Legal Question in Juvenile Dependency in Washington

Re: Emancepation

Minor emancipation in Washington State is a process in civil court that permits individuals between the ages of 16 and 18 to petition the court for legal adult status. Once emaciated, parents will no longer have to support the minor. This means the minor must come up with money and pay for his or her personal needs like clothes, food, and rent. Emancipated minors can be sued in their own name; have the right to their own earnings; live in their own home; enter into binding contracts, and will be held to contracts they sign as an adult, including real estate contracts; and they can also give informed consent for all health care services. But emancipated cannot vote and are still considered minors for criminal law purposes. Minor emancipation is not always a good idea for every 17-year-old. The courts usually only grant an emancipation petition where it�s in the child�s best interest to do so.

Re: Emancipation

The following link should answer your questions: http://www.leg.wa.gov/RCW/index.cfm?fuseaction=chapterdigest&chapter=13.64.