Traffic Safety · Car Seat & Booster
Car Seat & Booster Laws in Mississippi
When your child can move from a booster to a seat belt in Mississippi, plus rear-facing, front-seat, and the fine, with the law kept separate from best practice.
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Check your child's stage in Mississippi
Enter age, height, and weight. We show the Mississippi law separately from best practice.
4′9″ = 57 in. Enter only the boxes you have; this state uses the booster is required for ages 4–6 who are under 4′9″ OR under 65 lb; reaching age 7, or hitting both 4′9″ and 65 lb, exits it.
Mississippi does not legislate rear-facing vs forward-facing by age; it requires a restraint appropriate per the manufacturer's instructions. Best practice from AAP (the pediatricians' association) and NHTSA (the federal highway-safety agency), not Mississippi law: rear-facing to age 2+, then a harness, then a booster.
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 2026-07-11).
The four stages in Mississippi
Each rung is tagged Law or best practice.
Mississippi requires a child under 4 to be in a child restraint device meeting federal standards, but the statute is silent on orientation; it does not set a rear-facing age.
AAP/NHTSA best practice: keep a child rear-facing until at least age 2. That is a recommendation, not Mississippi law.
The statute does not prescribe a forward-facing age; the under-4 rule only requires an appropriate restraint device.
Best practice, not Mississippi law: a harness seat after rear-facing.
A child at least 4 but younger than 7 who is shorter than 4′9″ OR weighs less than 65 lb must use a belt-positioning booster. The booster mandate ends at age 7, or earlier once the child reaches 4′9″ AND 65 lb.
Exit rule: the booster is required for ages 4–6 who are under 4′9″ OR under 65 lb; reaching age 7, or hitting both 4′9″ and 65 lb, exits it. 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.
Mississippi’s statute does not require children of a given age to ride in the rear seat. The NHTSA recommendation to keep children under 13 in the back is best practice, not Mississippi law.
| Booster exit logic | Age 8 or 4′9″ — whichever first |
| Seat belt OK | At age 7, or earlier once the child is both 4′9″ and 65 lb |
| First-offense fine | $25 A flat fine of $25 for a violation. Failure to provide or use a device is not, by itself, treated as negligence under the statute. |
| Statute | Miss. Code §63-7-301 |
What Mississippi parents get wrong
Mississippi’s booster rule has a narrower age band than most states, and that trips people up. The booster mandate covers ages 4 through 6 only: a child at least 4 but younger than 7 who is shorter than 4′9″ OR weighs under 65 lb must ride in a belt-positioning booster. It ends at age 7, not 8. Below age 4, the law simply requires an appropriate child restraint device and says nothing about orientation, so rear-facing until 2 is best practice here, not law. Mississippi also does not legislate a rear-seat age, so keeping younger children in the back is a recommendation rather than a rule. The fine is a flat $25, and the statute is explicit that not using a device is not by itself negligence.
Common questions
When can a child stop using a booster in Mississippi?
At age 7, or earlier once the child is both at least 4′9″ and at least 65 lb. The booster is required for ages 4–6 who are under 4′9″ or under 65 lb.
Does Mississippi require rear-facing car seats by age?
No. The statute requires an appropriate child restraint device for children under 4 but is silent on orientation. Rear-facing until 2 is best practice, not Mississippi law.
Do children have to ride in the back seat in Mississippi?
Not by statute. Mississippi does not set a rear-seat age. Keeping children under 13 in the back is an NHTSA recommendation, not a Mississippi law.
What is the fine for a car-seat violation in Mississippi?
A flat $25. The statute also states that failure to provide or use a restraint is not, by itself, treated as negligence.
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.