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Can i move out of my parents house?

Im 17 yrs old, and im tired of living with my parents. I have been stressing alot lately, and i dont want to be here anymore, and i want to move in with my boyfriend, he has been supporting me for half a year already.

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Attorney answers (1)

Reputation Level 11
You would have to emancipate yourself.

You can emancipate yourself. Legally in Texas, a child is under the control of his/her parents until eighteen, until there is automatic emancipation and the child is considered an adult. A child can technically leave the house, but the parents can have the child brought back by police, unless there is (sincere) accusations of neglect and/or sexual/verbal/ other abuse, in which case the child would likely be placed in foster care while the allegation is investigated. Caution - making false allegations of abuse is a crime in itself. Assuming no such abuse exists, if the child wishes to emancipate before turning eighteen to end the control of a parent, In Texas, the child can do so through Court by asking for emancipation. In Texas, emancipation is called Removal of Disabilities of a Minor. The governing law is Texas Family Code's Chapter 31. In short, the law requires that the child requesting Removal of Disabilities of a Minor by the court show: 1) that the minor is at least 16 years old, living separate from the parents, and, 2) the minor is self-supporting and managing his/her own affairs. The parents will have to be served (notified) of the petition and will have the right to challenge it such a petition. It is possible to do this yourself, but highly advisable to use an attorney. A typical attorney fee for such venture would be anywere from $1000 to $2500, or even higher, depending on the case.

I'd be happy to give you more pro bono advice and can draft the necessary petitions for you - you can actually file them yourself to save attorney fees. Filing fees of the Court can also be eliminated by a successful petition with a Pauper's Affidavit, present at time of filing or at first hearing (depending on the Court).

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