Age of Majority – Connecticut

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WHAT IS THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN CONNECTICUT?

According to the Connecticut General Statutes Section 1-1d, “Except as otherwise provided by statute, on and after October 1, 1972, the terms “minor”, “infant” and “infancy” shall be deemed to refer to a person under the age of eighteen years and any person eighteen years of age or over shall be an adult for all purposes whatsoever and have the same legal capacity, rights, powers, privileges, duties, liabilities and responsibilities as persons heretofore had at twenty-one years of age, and “age of majority” shall be deemed to be eighteen years. “In simple terms, this means that once a person reaches age 18, he/she is an adult and has all the rights of an adult, unless the legislature makes a law creating an exception for certain privileges. Some areas of exception are, driving a car, drinking, voting, marriage, and leaving high school.

Driving: The minimum age for obtaining a driver’s license is 16, but people under the age of 18 must obtain a Learner’s Permit and hold it for 180 days (120 days if completing a commercial or secondary driver training course) prior to being able to test for a driver’s license. Effective August 1, 2008, 16 and 17 year olds must pass a 25 question knowledge test before they can obtain a learner’s permit.
Drinking: As of September 1, 1985, the age of majority for purchasing alcoholic beverages was set at 21 years.
Voting: Minimum age to vote is 18.
Marriage: The age of majority for getting a marriage license is 18
Leaving high school: July 1, 2011, and each school year thereafter the parent or person having control of a child 17 years of age may consent to the child’s withdrawal from school.

For more information on minors’ rights, see the Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries webpage on “Connecticut Law About Rights of Minors”.

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SOURCES: Connecticut General Statutes §1-1d; Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles: Learner’s Permit (for 16 and 17 year olds)
PREPARED BY: 211/ch
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: April2023