Front Seat Age Laws by State
Many states set no front-seat age in statute. The AAP recommends the back seat for all children under 13.
| State | Minimum age | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Ala. Code § 32-5-222checked September 23, 2026 |
| Alaska | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Alaska Stat. § 28.05.095checked September 23, 2026 |
| Arizona | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-907checked September 23, 2026 |
| Arkansas | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Ark. Code Ann. § 27-34-104 (official code linked from the Arkansas Legislature)checked September 23, 2026 |
| California | 8 years | Children under 8 ride in a rear seat. They may ride in the front in a child restraint if there is no rear seat, the rear seats are side-facing jump seats or rear-facing, the restraint cannot be installed properly in the rear, all rear seats are taken by children 7 or under, or for medical reasons (§ 27363(e)). A rear-facing seat may never go in front of an active frontal passenger airbag (§ 27363(f)). | Cal. Veh. Code §§ 27360, 27363checked September 23, 2026 |
| Colorado | 9 years | A child under nine rides in the rear seat if a rear seat is available; the statute does not otherwise bar the front seat. | C.R.S. § 42-4-236checked September 23, 2026 |
| Connecticut | Not addressed in statute | A rear-facing seat may not be placed in the front seat of a vehicle with a functional passenger-side air bag. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-100achecked September 23, 2026 |
| Delaware | 12 years | Applies only in a seat with an active passenger-side airbag, and not to airbags designed for children and small adults. A child may ride in front if the vehicle has no rear seat or all rear seats are taken by other children under 12 and 5 feet 5 inches or shorter. This is a secondary offense (§ 4803(b)(2)). | 21 Del. C. § 4803checked September 23, 2026 |
| District of Columbia | Not addressed in statute | When a parent or guardian carries more of his or her own children under 16 than there are belted seats, an unrestrained child may not ride in the front seat. | D.C. Code § 50-1703checked September 23, 2026 |
| Florida | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Fla. Stat. § 316.613checked September 23, 2026 |
| Georgia | 8 years | A child under 8 may ride in front only if the vehicle has no suitable rear seating position or all of them are taken by other children. | O.C.G.A. § 40-8-76 (official Code of Georgia, LexisNexis public access)checked September 23, 2026 |
| Hawaii | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 291-11.5checked September 23, 2026 |
| Idaho | Not addressed in statute | When every seat belt is already in use, a child six or younger who is left unrestrained must be placed in the rear seat if the vehicle has one. | Idaho Code § 49-672checked September 23, 2026 |
| Illinois | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | 625 ILCS 25, Child Passenger Protection Actchecked September 23, 2026 |
| Indiana | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Ind. Code 9-19-11checked September 23, 2026 |
| Iowa | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Iowa Code § 321.446checked September 23, 2026 |
| Kansas | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | K.S.A. 8-1344checked September 23, 2026 |
| Kentucky | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | KRS 189.125checked September 23, 2026 |
| Louisiana | 13 years | Children under 13 ride in the rear seat when one is available. With an active passenger-side air bag, a child under six or under 60 pounds must ride in the rear seat if rear seats are available (R.S. 32:295(C)). | La. R.S. 32:295checked September 23, 2026 |
| Maine | 12 years | A child under 12 rides in the rear seat if possible; the statute does not define when it is not possible. | 29-A M.R.S. § 2081checked September 23, 2026 |
| Maryland | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Md. Code, Transp. § 22-412.2checked September 23, 2026 |
| Massachusetts | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 7AAchecked September 23, 2026 |
| Michigan | 13 years | Applies only if the vehicle has a rear seat; a child may ride in front when all available rear seats are occupied by children. A rear-facing seat may be in front only if the passenger air bag is deactivated. | MCL 257.710dchecked September 23, 2026 |
| Minnesota | 13 years | The rear-seat rule applies only when a rear seat is available. Under subd. 4a(c), if there are more children under 13 than restraints and belts, the unrestrained children must sit in a rear seat when rear seats are available. | Minn. Stat. § 169.685checked September 23, 2026 |
| Mississippi | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Miss. Code Ann. § 63-7-301checked September 23, 2026 |
| Missouri | Not addressed in statute | Only where immediate-family children outnumber the seating positions: the children who cannot be properly restrained must sit behind the front seat, unless the vehicle has only a front seat area. | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 307.179checked September 23, 2026 |
| Montana | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Mont. Code Ann. § 61-9-420checked September 23, 2026 |
| Nebraska | 8 years | A child up to eight rides in a seat other than the front seat when such a seat is equipped with a child passenger restraint system and is not already occupied by another child under eight. | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-6,267checked September 23, 2026 |
| Nevada | 2 years | A child under two rides rear-facing in the back seat. The child may ride rear-facing in the front passenger seat only if that air bag is deactivated and either the child's special health care needs require it (with a physician's written statement in the vehicle), all back seats are taken by other children under two, or the vehicle has no back seats. | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 484B.157checked September 23, 2026 |
| New Hampshire | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 265:107-achecked September 23, 2026 |
| New Jersey | 8 years | A child under eight and under 57 inches rides in a rear seat. If the vehicle has no rear seat, the child may ride in front in a restraint, but never rear-facing in front of a passenger-side airbag that is not disabled or turned off. | N.J.S.A. 39:3-76.2a (N.J. Legislative Statutes)checked September 23, 2026 |
| New Mexico | 1 year | A child under one rides in the rear seat if the vehicle has one. In a vehicle with no rear seat, the child may ride in front only if the passenger-side air bag is deactivated, or if the vehicle has no deactivation switch. | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 66-7-369checked September 23, 2026 |
| New York | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 1229-cchecked September 23, 2026 |
| North Carolina | 5 years | Applies only in a vehicle with an active passenger-side front air bag and a rear seat, and not when the child restraint system is designed for use with air bags. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-137.1checked September 23, 2026 |
| North Dakota | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | N.D.C.C. § 39-21-41.2checked September 23, 2026 |
| Ohio | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.81checked September 23, 2026 |
| Oklahoma | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | 47 O.S. § 11-1112checked September 23, 2026 |
| Oregon | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Or. Rev. Stat. § 811.210checked September 23, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | 75 Pa.C.S. § 4581checked September 23, 2026 |
| Rhode Island | 8 years | A child under eight rides in a rear seating position unless the vehicle has no back seat or all rear seats are used by other children; then the child must be properly restrained in front. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-22-22checked September 23, 2026 |
| South Carolina | 8 years | A child under 8 may ride in front only if the vehicle has no rear seat or all rear seats are taken by children under 8, and the child is in an appropriate car seat or booster. | S.C. Code §§ 56-5-6410 to 56-5-6470checked September 23, 2026 |
| South Dakota | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | SDCL 32-37-1checked September 23, 2026 |
| Tennessee | Not addressed in statute | Children who must use a rear-facing, forward-facing or booster seat under § 55-9-602(a) ride in the rear seat if available. For belted children 9 through 12 the rear seat is only recommended (§ 55-9-602(g)(1)(A)). | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-602 (Tennessee Code Unannotated, LexisNexis free public access)checked September 23, 2026 |
| Texas | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Tex. Transp. Code § 545.412checked September 23, 2026 |
| Utah | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | Utah Code § 41-6a-1803checked September 23, 2026 |
| Vermont | 13 years | A child under 13 rides in a rear seat if practical. A rear-facing seat may not be placed in the front seat in front of an active passenger-side airbag unless the airbag is deactivated. | 23 V.S.A. § 1258checked September 23, 2026 |
| Virginia | Not addressed in statute | A child restraint device must be in the back seat. Only if the vehicle has no back seat may it go in the front passenger seat, and then only without an active passenger-side airbag. | Va. Code § 46.2-1095checked September 23, 2026 |
| Washington | 13 years | Children under 13 ride in the back seat where it is practical to do so. | RCW 46.61.687checked September 23, 2026 |
| West Virginia | Not addressed in statute | Not addressed in statute | W. Va. Code § 17C-15-46checked September 23, 2026 |
| Wisconsin | 4 years | Applies only if the vehicle is equipped with a back passenger seat, and only to children who must ride in a rear-facing or forward-facing child safety restraint system (under four years or under 40 pounds). | Wis. Stat. § 347.48checked September 23, 2026 |
| Wyoming | 9 years | A child under nine may ride in the front passenger seat only if the vehicle has one row of seats or all rear safety belts are in use by other child passengers, and a rear-facing infant seat may never be placed in front of an active airbag. | Wyo. Stat. § 31-5-1303checked September 23, 2026 |
Numbers summarize each statute; the statute text on each state page is the law. This is a reference, not legal advice.