Traffic Safety · Car Seat & Booster
Car Seat & Booster Laws by State
The question parents actually search: when a child can stop using a booster and ride with just a seat belt. Answered for every state, plus rear-facing, front-seat, and fines. We show what is law separately from what is best practice.
Which states legislate rear-facing?
Green states set a rear-facing age by law. In amber states the statute leaves orientation to the seat manufacturer. In those states, "rear-facing until 2" is best practice, not law.
Law vs. best practice: read this first
The familiar four-stage ladder (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster, seat belt) is not uniformly written into law. Only 31 states set a rear-facing age by statute. The other 19 (Texas, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Massachusetts) require a restraint used per the manufacturer's instructions and say nothing about age; "rear-facing until 2" is a strong AAP/NHTSA recommendation there, but it is not that state's law. We never dress a recommendation up as a statute.
What is clean everywhere is the booster-to-seat-belt cutoff, but the exit rule differs sharply: North Carolina uses weight (80 lb), Washington uses height only (4'9"), Illinois, Virginia, and Pennsylvania use age only with no height line in the statute, and New York adds a 100-lb affirmative defense. The checker on each state page uses that state's exact rule.
Type a state to jump straight to its full car seat guide.
Every state in one table
The booster-to-seat-belt exit, the rear-facing rule, and the first-offense fine, with the statute. Grouped by which factor ends the booster requirement.
Booster exit at an age or 4′9″ (57 in) (28)
The belt is legal at the age shown or once the child reaches 4′9″, whichever comes first. Massachusetts phrases it as under 8 unless taller than 57 in, to the same effect.
| State | Seat belt legally OK | Rear-facing | First-offense fine | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Age 8or 4′9″ or 65 lb | Under 1 or under 20 lb | Up to $50 | AS 28.05.095 |
| Arizona | Age 8 | Per manufacturerunder 5 restraintBest practice, not law | $50 | A.R.S. §28‑907 |
| California | Age 8 | Under 2unless ≥40 lb or 40″ | $100 | Cal. Veh. Code §§27360 |
| Georgia | Age 8 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | Up to $50 | O.C.G.A. §40‑8‑76 |
| Hawaii | Age 10ages 7–9 and belt fits | Under 2 | $100 (first offense) + safety class | HRS §291‑11.5 |
| Kansas | Age 8or 80 lb (age 4+) | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $60 | K.S.A. §8‑1344 |
| Kentucky | Age 8 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $30 (booster) / $50 (child seat) | KRS §189.125 |
| Louisiana | Age 9or when booster is outgrown | Under 2to mfr limit | $100 first offense | La. R.S. §32:295 |
| Maine | Age 8or 80 lb or 57″ | Under 2to mfr limit | $50 first offense | 29‑A M.R.S. §2081 |
| Maryland | Age 8 | Under 2to mfr limit | $50 | Md. Transp. §22‑412.2 |
| Massachusetts | Age 8 | Per manufacturerBest practice, not law | Up to $25 | M.G.L. c.90 §7AA |
| Michigan | Age 8Once 4′9″ or age 8 | Under 2or mfr limit · new 2025 | $10 | MCL §257.710d |
| Mississippi | Age 7both 4′9″ and 65 lb | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $25 | Miss. Code §63‑7‑301 |
| Missouri | Age 8or 80 lb or 4′9″ | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | Up to $50 | Mo. Rev. Stat. §307.179 |
| Nevada | Age 6 | Under 2rear-facing, back seat | $100–$500 (first offense) | NRS §484B.157 |
| New Hampshire | Age 7 | Under 2 | $50 | RSA 265:107‑a |
| New Jersey | Age 8 | Under 2 and under 30 lb | $50–$75 | N.J.S.A. 39:3‑76.2a |
| North Dakota | Age 8 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $25 | N.D.C.C. §39‑21‑41.2 |
| Ohio | Age 8belt legal ages 8–15 | Per manufacturerunder 4 or <40 lbBest practice, not law | Up to $75 | Ohio Rev. Code §4511.81 |
| Oklahoma | Age 8 | Rear-facing until 2to mfr limit | $50 | 47 O.S. §11‑1112 |
| Oregon | Age 8 | Rear-facing until 2 | $115 (presumptive) | ORS §811.210 |
| Rhode Island | Age 8or 57″ or 80 lb | Rear-facing until 2 or 30 lb | $85 | R.I. Gen. Laws §31‑22‑22 |
| South Carolina | Age 8and the adult belt fits | Under 2, rear-facing in the rear seat | Up to $150 | S.C. Code §56‑5‑6410 |
| Tennessee | Age 9or ages 4–8 if 4′9″ | Under 1 or ≤20 lb, rear-facing | $50 | Tenn. Code §55‑9‑602 |
| Texas | Age 8 | Per manufacturerno age ruleBest practice, not law | $25–$250 | Tex. Transp. Code §545.412 |
| Utah | Age 8 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | About $45 | Utah Code §41‑6a‑1803 |
| West Virginia | Age 8 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $10–$20 | W. Va. Code §17C‑15‑46 |
| Wisconsin | Age 8or 80 lb or 4′9″ | Under 1 and under 20 lb | $30–$75 first offense | Wis. Stat. §347.48(4) |
Booster exit by age alone (15)
No height or weight line in the statute. The age is the whole rule.
| State | Seat belt legally OK | Rear-facing | First-offense fine | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Age 6belt required through age 14 | Until age 1 or 20 lb | $25 | Ala. Code §32‑5‑222 |
| Colorado | Age 9belt must fit properly | Under 2 and under 40 lb | About $82 | C.R.S. §42‑4‑236 |
| Florida | Age 6 | Per manufacturerages 0–3 carrierBest practice, not law | No set statutory amount | Fla. Stat. §316.613 |
| Idaho | Age 7 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | ~$84 total (no statutory dollar amount) | Idaho Code §49‑672 |
| Illinois | Age 8 | Under 2unless ≥40 lb or 40″ | $75 | 625 ILCS 25/4 |
| Indiana | Age 8restraint or belt from 8–15 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | Up to $25 | Ind. Code §9‑19‑11 |
| Iowa | Age 6belt or harness must fit | Under 1 and under 20 lb | $100 | Iowa Code §321.446 |
| Minnesota | Age 9booster outgrown and belt fits | Under 2 | Up to $50 | Minn. Stat. §169.685 |
| Montana | Age 9or earlier once booster outgrown | Under 2 | Up to $100 | Mont. Code Ann. §61‑9‑420 |
| Nebraska | Age 8once the belt fits properly | Under 2 | $25 | Neb. Rev. Stat. §60‑6 |
| New Mexico | Age 7belt allowed ages 7–12 | Under 1rear-facing, rear seat | $25 (not fixed in the statute) | NMSA 1978, §66‑7‑369 |
| Pennsylvania | Age 8 | Under 2to mfr limits | $75 | 75 Pa.C.S. §4581 |
| Vermont | Age 8fitted belt to age 18 | Under 2 | $25 | 23 V.S.A. §1258 |
| Virginia | Age 8 | Until age 2or mfr forward minimum | $50 | Va. Code §46.2‑1095 |
| Wyoming | Age 9 | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $50 first offense | Wyo. Stat. §31‑5‑1303 |
Weight is a statutory exit trigger (4)
The belt is legal at the age shown or at the weight in the cell, whichever comes first.
| State | Seat belt legally OK | Rear-facing | First-offense fine | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Age 6or 60 lb | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | $25–$100 | Ark. Code §27‑34‑104 |
| Connecticut | Age 8AND at least 60 lb | Under 2 or under 30 lb | No set statutory amount (first offense) | C.G.S. §14‑100a(d) |
| North Carolina | Age 8or 80 lb | Not set by statuteweight-basedBest practice, not law | Up to $25 | N.C.G.S. §20‑137.1 |
| South Dakota | Age 5or 40 lb (under 5) | Not set by statuteBest practice, not law | About $25 | S.D.C.L. §32‑37‑1 |
No age trigger at all (2)
Washington exits the booster at 4′9″ regardless of age. Delaware ends it when the child outgrows the booster’s manufacturer limits.
| State | Seat belt legally OK | Rear-facing | First-offense fine | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Booster outgrown | Under 2 and under 30 lb | No fine on a first offense ($25 on a later one) | 21 Del. C. §4803 |
| Washington | 4′9″ (57 in)and the adult belt fits | Under 2to mfr limit | No set statutory amount | RCW 46.61.687 |
Age with an affirmative defense (1)
New York requires the restraint to age 8 but allows an earlier belt as an affirmative defense for a taller or heavier child.
| State | Seat belt legally OK | Rear-facing | First-offense fine | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Age 8if >4′9″ and/or >100 lb | Under 2unless over mfr limits | $25–$100 | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law §1229‑c |
Jump to your state
Open any state for its full detail, cited to the statute.
How to read a car-seat law
These laws set a minimum legal requirement, which is often looser than what keeps a child safest. Best practice (rear-facing longer, boosters until the belt truly fits) usually goes further. Three things trip people up: the front-seat rule is real law in only seven states (elsewhere "back seat until 13" is a recommendation); the booster exit uses a different factor from state to state; and the rules move: Michigan's changed in April 2025, California's AB 435 doesn't take effect until 2027, and a North Carolina bill is still pending. Every page shows its review date and links to the statute. This is legal information, not legal advice.