Traffic Safety · Car Seat & Booster
Car Seat & Booster Laws in Michigan
When your child can move from a booster to a seat belt in Michigan — plus rear-facing, front-seat, and the fine, with the law kept separate from best practice.
Check your child's stage in Michigan
Enter age, height, and weight. We show the Michigan law separately from best practice.
4′9″ = 57 in. Enter only the boxes you have — this state uses exit at age 8 or 4′9″, whichever comes first.
Educational guide to the minimum legal requirement, not legal or safety advice. Best practice is often stricter than the law. Always follow your car seat’s manufacturer instructions, and confirm the current rule with the official source below — last reviewed 2026-07-09.
The four stages in Michigan
Each rung is tagged Law or best practice.
Rear-facing until age 2, or until the child reaches the seat manufacturer’s height/weight limit. New under 2024 PA 21/22, effective April 2, 2025.
Forward-facing with an internal harness until age 5, or the manufacturer’s limit. A new tier as of April 2, 2025.
A booster is required until the child is 4′9″ OR age 8, whichever comes first.
Exit rule: exit at age 8 or 4′9″, whichever comes first. The adult belt must fit — lap low across the hips, shoulder belt across the chest.
Front seat, the fine & the source
Seating rule, the exact booster logic, and any recent change.
All children under 13 must ride in the rear seat when one is available; a child under 4 in a rear-facing seat must not ride in front of an active passenger airbag. This is law.
| Booster exit logic | Age 8 or 4′9″ — whichever first |
| Seat belt OK | Once 4′9″ or age 8 |
| First-offense fine | $10 A $10 statutory base civil infraction (roughly $65 with court costs — fee-dependent, not the statute), no points. A court may waive it if a proper seat is obtained plus CPST education. |
| Statute | MCL §257.710d (+ §257.710e) |
Michigan’s rules CHANGED effective April 2, 2025 (2024 PA 21 & 22): rear-facing to 2, forward-harness to 5, and rear seat for under-13. IIHS still shows the OLD rule — the figures here reflect the new law.
What Michigan parents get wrong
Michigan is the volatile one: its child-passenger law changed on April 2, 2025 (2024 PA 21 & 22), and a lot of reference sites — including IIHS — still show the old version. The current law legislates rear-facing until age 2, a forward-facing harness until age 5, a booster until 4′9″ or age 8, and rear-seat placement for children under 13. If a summary tells you "rear-facing to 1" or "under-4 restraint," it is quoting the pre-2025 rule. The booster exit is age 8 or 4′9″, whichever comes first. Michigan’s statutory base fine is a striking $10 (though court costs push the real total higher), and a court may waive it if you obtain a proper seat and complete car-seat-technician education.
Common questions
When can a child stop using a booster in Michigan?
At age 8, or once the child reaches 4′9″ — whichever comes first.
Did Michigan’s car-seat law change?
Yes. Effective April 2, 2025 (2024 PA 21 & 22), Michigan now requires rear-facing to age 2, a forward-facing harness to age 5, and rear-seat placement for children under 13. IIHS still shows the old rule.
Do children have to ride in the back seat in Michigan?
Yes. Under the 2025 law, all children under 13 must ride in the rear seat when one is available, and a rear-facing child under 4 must not sit in front of an active passenger airbag.
What is the fine for a car-seat violation in Michigan?
The statutory base is $10 (roughly $65 with court costs), with no points. A court may waive it if you obtain a proper seat and complete car-seat-technician education.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.