California Family Code Section 6906 gives a qualifying minor the power to consent to their own medical and dental care, and makes that consent legally equivalent to an adult’s. Whether a particular minor qualifies depends on which path they fit under: a general-care path that requires age, independent living, and financial self-management, or a set of service-specific paths covering pregnancy, mental health, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual assault that apply regardless of where the minor lives or who pays the bills.
The practical result is simple. A healthcare provider who obtains valid consent from a qualifying minor can treat that minor the same way they would treat an adult. No parent signature. No obligation to track down a parent before proceeding. A separate provision, Section 6920, reinforces the point by stating directly that parental consent is not required for services covered by this chapter.
The Independent Minor Test
Section 6922 is the main route for a minor who wants to consent to general medical, dental, or vision care. All three conditions must be met:
- The minor is at least 15 years old.
- The minor is living apart from their parents or guardian. It does not matter whether the parent agreed to the arrangement or how long the separation has lasted.
- The minor is managing their own finances. The source of the money does not matter, but the minor has to be handling it rather than relying on a parent to manage it for them.
A minor who meets all three can walk into a doctor’s office, a dentist, or an optometrist and authorize treatment on their own.1California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 6922
One consequence that surprises families: when a minor consents under Section 6922, the parents are not financially responsible for the care. The statute shields parents from liability for medical, dental, or vision bills resulting from treatment their child authorized independently. The minor takes on the payment obligation, and the provider cannot bill the parents.
Emancipated Minors Have Broader Rights
A legally emancipated minor has wider consent authority than one who simply meets the 6922 criteria. Emancipation treats the minor as an adult for most legal purposes, which includes consenting to medical, dental, and psychiatric care without parental knowledge or involvement.2California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 7050
Under Section 7002, a minor is emancipated if any one of these applies:
- The minor has entered a valid marriage or domestic partnership, even if it has since been dissolved.
- The minor is on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.
- A court has granted a declaration of emancipation under Section 7122.
The distinction from Section 6922 matters in two places. An emancipated minor can consent to psychiatric care, which 6922 does not cover. And an emancipated minor does not have to prove separate residence or financial independence; the emancipation itself is enough.3California Legislative Information. California Family Code 7002
Services Any Minor Can Consent To
California carves out several categories of sensitive care where a minor can consent on their own, regardless of living situation or financial independence. The legislature built these exceptions because requiring parental involvement would deter minors from seeking care where delay causes real harm.
Pregnancy-Related Care
A minor of any age may consent to medical care related to preventing or treating pregnancy. The one hard limit: sterilization still requires parental consent.4California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 6925
Outpatient Mental Health
A minor who is 12 or older may consent to outpatient mental health counseling or residential shelter services if the treating professional believes the minor is mature enough to participate meaningfully. Assembly Bill 665 removed an earlier requirement that the minor also be in danger of serious harm or an alleged victim of abuse, so the maturity determination now stands alone as the clinical threshold.5California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6924 Parents are not liable for payment for outpatient mental health services their child authorizes under this section.
Substance Abuse Treatment
A minor who is 12 or older may consent to medical care and counseling for a drug or alcohol problem.6California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6929 The confidentiality rules here are narrower than in other categories. The treatment plan must include parental involvement when the provider considers it appropriate, and the provider must document any attempt to reach the parent or the reason contact would be inappropriate. If a parent brought the minor in for the treatment, the provider must disclose medical information about that care to the parent on request, even over the minor’s objection.
Sexually Transmitted and Reportable Diseases
A minor who is 12 or older may consent to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and the same age applies to any infectious or communicable disease reportable to the local health officer.7California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 6926 The prevention piece matters. A minor does not need to already have a condition to seek care; testing, vaccines, and preventive treatment all fall within what a 12-year-old can authorize.
Rape and Sexual Assault
California splits these two categories. Under Section 6927, a minor who is 12 or older and alleged to have been raped may consent to diagnosis, treatment, and evidence collection related to the alleged rape.8California.Public.Law. Family Code Section 6927
Section 6928 covers sexual assault more broadly and sets no minimum age. Any minor alleged to have been sexually assaulted may consent to medical care for diagnosis, treatment, and evidence collection. The provider must attempt to contact the minor’s parent or guardian and document those attempts, unless the provider reasonably believes the parent or guardian committed the assault.9California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6928
When Providers Still Have to Contact Parents
Minor consent is not a blanket guarantee of confidentiality. Several of the statutes above require providers to make good-faith efforts to reach a parent.
For outpatient mental health under Section 6924, the provider must involve the parent in the treatment unless, after consulting with the minor, the provider determines involvement would be inappropriate. The decision has to be documented either way.5California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6924
For substance abuse treatment under Section 6929, the same documentation obligation applies, and the treatment plan is expected to include parental involvement when the provider considers it appropriate.6California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6929
For sexual assault care under Section 6928, the provider must attempt parental contact and record those attempts, with the exception where the parent is the suspected perpetrator.9California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6928
Pregnancy-related care and STD treatment carry no comparable parental notification requirements, which gives minors the strongest confidentiality protections in those two categories.
Who Pays the Bill
When a minor consents to general care under Section 6922, parents are not responsible for the cost.1California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 6922 The same rule applies to outpatient mental health services under Section 6924. The logic follows the consent rule: if a parent had no say in authorizing the care, the parent has no obligation to pay for it.
For a self-supporting minor, that may be workable. For younger minors seeking counseling or substance abuse treatment, the money question becomes a real barrier to confidential care. A minor who is covered under a parent’s insurance plan may find that submitting a claim effectively notifies the parent through an explanation of benefits. Providers working with minors in these situations often look to Medi-Cal, community health centers, or sliding-scale programs to keep care both affordable and private.
What Providers Have to Verify
A provider’s main obligation under these statutes is to make a reasonable determination that the minor qualifies. For general care under Section 6922, that means confirming age, independent living, and financial self-management. For the service-specific exceptions, the test is usually the minor’s age and the nature of the condition. Providers typically record the determination in the medical chart.
The law protects providers who rely in good faith on what the minor tells them. If a 16-year-old says they live apart from their parents and handle their own money, and nothing obvious contradicts that, the provider is shielded from liability even if the claim later proves inaccurate. The alternative, requiring independent verification of every minor’s living situation, would create exactly the delay these statutes exist to prevent.