The age of majority in Oregon is 18, set by ORS 109.510.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 109.510 – Age of Majority On your 18th birthday, the state treats you as a full adult. You can sign your own contracts, make your own medical decisions, vote, and be sued in your own name. You also take on the obligations that come with that status, including adult criminal liability and responsibility for every debt you sign for.
What You Can Do at 18
Turning 18 unlocks the legal capacities that previously required a parent or guardian to act for you:
- Sign leases, loans, credit applications, and any other binding agreement in your own name.
- Sue or be sued directly, without a guardian ad litem.
- Make your own healthcare decisions. Under federal HIPAA rules, your parents no longer have an automatic right to speak with your doctor or see your medical records, even if you remain on their insurance. A provider needs your written authorization before sharing anything with them.
- Create a legally valid will.
- Register and vote in local, state, and federal elections.
- Serve on state and federal juries.2United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
One common surprise: federal financial aid does not treat you as independent at 18. The FAFSA counts most students as dependents of their parents until age 24, no matter where you live or how you file taxes. The narrow exceptions include marriage, military service, and legal guardianship of your own dependent.
Responsibilities That Arrive the Same Day
Adult status is not selective. If you are charged with a crime after turning 18, you face adult court and adult correctional facilities. The juvenile system’s focus on rehabilitation largely drops away, and offenses that might have been handled with diversion at 17 are prosecuted under standard criminal penalties.
Financial accountability tightens the same way. Any debt you sign for is yours. Courts will not void a contract because the signer was young and inexperienced; the law presumes you understood what you agreed to.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 109.510 – Age of Majority
Selective Service Registration
Male U.S. citizens and male immigrants living in the United States must register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of turning 18, with the obligation running through age 25.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3802 – Registration Failing to register is a federal felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000, up to five years in prison, or both. Men who never register can also lose eligibility for federal student aid, most federal jobs, and federal job training programs.4Selective Service System. Benefits and Penalties Registration is scheduled to become automatic in late December 2026 using data the government already holds. Until that system is live, the responsibility to register still falls on you.
What 18 Doesn’t Unlock
Several age-restricted activities stay off-limits past 18, and these limits apply even if you have been legally emancipated:
- Alcohol. You must be 21 to purchase or possess alcoholic beverages in Oregon. A minor may possess alcohol in a private home when a parent or guardian is present and consents.5Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 471.430 – Purchase or Possession of Alcoholic Beverages by Person Under 21 Years of Age
- Recreational cannabis. The minimum age to buy, possess, or use is 21.6Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 475C – Cannabis Regulation
- Tobacco and vaping products. Oregon sets the minimum purchase age at 21.
- Handguns. Federal law bars licensed dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21. Oregon prohibits sales or transfers of any firearm to a person under 18, though parents and guardians may transfer rifles and shotguns to their minor children.7Oregon Public Law. ORS 166.470 – Limitations and Conditions for Sales of Firearms
- Credit cards. You can apply at 18, but federal rules require applicants under 21 to show independent income or assets sufficient to cover minimum payments. A card issuer cannot count a parent’s income you merely have access to.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation 1026.51 – Ability to Pay
Reaching Adult Status Before 18
Oregon recognizes two ways a minor can gain most adult legal rights early: court-ordered emancipation and marriage.
Emancipation
A minor who is at least 16 and lives within an Oregon juvenile court’s jurisdiction may apply in writing for emancipation.9Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 419B.552 – Application for Emancipation Judgment A judge weighs whether the parent consents, whether the minor is already living away from home and able to support themselves without parental help, and whether the minor is mature enough to manage their own affairs. The current filing fee is $281.10Oregon Judicial Department. Circuit Court Fee Schedule
An emancipated minor can sign contracts, establish a residence, file lawsuits, and make a will. The order also ends the parents’ legal duty to provide care and supervision, and it puts the minor into the adult criminal justice system. What emancipation does not do: lower the drinking age, change marriage license requirements, or override any other age-specific statute.9Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 419B.552 – Application for Emancipation Judgment
Marriage
ORS 109.520 treats anyone who is legally married as having reached the age of majority, regardless of actual age.11Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 109.520 – Majority of Married Persons Oregon’s wage and hour protections for minors under ORS 653.010 still apply to a married minor. Oregon currently allows 17-year-olds to marry with the consent of one parent or guardian.
Child Support Can Continue Past 18
Court-ordered child support ordinarily ends when a child turns 18. Oregon has a significant exception that families often miss. Under ORS 107.108, a court can order one or both parents to keep paying support for an unmarried child between 18 and 20 who qualifies as a “child attending school.”12Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 107.108 – Support or Maintenance for Child Attending School The child must be making satisfactory academic progress and carrying at least half of a full-time course load.
“School” is read broadly. It covers high schools, community colleges, four-year universities, vocational programs, GED programs, and home schooling.12Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 107.108 – Support or Maintenance for Child Attending School The Oregon Department of Justice’s Child Support Program can enforce these orders, and the student is treated as a party to the case, meaning the young adult can request a modification on their own.13Oregon Department of Justice. Support for Students Ages 18 – 21 Support ends when the child marries, is otherwise emancipated, or turns 21, whichever comes first.
Planning Ahead for Adults With Disabilities
The age of majority applies to everyone, regardless of cognitive or physical ability. The day your child turns 18, Oregon law presumes they can make their own medical, financial, and legal decisions. If a significant disability prevents them from managing those decisions safely, parental authority does not automatically continue.
Families in that situation typically need to petition the court for a guardianship (for personal decisions) or a conservatorship (for financial matters) before or around the child’s 18th birthday. Without a court order, you may be unable to access your adult child’s medical records, manage their finances, or direct their care. Starting several months before the birthday is the standard advice, because court proceedings take time and a gap in legal authority can create real problems.