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Arkansas car seat laws

Ark. Code Ann. § 27-34-104 · Last checked September 23, 2026

Car seat stages

The statute text comes first. Numbers are a summary for comparison, not a replacement for the law.

Rear-facing seat

Statute text

Not addressed in statute.

Not set in § 27-34-104; the section requires a child passenger safety seat for a child under six and under 60 pounds but sets no rear-facing or harness rule.

What the law sets

Rear-facing seat required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104; the section requires a child passenger safety seat for a child under six and under 60 pounds but sets no rear-facing or harness rule.

Rear-facing until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Rear-facing until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Rear-facing until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Leaving rear-facing
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Recommended (not law)

NHTSA

Children under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible — it's the best way to keep them safe — until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat's manufacturer.

NHTSA – Car Seats and Booster Seats

AAP

All infants should ride rear-facing, starting with their first ride home from the hospital, and should continue riding rear-facing as long as possible until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.

HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Car Safety Seats: Information for Families

Forward-facing harness seat

Statute text

Not addressed in statute.

Not set in § 27-34-104; the section requires a child passenger safety seat for a child under six and under 60 pounds but sets no rear-facing or harness rule.

What the law sets

Forward-facing harness required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104; the section requires a child passenger safety seat for a child under six and under 60 pounds but sets no rear-facing or harness rule.

Harness until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Harness until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Harness until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Leaving the harness
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Recommended (not law)

NHTSA

Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, they are ready for a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. Keep the child in the forward-facing seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat's manufacturer, then move to a booster seat, still in the back seat.

NHTSA – Car Seats and Booster Seats

AAP

Children should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness after outgrowing the rear-facing weight or height limit. It is best for children to ride in a seat with a harness as long as possible, at least to 4 years of age.

HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Car Safety Seats: Information for Families

Booster seat

Statute text

A child who is less than six (6) years of age and who weighs less than sixty pounds (60 lbs.) shall be restrained in a child passenger safety seat properly secured to the vehicle.

§ 27-34-104(b). The statute does not name booster seats; these booster fields record when the safety seat requirement ends. The code is published through the Legislature's link to LexisNexis; the text was cross-read on two independent copies.

What the law sets

Booster required by law
Yes

Any child passenger safety seat satisfies § 27-34-104(b); a booster is not specifically required.

Booster until age
6 years
Booster until weight
60 lb
Booster until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Leaving the booster
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

The seat is required only while a child is under six AND under 60 pounds, so reaching either limit ends it (§ 27-34-104(c)).

Recommended (not law)

NHTSA

Keep your child in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit in a seat belt properly — the lap belt lying snugly across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt snug across the shoulder and chest (not the neck or face).

NHTSA – Car Seats and Booster Seats

AAP

All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age.

HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Car Safety Seats: Information for Families

Seat belt

Statute text

If a child is at least six (6) years of age or at least sixty pounds (60 lbs.) in weight, a safety belt properly secured to the vehicle shall be sufficient to meet the requirements of this section.

§ 27-34-104(c).

What the law sets

Seat belt alone from age
6 years
Seat belt alone from height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 27-34-104.

Moving to the seat belt
A combination of conditions (see statute text)

The belt is allowed at six or at 60 pounds; there is no belt weight field, so the condition is written out.

Moving to the seat belt — conditions
age>=6yr OR weight>=60lb

Recommended (not law)

NHTSA

Once a child is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly, they can ride with just the lap-and-shoulder belt, but should still ride in the back seat — NHTSA recommends keeping children in the back seat at least through age 12.

NHTSA – Car Seats and Booster Seats

AAP

Children should transition to the vehicle seat belt once it fits properly, typically at about 4 feet 9 inches in height and 8 to 12 years of age; all children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat.

HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Car Safety Seats: Information for Families

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.

Front seat — statute text
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in § 27-34-104.

Minimum age for the front seat
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in § 27-34-104.

Conditions
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in § 27-34-104.

Penalties

What a car seat ticket costs, and whether showing proof of a proper seat can cancel it.

First offense — fine
$25 – $100

§ 27-34-103(a): fined not less than $25 nor more than $100.

Repeat offense — fine
$25 – $100

§ 27-34-103(a) sets one range for every offense; there is no separate repeat penalty.

License points
0 points

§§ 27-34-103 and 27-34-104 set no points. Arkansas assigns points administratively, and the Office of Driver Services schedule lists violation code F02, "Child or youth restraint not used properly as required", at 0 points.

Fine waiver
On proof that the defendant has acquired, purchased or rented an approved child passenger safety seat, the court shall assess no more than the minimum fine (§ 27-34-103(c)).

Exemptions

Exempt means the statute excludes it. Silent means the statute does not address it.

Taxis
Exempt

§ 27-34-104(a) excludes a vehicle "operated for hire".

Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Not addressed in statute

§ 27-34-104 does not name transportation network companies; whether the for-hire exclusion reaches them is not stated.

Buses
Exempt

§ 27-34-104(a) covers only a passenger automobile, van or pickup truck; buses are not included.

Medical exemption
Exempt

§ 27-34-105(3) exempts a child who cannot use a seat or belt for medical reasons certified by a physician.

Out-of-state vehicles
Not addressed in statute

§ 27-34-104 does not address nonresident drivers or out-of-state vehicles.

How Arkansas compares

Arkansas is tied for 42nd of 47 jurisdictions with a numeric booster age: 5 jurisdictions, including Arkansas, require a booster until age 6.

Compared with Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, Arkansas differs on: rear-facing rules (from Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee), booster rules (from Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas), and front-seat rules (from Louisiana).

Law compared with the AAP recommendation

  • Arkansas law does not address this stage. AAP recommends: All infants should ride rear-facing, starting with their first ride home from the hospital, and should continue riding rear-facing as long as possible until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer.
  • Arkansas law does not address this stage. AAP recommends: Children should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness after outgrowing the rear-facing weight or height limit. It is best for children to ride in a seat with a harness as long as possible, at least to 4 years of age.
  • Arkansas law: a booster seat is required until the child reaches age 6 or 60 lb, whichever comes first. AAP recommends: All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 to 12 years of age.
  • Arkansas law: a child may use the seat belt alone once this condition is met: age ≥ 6 yr or weight ≥ 60 lb. AAP recommends: Children should transition to the vehicle seat belt once it fits properly, typically at about 4 feet 9 inches in height and 8 to 12 years of age; all children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat.

See every state side by side on the comparison pages.

Guides covering Arkansas

Sources

State law comes from the statute or state agency below. Recommendations come from NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The responsible agency is Arkansas Department of Public Safety.

State law

Recommendations

Disclaimer

This page summarizes Arkansas law for reference. It is not legal or medical advice. The statute text is the law; the numbers are our summary of it. Legal minimums are not safety recommendations: NHTSA and the AAP recommend keeping a child in each stage for as long as the seat allows. Check the statute or Arkansas Department of Public Safety before relying on anything here.