The legal age in the US for most adult rights is 18, but the full answer depends on what you want to do. Working legally can start at 14. Driving usually begins between 15 and 18 through a graduated system. Alcohol, tobacco, handguns from licensed dealers, and recreational cannabis all wait until 21. A few states push the age of majority itself past 18. Here is how the thresholds break down by activity.
The Age of Majority
The age of majority is the point where parents or guardians lose legal authority over your decisions and you can sign binding contracts, open accounts in your own name, lease an apartment, and sue or be sued independently. In most states, that is 18.1Legal Information Institute. Age of Majority
Three states set it higher. Alabama and Nebraska use 19. Mississippi uses 21, which means a 20-year-old in Mississippi still cannot independently sign a car loan or authorize their own medical treatment without parental involvement.1Legal Information Institute. Age of Majority
Minors who are at least 16 or 17 can petition a court for emancipation in most states, and marriage or active military service triggers emancipation in many places. Even with emancipation, certain age-locked rights hold firm: you still cannot vote until 18 or buy alcohol until 21.
Voting and Selective Service at 18
The 26th Amendment guarantees that no citizen 18 or older can be denied the vote because of age, at every level of government.2Congress.gov. U.S. Constitution – Twenty-Sixth Amendment Most states let you pre-register before 18 so your registration is active the moment you qualify.3Vote.gov. Preparing to Vote: Age 18 and Under
Turning 18 also triggers a federal obligation for male citizens and male immigrants: registering with the Selective Service System. The law covers nearly all men living in the United States between 18 and 26.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 U.S. Code 3802 – Registration Failing to register can disqualify you from federal student aid, federal jobs, job training programs, and, for immigrant men, U.S. citizenship.5Selective Service System. Selective Service System The process is set to become automatic in late 2026 rather than requiring men to sign up themselves.
Working
Fourteen is the federal minimum age for most non-agricultural jobs under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Workers under 16 face limits on how many hours they can work and what times of day they can be scheduled, especially during the school year. Anyone under 18 is barred from hazardous occupations, including mining, roofing, operating heavy machinery, and work with dangerous chemicals.6U.S. Department of Labor. Workers Under 18
Farm work follows different rules. Children under 12 can work on a farm owned by their parents. At 12 and 13, they can work on any farm with parental consent. At 14, there are essentially no restrictions on agricultural work outside school hours, though hazardous farm work remains off-limits until 16.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 213 – Exemptions When state child labor laws are stricter than federal rules, the state standard applies.
Professional licensing adds another layer. Many licensed occupations, including real estate, require applicants to be at least 18 to sit for the exam or hold a license, with a handful of states requiring 19.
Driving
Every state uses a graduated licensing system. It starts with a learner’s permit, available as early as 14 or 15 depending on the state, which only lets you drive with a licensed adult in the car. After a required holding period and a minimum number of supervised hours, you move to an intermediate license. That one usually allows solo driving but limits nighttime trips and the number of passengers.
Full unrestricted licenses generally become available between 16 and 18. Violating intermediate-license restrictions can lead to fines, extended restrictions, or suspension.
One trap for newly licensed 16- and 17-year-olds: you cannot buy your own car insurance policy until you turn 18, because insurance contracts require legal capacity to sign. Until then, you need to be on a parent’s or guardian’s policy.
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis at 21
All three sit at 21. Congress effectively set the national drinking age in 1984 by threatening to withhold a share of federal highway funding from any state that allowed anyone under 21 to purchase or publicly possess alcohol.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 23 U.S. Code 158 – National Minimum Drinking Age Every state complied.
Tobacco followed in 2019, when federal law raised the minimum sale age from 18 to 21 for all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes. It applies to every retailer in the country.9FDA. Tobacco 21
States that allow recreational cannabis set purchases at 21. No state has gone lower for recreational sales. Medical cannabis programs sometimes allow access for minors with a physician’s recommendation and parental consent, but the details vary.
Firearms
Federal law splits the rule by firearm type. Licensed dealers cannot sell a rifle or shotgun to anyone under 18, and they cannot sell a handgun to anyone under 21.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Private, non-dealer sales fall under state law, and many states allow handgun transfers to 18-year-olds in private transactions.
Since 2022, buyers under 21 purchasing from licensed dealers face an enhanced background check under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which can take up to 10 business days.11Congress.gov. Text – Bipartisan Safer Communities Act States frequently add their own age restrictions on top of the federal rules.
Marriage
At 18, you can marry without anyone’s permission in every state. Below 18, the rules vary and are changing fast. Roughly a third of states have set a hard minimum of 18 with no exceptions as of 2025. The rest still allow marriage at 16 or 17 under specific conditions, typically requiring parental consent, a court order, or both.
Delaware and New Jersey were the first to ban the practice without exception in 2018. More than a dozen states have followed since. In states where it remains legal, marriage before 18 usually triggers legal emancipation, giving the minor adult status for contracts, property, and medical decisions, and that emancipation generally survives a later divorce or annulment.
Military Enlistment
You can enlist at 17 with written parental consent, or at 18 without it. Federal law caps the enlistment age at 42, though individual service branches set lower limits.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 U.S. Code 505 – Regular Components: Qualifications, Age, and Service Obligations A 17-year-old enlistee cannot be deployed to a combat zone but can begin training under delayed-entry arrangements while still in high school.
Enlisting before 18 does not automatically make you a civilian adult. You remain subject to your state’s age of majority for signing a lease or opening a credit account, unless you obtain an emancipation order or your state treats active military service as an emancipation trigger.
Gambling
There is no single federal gambling age. States set their own thresholds, and they vary by activity. Most states require 21 to enter a casino or play table games. Lottery tickets and pari-mutuel betting on horse or greyhound racing are typically available at 18. Online sports betting generally follows the 21 rule, though a few states allow it at 18. Check local rules if you cross state lines.
Passports
Applications for anyone under 16 require both parents’ consent and the child’s in-person appearance. At 16 and 17, you receive a full 10-year adult passport, but the State Department still requires proof that at least one parent or guardian is aware of the application, which can be shown by a parent applying with you, a signed note, or the parent paying the fee.13U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Passport as a 16-17 Year Old At 18, you apply entirely on your own.
Quick Reference by Age
- 14: Most non-agricultural jobs under federal law; learner’s driving permit in some states.
- 16–17: Longer work hours, intermediate driver’s license, 10-year passport with parental awareness, emancipation petitions in most states, and marriage where state law still allows exceptions. Military enlistment at 17 with parental consent.
- 18: Age of majority in most states. Voting, enlisting without consent, signing contracts, filing lawsuits, buying rifles and shotguns from licensed dealers, applying for a passport independently, and Selective Service registration for males.
- 19: Age of majority in Alabama and Nebraska.
- 21: Alcohol, tobacco, handguns from licensed dealers, recreational cannabis where legal, and casino gambling in most states. Age of majority in Mississippi.