adulthood at 18 years old, consistently across the country, instead of their legal rights being denied to them just because they happened to be born in one of three states that use a higher age of majority. In the following webpage, the National Youth Rights Association explains each state with a higher age of majority, and the legal rights of young people in those states.
Table of Contents
- What is the Age of Majority
- Which States have an Age of Majority Higher than 18 years old
- 18 Year old’s Rights in Alabama
- 18 Year old’s Rights in Nebraska
- Under 21 year old’s Rights in Mississippi
The National Youth Rights Association
If you’re interested in Youth Rights, consider volunteering with us. We are always looking for new members and would love to have you on board. If you have a personal story to share, how the high age-of-majority in your state negatively impacted your life, or about a general youth rights violation, consider sending us an email at nyra@youthrights.org. We’d love to help get your story out to the world.
What is the Age of Majority
The age of majority is the age at which a person is generally recognized by law as having reached full legal adulthood. Before reaching that age, a person is usually classified as a minor, which can limit their legal ability to make certain decisions independently and can give parents, guardians, or courts authority over parts of their life. Once the person reaches the age of majority, those age-based disabilities of minority generally end unless a particular law creates a different rule.
The age of majority is used as a legal dividing line across many areas of civil law. It can determine when a person may independently enter contracts, control property, bring lawsuits in their own name, choose where to live, make certain medical decisions, marry without parental involvement, serve in legal roles, or otherwise act without the consent of a parent or guardian. It can also determine when parental custody and support obligations ordinarily end and when a court no longer has authority over someone simply because they are a minor.
However, the age of majority does not control every legal right or responsibility. Legislatures often set different ages for specific activities, such as voting, driving, purchasing alcohol, serving on a jury, consenting to particular medical services, or being prosecuted through the adult criminal system. As a result, a person may gain some adult rights before reaching the general age of majority, while other rights may begin later.
In practical terms, the age of majority functions as the law’s default transition point from minority to adulthood. It establishes the general rule for when a person becomes legally independent, while individual statutes can create exceptions for particular rights, responsibilities, or protections.
Which States have an Age of Majority Higher than 18 years old
Only three U.S. states currently set their general age of majority above 18. Alabama sets the age of majority at 19 under Alabama Code § 26-1-1, meaning an unemancipated 18-year-old generally remains a minor unless another statute gives them a specific adult right. Nebraska likewise sets the general age of majority at 19 under Nebraska Revised Statute § 43-2101, although Nebraska separately grants 18-year-olds a number of rights involving contracts, property, mental health care, and other matters. Mississippi has the highest general age of majority, with Mississippi Code § 1-3-27 generally defining a minor as a person under 21, subject to numerous statutory exceptions that grant particular rights at 18. In all three states, the higher age of majority operates as a general legal rule rather than a requirement that every adult right be withheld until 19 or 21; individual laws can establish different ages for particular rights and responsibilities.
18 Year Old’s Rights in Alabama
In Alabama, the general age of majority is 19, so an ordinary unemancipated 18-year-old remains a minor for some purposes even though many important adult rights already begin at 18. Under Alabama Code § 26-1-1, 18-year-olds can generally enter binding contracts, including leases; they can also vote, marry without parental consent under Alabama Code § 30-1-9.1, make a will under Alabama Code § 43-8-130, and consent to their own medical, dental, and mental health care under Alabama Code § 22-8-4. They can own property, maintain financial accounts, work and earn money, and are generally treated as adults for newly committed criminal offenses rather than as juvenile offenders.
At the same time, 18-year-olds in Alabama do not yet have every right that comes with full majority. Parents can still retain legally meaningful custody and guardianship authority, and an 18-year-old can still fall within certain child-in-need-of-supervision or existing dependency proceedings. They remain below the age used for some jury-service rules, can still be affected by minor guardianship and property-management laws, and are not yet treated as full adults for every end-of-life medical or probate-related rule. Alabama law can also preserve parental support obligations until 19, and some parental disciplinary authority can remain relevant because the person is still legally a minor. The result is a one-year period of partial adulthood in which an 18-year-old has many core adult rights but is still subject to several family-law and civil-law restrictions that end at 19.
18 Year Old’s Rights in Nebraska
In Nebraska, the general age of majority is 19, so an ordinary 18-year-old remains a minor for some purposes even though Nebraska gives 18-year-olds several major adult rights. Under Nebraska Revised Statute § 43-2101, an 18-year-old who is not a ward of the state can generally enter binding contracts and leases, sign loan and security documents, and acquire or transfer real estate. Eighteen-year-olds can also vote, make a will under Nebraska Revised Statute § 30-2326, maintain and use bank accounts under Nebraska Revised Statute § 8-135, and independently consent to mental health services under § 43-2101. They are also generally outside Nebraska’s under-18 definition of a juvenile for newly initiated delinquency or status-offense proceedings under Nebraska Revised Statute § 43-245.
At the same time, Nebraska 18-year-olds do not yet have every right associated with full legal adulthood. Parents generally remain their natural guardians under Nebraska Revised Statute § 30-2608, parental consent can still be required for marriage under Nebraska Revised Statute § 42-105, and ordinary physical medical consent can still involve parental authority unless another exception applies. An 18-year-old can also remain subject to an existing juvenile or foster-care case until 19, generally cannot serve as a Nebraska juror, and may still need a guardian or next friend for some civil lawsuits. Nebraska therefore creates a one-year period of partial adulthood in which 18-year-olds have broad contractual, financial, property, and mental-health rights while some family-law and civil restrictions remain until 19.
Under 21 year old’s Rights in Mississippi
Mississippi has the highest general age of majority of any state, with Mississippi Code § 1-3-27 generally defining a minor as someone under 21. Despite that, many important adult rights begin at 18. Under Mississippi Code § 93-19-13, an 18-year-old can enter many binding contracts involving personal property, real estate, mortgages, residential leases, utilities, and investments. Eighteen-year-olds can also vote, make a will under Mississippi Code § 91-5-1, serve as executor or administrator of an estate under Mississippi Code § 91-7-37, and make covered health-care decisions as an adult under Mississippi Code § 41-41-203. They can also own property and maintain qualifying bank accounts in their own names.
However, an unemancipated 18-, 19-, or 20-year-old in Mississippi can still remain subject to significant legal restrictions. Parents remain natural guardians and retain statutory authority concerning custody, the minor’s estate, and the minor’s services and earnings under Mississippi Code § 93-13-1. Child-support obligations can continue until emancipation or age 21 under Mississippi Code § 93-11-65, parental or guardian consent is ordinarily required for marriage before 21 under Mississippi Code § 93-1-5, and jury service does not begin until 21. Mississippi therefore creates a much longer period of partial adulthood, lasting from 18 through 20, in which a person may have extensive contractual, property, medical, voting, and estate rights while still remaining a minor for important family-law, support, guardianship, marriage, and jury-service rules.
