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Kentucky car seat laws

KRS 189.125 · 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 KRS 189.125; subsection (3)(a) requires a child restraint system for a child 40 inches or less in height without naming a rear-facing or harness seat.

What the law sets

Rear-facing seat required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125; subsection (3)(a) requires a child restraint system for a child 40 inches or less in height without naming a rear-facing or harness seat.

Rear-facing until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

Rear-facing until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

Rear-facing until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

Leaving rear-facing
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

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 KRS 189.125; subsection (3)(a) requires a child restraint system for a child 40 inches or less in height without naming a rear-facing or harness seat.

What the law sets

Forward-facing harness required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125; subsection (3)(a) requires a child restraint system for a child 40 inches or less in height without naming a rear-facing or harness seat.

Harness until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

Harness until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

Harness until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

Leaving the harness
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125.

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

Any driver of a motor vehicle, when transporting a child under the age of eight (8) years who is between forty (40) inches and fifty-seven (57) inches in height in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of this state, shall have the child properly secured in a child booster seat. A child of any age who is greater than fifty-seven (57) inches in height shall not be required to be secured in a child booster seat under this section.

KRS 189.125(3)(b).

What the law sets

Booster required by law
Yes
Booster until age
8 years
Booster until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in KRS 189.125(3)(b).

Booster until height
57 in (4 ft 9 in)

The exemption is for a child "greater than fifty-seven (57) inches", so a child of exactly 57 inches is still covered.

Leaving the booster
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

A child leaves the booster on turning eight or on growing taller than 57 inches, whichever comes first.

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

A person shall not operate a motor vehicle manufactured after 1981 on the public roadways of this state unless the driver and all passengers are wearing a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt, unless the passenger is a child who is secured as required in subsection (3) of this section.

KRS 189.125(6).

What the law sets

Seat belt alone from age
8 years
Seat belt alone from height
57 in (4 ft 9 in)

Taller than 57 inches, per KRS 189.125(3)(b).

Moving to the seat belt
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

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 KRS 189.125.

Minimum age for the front seat
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in KRS 189.125.

Conditions
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in KRS 189.125.

Penalties

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

First offense — fine
$30 – $50

KRS 189.990(24): $50 for a child restraint violation under KRS 189.125(3)(a). KRS 189.990(25): $30 for a booster violation under KRS 189.125(3)(b). No court costs or added fees apply.

Repeat offense — fine
$30 – $50

KRS 189.990 sets the same fixed fines for every offense; there is no separate repeat penalty.

License points
None

KRS 189.125 and 189.990 set no points, and child restraint violations are not among the offenses in the 601 KAR 13:025 Section 4 penalty point schedule.

Fine waiver
A person not previously charged with a booster violation may acquire a booster seat; on proof of acquisition the booster charge is dismissed with no fees or costs (KRS 189.990(25)). There is no waiver for the child restraint rule in KRS 189.125(3)(a).

Exemptions

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

Taxis
Not addressed in statute

KRS 189.125 does not address taxis.

Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Not addressed in statute

KRS 189.125 does not address transportation network companies.

Buses
Exempt

KRS 189.125(1) defines "motor vehicle" as a vehicle designed to carry 15 or fewer passengers.

Medical exemption
Not addressed in statute

KRS 189.125 has no medical exemption from the child restraint or booster rules; the physician-statement exemption in KRS 189.125(6)(a) is for the seat belt rule only.

Out-of-state vehicles
Not addressed in statute

KRS 189.125 does not address nonresident drivers or out-of-state vehicles.

How Kentucky compares

Kentucky is tied for 6th of 47 jurisdictions with a numeric booster age: 33 jurisdictions, including Kentucky, require a booster until age 8.

Compared with Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, Kentucky differs on: rear-facing rules (from Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia) and booster rules (from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia).

Law compared with the AAP recommendation

  • Kentucky 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.
  • Kentucky 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.
  • Kentucky law: a booster seat is required until the child reaches age 8 or 57 in, 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.
  • Kentucky law: a child may use the seat belt alone once reaching age 8 or 57 in, whichever comes first. 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.

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 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

State law

Recommendations

Disclaimer

This page summarizes Kentucky 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 Kentucky Transportation Cabinet before relying on anything here.