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A 16-year-old in San Diego walks into the DMV for a provisional driver's license. At the same counter, she can hand in a voter registration form that will switch on by itself the day she turns 18. California marks growing up with a series of specific ages, most of them written into the Family Code, the Elections Code, and the Vehicle Code. This article lists the ones that come up most and where each one is written down.
Eighteen is the line, and 14 is where emancipation starts
California's Family Code says a minor is anyone under 18. At 18 you can sign contracts on your own, and under the Code of Civil Procedure you become eligible for jury duty, as long as you are a U.S. citizen and live in the county that summons you. To sit in the state Legislature you must be an elector (a person eligible to vote, so at least 18), a resident of your district for one year, and a citizen and California resident for three years.
Emancipation (a court order that ends most of a parent's legal control before 18) has a statute here. Under Family Code section 7120, a minor who is at least 14 may petition the superior court in the county where they live. The petition must show that the minor is living apart from their parents with the parents' consent or acquiescence, is managing their own money, and that the income does not come from anything illegal. The court asks for a declaration of income and expenses on Judicial Council form FL-150. A 15-year-old in Bakersfield who is working and living with an older sibling could qualify.
Preregister at 16, vote at 18
Elections Code section 2102 lets anyone who is at least 16 and otherwise eligible submit a voter registration affidavit. It sits on file and becomes effective on the date the person turns 18, as long as the address and other details are still current. The same section says a registration counts if the county elections official receives it by the 15th day before an election, and that the form can be submitted through the DMV. So the 16-year-old at the San Diego counter is doing two things at once.
The age of 18 itself was settled by a fight over federal power. In Oregon v. Mitchell (1970), the Supreme Court held that Congress could set 18 as the voting age for federal elections but could not force that age on state and local elections. The split answer lasted only months: the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, set 18 as the voting age for every election in the country.
Driving: 15 and a half, six months, then a year of limits
California's graduated licensing has three stages. Under Vehicle Code section 12509, the DMV may issue an instruction permit at 15 years and 6 months to a teen who has completed, or is enrolled in, approved driver education and training. With the permit you may drive only while practicing, with a licensed driver 25 or older in the car (a parent, guardian, or driving instructor may be younger). You must hold the permit for at least six months before applying for the next stage.
The provisional license, under section 12814.6, is the license the state issues from 16 until 18. For the first 12 months, the teen may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and may not carry passengers under 20 unless a parent, guardian, licensed driver 25 or older, or driving instructor is in the car. One line in that section is worth knowing on the road: an officer may not stop a car for the sole purpose of checking whether a provisional driver is breaking those restrictions.
Where to look these up
Every age in this article comes from a statute you can read yourself at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, the California Legislature's official code site. Search by code and section: Family Code 6500 for the age of majority, Family Code 7120 for emancipation, Elections Code 2102 for preregistration, Vehicle Code 12509 and 12814.6 for the permit and provisional license, and Code of Civil Procedure 203 for jury eligibility.
For doing the thing rather than reading about it: the DMV's website explains the permit tests and the provisional application, the California Secretary of State runs online voter registration and preregistration, and the superior court in your county has the emancipation forms and a self-help center that can explain them for free.
Tandaan ito
- In California you are a minor until 18; at 18 you can serve on a jury, and you can run for the Legislature once you are an elector with three years of state residency.
- Emancipation is a court petition open from age 14 to a minor living apart with parental consent and managing their own money (Family Code 7120).
- You can preregister to vote at 16 and it activates on your 18th birthday; Oregon v. Mitchell (1970) and the 26th Amendment fixed 18 as the voting age.
- Instruction permit at 15 and a half, held six months; provisional license at 16 with no driving 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and no passengers under 20 for the first 12 months unless a qualifying adult rides along.
Mga pinagmulan
- California Legislative Information: Family Code section 7120 (petition for emancipation) (bubukas sa bagong tab)
- California Legislative Information: Elections Code section 2102 (registration and preregistration at 16) (bubukas sa bagong tab)
- California Legislative Information: Vehicle Code section 12814.6 (provisional licensing program) (bubukas sa bagong tab)
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell): Oregon v. Mitchell, 400 U.S. 112 (1970) (bubukas sa bagong tab)
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