You generally need to be at least 18 years old to request a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order on your own behalf. This is the age of legal adulthood in every U.S. state, and it’s the same threshold required for other advance directives like living wills and healthcare proxies. Below 18, a DNR is still possible, but the process involves parents or legal guardians.
Why 18 Is the Standard
A DNR order is a medical directive that tells healthcare providers not to perform CPR if your heart stops or you stop breathing. Because it’s a legally binding decision about life-sustaining treatment, the person requesting it must be a legal adult, of sound mind, and able to understand what the decision means. These are the same requirements across most types of advance care planning documents.
There’s no separate medical eligibility test beyond that. You don’t need to have a terminal illness or be in poor health. Any adult who is mentally competent can discuss a DNR with their doctor. Your provider writes the order after that conversation, and it becomes part of your medical record. If a provider personally objects to honoring a DNR, they’re required to transfer your care to someone who will.
DNR Orders for Minors
Children and teenagers can have DNR orders, but they can’t request one independently. A parent or legal guardian must consent. This typically comes up when a child has a serious or terminal illness and the family, together with the medical team, decides that attempting resuscitation would cause more harm than benefit.
If the minor is old enough to understand what CPR is and what refusing it means, their consent is also required alongside the parent’s. New York state law, for example, specifies that an attending physician must evaluate whether a minor has the capacity to participate in the decision. If the minor does have that capacity, both the minor and the parent or guardian must agree before a DNR order can be issued. This isn’t a fixed age cutoff. It depends on the child’s maturity and understanding of the situation.
The Mature Minor Exception
A small number of states recognize what’s called the “mature minor doctrine,” which allows certain minors to make their own medical decisions, including decisions about life-sustaining treatment, without parental consent. Illinois, Maine, Tennessee, West Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. have all held or suggested that mature minors have this right.
The most well-known case involved a 17-year-old in Illinois with leukemia who refused a blood transfusion in 1989. The court found her competent to make that choice on her own. But these cases are rare and almost always involve court proceedings. A teenager can’t simply walk into a clinic and sign a DNR form under the mature minor doctrine. It typically requires a judge to evaluate the minor’s maturity, understanding of the consequences, and the specific medical circumstances.
Texas, by contrast, has explicitly rejected the mature minor doctrine. Most other states haven’t addressed it directly in their laws, which means the default rule applies: you need to be 18, or your parent or guardian needs to be involved.
How the Process Works for Adults
If you’re 18 or older and want a DNR, the process is straightforward. You tell your doctor or healthcare team that you want one. Your provider will have a conversation with you about what CPR involves, what your medical outlook is, and what the DNR would mean in practice. After that discussion, the doctor writes the order.
A DNR only covers CPR, which includes chest compressions, electric shocks to restart the heart, breathing tubes, and similar emergency interventions. It doesn’t affect any other type of medical care. You’ll still receive pain management, antibiotics, surgery, or whatever other treatment you want. Some people confuse a DNR with a broader directive to withhold all care, but they’re not the same thing.
You can also designate a healthcare proxy (someone at least 18 years old) to make decisions on your behalf if you become unable to communicate. This person can request or revoke a DNR for you based on your previously expressed wishes. Many people set up a healthcare proxy and a DNR at the same time as part of their advance care planning.
Changing Your Mind
A DNR isn’t permanent. You can revoke it at any time by telling your healthcare team. You don’t need to fill out paperwork or get approval. Simply stating that you no longer want the order is enough, and your medical team is required to honor that change. This applies whether you’re 18 or 80, and whether the original DNR was requested by you or by a surrogate decision-maker on your behalf.