What Age of Majority Means, Plus Charts for the U.S. and Canada

Age of Majority Definitions in U.S. States and Canadian Provinces

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Updated on 08/30/22

The definition of "age of majority" is the age at which a child legally becomes an adult. Once a person is above the age of majority, they have additional responsibilities and more consequences for their actions.

Tip:

Exactly how old you have to be to be above the age of majority varies depending on your jurisdiction. If you want to check the age of majority in your state or province, scroll down to the charts at the bottom of the page.

But what does that term really mean?

The word "majority" means that the law considers adults to be responsible for the majority of their actions. Of course, no one is responsible for everything. Some actions, like getting sick or dying, are out of anyone's control. But if you've reached the age of majority, you're old enough to be held legally responsible for most of your actions.

Legally, being above the age of majority also means you can do things like signing contracts, bringing a lawsuit against another party, and more. It doesn't affect things like the age at which you can vote, drink, or smoke.

You're probably already familiar with the opposite term, "minor", which is commonly used as another word for children. Legally, the term "minor" indicates that a person is still in the "age of minority" and is only legally responsible for the minority of their actions. Parents or legal guardians take the responsibility for the majority of their children's actions.

Why Age of Majority Is Important for Entering Giveaways

Many sweepstakes only let people enter to win if they've reached the age of majority in their U.S. state or Canadian province. For example, a common age restriction in sweepstakes rules states:

"To enter, you must be a resident of the United States or Canada above the age of majority."

Sweepstakes sponsors restrict giveaways to people above the age of majority because they want to ensure that only adults participate.

Why? One good reason is that minors cannot legally enter into contracts, so they cannot agree to be bound by the rules. The rules protect both the entrants and the sweepstakes' sponsors, so it's important that both sides can legally agree to them.

Another good reason for sweepstakes to allow only adults to enter is that many countries (including Canada and the United States) have special laws governing advertisements for children. For example, the United States has COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which regulates how companies handle data belonging to minors.

Many sweepstakes sponsors don't want to run afoul of these laws, so they simply don't allow minors to enter.

What's the Age of Majority in the United States?

In the United States, the age of majority is determined by state, not federal, law. That means that each state can decide at which age children become adults.

18 is the most common age of majority among the U.S. states. However, some states grant majority after a citizen passes high school, while others have chosen a later age than 18. Here's the full list:

Age of Majority by U.S. State
State	Age of Majority
Alabama	19
Alaska	18
Arizona	18
Arkansas	18 or graduation from high school, whichever is later
California	18
Colorado	18
Connecticut	18
Delaware	19
District of Columbia	18
Florida	18
Georgia	18
Hawaii	18
Idaho	18
Illinois	18
Indiana	18
Iowa	18
Kansas	18
Kentucky	18
Louisiana	18
Maine	18
Maryland	18
Massachusetts	18
Michigan	18
Minnesota	18
Missouri	18
Mississippi	21
Montana	18
Nebraska	19
New Hampshire	18
New Mexico	18
Nevada	18, or if still in high school at 18, 19 or graduation, whichever comes sooner
New Jersey	18
New York	18
North Carolina	18
North Dakota	18
Ohio	18 or graduation from high school, whichever comes first
Oklahoma	18
Oregon	18
Pennsylvania	18
Rhode Island	18
South Carolina	18
South Dakota	18
Tennessee	18 or graduation from high school, whichever is later
Texas	18
Utah	18 or graduation from high school, whichever is earlier
Vermont	18
Virginia	18
Washington	18
West Virginia	18
Wisconsin	18, or if still in high school at 18, 19 or graduation, whichever comes sooner
Wyoming	18

When Is Someone a Legal Adult in Canada?

Many Canadian sweepstakes (or contests, as they're generally called in Canada) don't allow people who are under the age of majority to enter.

To ensure that no minors enter, some contests choose to simply restrict entry so that only Canadians over the age of 19 are allowed to enter because that covers all of the provinces. Others simply state that they prohibit entry from anyone under the age of majority, leaving it up to each entrant to know whether that applies to them or not.

To help, here's a chart showing the age of majority in each Canadian province:

Age of Majority in Canadian Provinces
Canadian Province	Age of Majority
Alberta	18
British Columbia	19
Manitoba	18
New Brunswick	18
Newfoundland and Labrador	19
Northwest Territories	19
Nova Scotia	19
Nunavut	19
Ontario	18
Prince Edward Island	18
Quebec	18
Saskatchewan	18
Yukon	19

Majority Isn't Always Defined by Age:

In special cases, factors other than age determine when a child becomes an adult. For example, if a judge grants emancipation to a minor, that person also receives majority and is considered responsible for their actions. Many regions also give majority to minors who marry or who join the armed forces.

This is why you might see sweepstakes rules that state you can enter if you are 18 or older and above the age of majority. In those cases, someone under the age of 18 who is an emancipated minor would still not be able to enter.

On the other hand, some people who are above the legal age don't receive full rights due to mental incapacity or other issues.