Does Massachusetts have a formal court procedure where a minor can achieve Emancipated status?
No. Unlike several other states, Massachusetts does not have a formal procedure for a minor to ask the court for an order of emancipation. For this reason, there are no formal guidelines for a court to follow. Despite the lack of a formal law outlining a right to emancipation, a child can still ask the court in the Probate and Family Court of the county where he or she lives to write an order for emancipation. A judge may give a minor emancipated status when s/he is convinced that emancipation is clearly in the best interest of the minor, and that the parents are not using it as a way to avoid child support obligations.
