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Massachusetts car seat laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 7AA · 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 ch. 90, § 7AA; the section requires a child passenger restraint used per the manufacturer's instructions but sets no rear-facing rule.

What the law sets

Rear-facing seat required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA; the section requires a child passenger restraint used per the manufacturer's instructions but sets no rear-facing rule.

Rear-facing until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Rear-facing until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Rear-facing until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Leaving rear-facing
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

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 ch. 90, § 7AA; the section requires a child passenger restraint used per the manufacturer's instructions but sets no harness rule.

What the law sets

Forward-facing harness required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA; the section requires a child passenger restraint used per the manufacturer's instructions but sets no harness rule.

Harness until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Harness until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Harness until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Leaving the harness
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

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 passenger in a motor vehicle on any way who is under the age of 8 shall be fastened and secured by a child passenger restraint, unless such passenger measures more than 57 inches in height. The child passenger restraint shall be properly fastened and secured according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Ch. 90, § 7AA, first paragraph. The statute does not name booster seats; it requires any child passenger restraint, and these booster fields record when that requirement ends.

What the law sets

Booster required by law
Yes

Any child passenger restraint satisfies ch. 90, § 7AA; a booster is not specifically required.

Booster until age
8 years
Booster until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Booster until height
57 in (4 ft 9 in)

The statute says "more than 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 requirement on turning eight or on measuring more 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

Unless required to be properly fastened and secured by a child passenger restraint under the preceding paragraph, a passenger in a motor vehicle on any way that is under the age of 13 shall wear a safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Ch. 90, § 7AA, second paragraph.

What the law sets

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

More than 57 inches, per ch. 90, § 7AA.

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 ch. 90, § 7AA.

Minimum age for the front seat
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Conditions
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in ch. 90, § 7AA.

Penalties

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

First offense — fine
Up to $25

Ch. 90, § 7AA: a fine of not more than $25.

Repeat offense — fine
Up to $25

Ch. 90, § 7AA sets one amount for every offense; there is no separate repeat penalty.

License points
Not a moving violation for insurance surcharges

Ch. 90, § 7AA: a violation is not deemed a conviction of a moving violation for motor vehicle insurance surcharges under ch. 175, § 113B. Massachusetts has no separate license point statute.

Fine waiver
Not addressed in statute

Not set in ch. 90, § 7AA; a citation may be contested under ch. 90C, § 3.

Exemptions

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

Taxis
Exempt

Ch. 90, § 7AA: the $25 fine does not apply to the operator of a licensed taxicab not equipped with a child passenger restraint.

Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Not addressed in statute

Ch. 90, § 7AA does not address transportation network companies.

Buses
Not addressed in statute

Ch. 90, § 7AA excludes a child riding as a passenger in a school bus; the statute does not address other buses.

Medical exemption
Exempt

Ch. 90, § 7AA excludes a child physically unable to use a conventional or special-needs restraint, certified in writing by a physician.

Out-of-state vehicles
Not addressed in statute

Ch. 90, § 7AA does not address nonresident drivers or out-of-state vehicles.

How Massachusetts compares

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

Compared with Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, Massachusetts differs on: rear-facing rules (from Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont), booster rules (from Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont), and front-seat rules (from Rhode Island and Vermont).

Law compared with the AAP recommendation

  • Massachusetts 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.
  • Massachusetts 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.
  • Massachusetts 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.
  • Massachusetts 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.

Guides covering Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

State law

Recommendations

Disclaimer

This page summarizes Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security before relying on anything here.