The age of majority in Michigan is 18. The state’s Age of Majority Act, MCL 722.52, declares that anyone at least 18 “is an adult of legal age for all purposes whatsoever” and carries “the same duties, liabilities, responsibilities, rights, and legal capacity” that once attached at 21.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.52 – Adult of Legal Age That one sentence reshapes contracts, voting, criminal exposure, medical decisions, and a parent’s access to information about their own child. A handful of activities still require 21, and a few parental duties do not automatically end on the 18th birthday.
Rights and Responsibilities That Begin at 18
You can sign a binding contract on your own. Leases, car loans, cell phone agreements, and credit cards become enforceable against you the moment you sign. Before 18, most contracts involving a minor are voidable at the minor’s option. After 18, you are bound by what you agreed to, and not understanding the paperwork is not a defense.
You can vote. Michigan allows pre-registration at 16, but you cannot cast a ballot until you are 18 by Election Day.2State of Michigan. First-Time Voters You also become eligible for jury duty. MCL 600.1307a requires jurors to be U.S. citizens, at least 18, residents of the county where they are summoned, able to communicate in English, and free of felony convictions.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.1307a – Qualifications of Juror
You can marry. Governor Whitmer signed legislation in 2023 raising Michigan’s minimum marriage age to 18 with no exceptions, ending the prior system that allowed younger teens to marry with parental or judicial consent.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 551.103 – Marriage
On the other side of the ledger, an 18-year-old faces adult criminal prosecution. Michigan’s juvenile court jurisdiction ends at 18, so any offense committed after your 18th birthday goes directly to adult court with adult penalties.5Interstate Commission for Juveniles. Age Matrix Male citizens and most male immigrants living in the United States must register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of turning 18, and remain registrants through age 25.6Selective Service System. Who Needs to Register
What Still Requires 21 in Michigan
Turning 18 does not unlock everything. Several things surprise people who assume adulthood is a single switch.
- Alcohol. Michigan prohibits selling or furnishing alcoholic liquor to anyone under 21.7Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Under 21 Penalty Required Sign
- Tobacco and vaping products. Michigan raised its purchase age from 18 to 21 in July 2022, aligning with the federal Tobacco 21 law signed in December 2019.8Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Keeping Tobacco Away from Youth
- Handguns from a licensed dealer. Federal law bars federally licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21. Michigan allows a handgun purchase license at 18 for private sales, but buying from a dealer requires 21. A concealed carry permit also requires you to be at least 21.9Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers
- Commercial casinos. Michigan sets 18 as the minimum for the state lottery, charity casino events, and pari-mutuel wagering. Detroit’s three commercial casinos and most tribal casinos require patrons to be 21.
What Parents Lose Access To
The change that catches families off guard is not a right the 18-year-old gains but a right the parent quietly loses. Two federal privacy regimes flip on the 18th birthday.
School Records Under FERPA
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, an “eligible student” is anyone who has turned 18 or is attending a postsecondary institution at any age.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 20 USC 1232g – Family Educational Rights and Privacy From that point, the consent and access rights that belonged to the parents belong only to the student. Parents typically discover this when a college registrar or bursar refuses to discuss grades, discipline, or aid.
One exception matters: a school may share records with a parent, without the student’s consent, if the parent claims the student as a dependent for federal tax purposes.11Protecting Student Privacy. Eligible Student Otherwise, the school needs the student’s signed, written consent specifying which records can be disclosed and to whom.12Protecting Student Privacy. What Must a Consent to Disclose Education Records Contain
Medical Information and Decisions
At 18, you gain full authority to consent to or refuse medical care, including mental health treatment. Parents no longer have an automatic right to speak to your doctors, see your records, or make decisions for you.
HIPAA governs disclosures of individually identifiable health information.13U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Individuals’ Right Under HIPAA to Access Their Health Information Providers can share information with other providers for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations without your signed consent.14Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. HIPAA Basics for Providers What HIPAA restricts is disclosure to people outside those categories, and that includes parents. A hospital cannot tell your mother your diagnosis or let your father authorize surgery on the strength of the family relationship alone.
Two documents solve this before an emergency forces the question. A patient advocate designation (Michigan’s version of a healthcare power of attorney) lets a person you name make medical decisions if you cannot. A separate HIPAA authorization gives providers permission to share your information with named people. Without either, a family facing a crisis may have to petition a court for guardianship, which takes time and money at the worst possible moment.
What Does Not Automatically End at 18
Child Support
Support does not always stop on the 18th birthday. A Michigan court can require support to continue past 18 when all of the following are true: the child regularly attends high school full time, has a reasonable expectation of graduating, lives full time with the custodial parent or in an institution, and has not yet turned 19 and a half.15Michigan Supreme Court. SCAO Administrative Memorandum 2012-07 MCL 722.52 itself preserves courts’ authority to order support for someone 18 or older under family law statutes including the child custody act and the paternity act.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.52 – Adult of Legal Age Read your specific order before assuming the obligation has ended.
Tax Dependency
Turning 18 does not, by itself, end your parents’ ability to claim you as a dependent. The IRS treats a child as a “qualifying child” if the child is under 19 at year-end, or under 24 if enrolled as a full-time student, lives with the parent more than half the year, and does not provide more than half of their own support.16Internal Revenue Service. Dependents Dependency status also opens the FERPA door described above, so a family that wants full privacy over the student’s records needs to coordinate on whether claiming still makes sense.
School Attendance
Michigan requires attendance from age 6 until the 18th birthday. A student who is at least 16 may stop attending only if a parent or legal guardian gives the district written notice.17Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 380.1561 – Compulsory School Attendance Without that written permission, a 16- or 17-year-old is still legally required to be in school.
Becoming a Legal Adult Before 18
Michigan allows a minor to become an adult early through emancipation. Under MCL 722.4, a minor can petition the family division of circuit court, or emancipation can happen by operation of law, such as when a minor enters the military. (The marriage route is effectively closed now that Michigan requires marriage applicants to be 18.)
An emancipated minor can sign enforceable contracts and leases, sue and be sued, keep their earnings, establish their own residence, consent to their own medical care, and apply for a driver’s license.18Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.4e – Rights and Responsibilities of Emancipated Minor Emancipation does not override age-based restrictions on alcohol, tobacco, or voting. Filing fees vary by county and generally fall in the range of a few hundred dollars.