Car seat laws, one page per state
What your state's law requires at each car seat stage, quoted from the statute, with the NHTSA and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations next to it. The law is the minimum; the recommendations are what safety experts advise. Every rule links to the statute or state agency it came from, with the date we last checked it.
States
51 of 51 ready
| State | Booster until | Front seat minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Age 6 | Not addressed in statute |
| Alaska | Age 8, 65 lb, or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Arizona | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Arkansas | Age 6 or 60 lb | Not addressed in statute |
| California | Age 8 or 57 in | 8 years |
| Colorado | Age 9 | 9 years |
| Connecticut | Age 8 and 60 lb | Not addressed in statute |
| Delaware | Seat-belt fit test (no number) | 12 years |
| District of Columbia | Age 8 | Not addressed in statute |
| Florida | Age 6 | Not addressed in statute |
| Georgia | Age 8 or 57 in | 8 years |
| Hawaii | age ≥ 10 yr or (age ≥ 7 yr and height > 57 in) | Not addressed in statute |
| Idaho | Age 7 | Not addressed in statute |
| Illinois | Age 8 | Not addressed in statute |
| Indiana | Age 8 | Not addressed in statute |
| Iowa | Age 6 | Not addressed in statute |
| Kansas | Age 8, 80 lb, or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Kentucky | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Louisiana | Age 9 | 13 years |
| Maine | Age 8, 80 lb, or 57 in | 12 years |
| Maryland | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Massachusetts | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Michigan | Age 8 or 57 in | 13 years |
| Minnesota | Age 9 | 13 years |
| Mississippi | age ≥ 7 yr or (height ≥ 57 in and weight ≥ 65 lb) | Not addressed in statute |
| Missouri | Age 8, 80 lb, or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Montana | Age 8 | Not addressed in statute |
| Nebraska | Age 8 | 8 years |
| Nevada | Age 6 or 57 in | 2 years |
| New Hampshire | Age 7 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| New Jersey | Age 8 or 57 in | 8 years |
| New Mexico | Age 7 and 60 lb | 1 year |
| New York | Age 8, 100 lb, or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| North Carolina | Age 8 or 80 lb | 5 years |
| North Dakota | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Ohio | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Oklahoma | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Oregon | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Pennsylvania | Age 8 | Not addressed in statute |
| Rhode Island | Age 8, 80 lb, or 57 in | 8 years |
| South Carolina | Age 8 or 57 in | 8 years |
| South Dakota | Age 5 or 40 lb | Not addressed in statute |
| Tennessee | Age 9 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Texas | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Utah | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Vermont | Age 8 | 13 years |
| Virginia | Age 8 | Not addressed in statute |
| Washington | 57 in | 13 years |
| West Virginia | Age 8 or 57 in | Not addressed in statute |
| Wisconsin | Age 8, 80 lb, or 57 in | 4 years |
| Wyoming | Age 9 | 9 years |
Compare states
All comparisonsStart here
All guides- Grandparents' guide to current car seat laws
The rules have moved since your kids were small — later booster ages, later front-seat ages, and fine waivers most grandparents don't know exist. What's changed and how to check your state.
- Why laws lag recommendations
NHTSA and the AAP recommend rear-facing 'as long as possible' with no age cutoff. Nineteen states don't set a rear-facing rule in statute at all, and thirty-two set no front-seat age. Here's the actual shape of the gap.
What each state page covers
- Car seat stages — The statute text comes first. Numbers are a summary for comparison, not a replacement for the law.
- Front seat — Many states have no front-seat age in statute. Where that is the case, we say so and cite the section we read.
- Penalties — What a car seat ticket costs, and whether showing proof of a proper seat can cancel it.
- Exemptions — Exempt means the statute excludes it. Silent means the statute does not address it.