Rule Hub · Car SeatsUS child car seat laws, state by state

Nebraska car seat laws

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-6,267 · 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

In addition, all children up to two years of age shall use a rear-facing child passenger restraint system until the child outgrows the child passenger restraint system manufacturer's maximum allowable height or weight.

§ 60-6,267(1).

What the law sets

Rear-facing seat required by law
Yes
Rear-facing until age
2 years
Rear-facing until weight
Not addressed in statute

No number in § 60-6,267(1); the limit is the manufacturer's maximum allowable weight for the seat.

Rear-facing until height
Not addressed in statute

No number in § 60-6,267(1); the limit is the manufacturer's maximum allowable height for the seat.

Leaving rear-facing
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

A child leaves rear-facing at two, or earlier on outgrowing the seat's manufacturer height or weight limit.

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 § 60-6,267; the section requires a child passenger restraint system meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 for every child up to eight, and names only the rear-facing stage.

What the law sets

Forward-facing harness required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 60-6,267; the section requires a child passenger restraint system meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 for every child up to eight, and names only the rear-facing stage.

Harness until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 60-6,267.

Harness until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 60-6,267.

Harness until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 60-6,267.

Leaving the harness
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 60-6,267.

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 person in Nebraska who drives any motor vehicle which has or is required to have an occupant protection system or a three-point safety belt system shall ensure that all children up to eight years of age being transported by such vehicle (a) use a child passenger restraint system of a type which meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 as developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as such standard existed on January 1, 2009, and which is correctly installed in such vehicle and (b) occupy a seat or seats, other than a front seat, if such seat or seats are so equipped with such passenger restraint system and such seat or seats are not already occupied by a child or children under eight years of age.

§ 60-6,267(1). The statute does not name booster seats; it requires any child passenger restraint system, and these booster fields record when that requirement ends.

What the law sets

Booster required by law
Yes

Any child passenger restraint system meeting FMVSS 213 satisfies § 60-6,267(1); a booster is not specifically required.

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

Not set in § 60-6,267.

Booster until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in § 60-6,267.

Leaving the booster
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

Age is the only limit: the restraint requirement ends at eight.

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

Any person in Nebraska who drives any motor vehicle which has or is required to have an occupant protection system or a three-point safety belt system shall ensure that all children eight years of age and less than eighteen years of age being transported by such vehicle use an occupant protection system.

§ 60-6,267(2).

What the law sets

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

Not set in § 60-6,267.

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
Any person in Nebraska who drives any motor vehicle which has or is required to have an occupant protection system or a three-point safety belt system shall ensure that all children up to eight years of age being transported by such vehicle ... (b) occupy a seat or seats, other than a front seat, if such seat or seats are so equipped with such passenger restraint system and such seat or seats are not already occupied by a child or children under eight years of age.

§ 60-6,267(1)(b).

Minimum age for the front seat
8 years
Conditions
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.

Penalties

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

First offense — fine
$25

§ 60-6,268(1): an infraction as defined in § 29-431, fined $25 for each violation. Failing to provide a restraint for more than one child in the same vehicle at the same time is not a separate offense.

Repeat offense — fine
$25

§ 60-6,268(1) sets one $25 fine for every violation; there is no separate repeat penalty.

License points
1 point

§ 60-4,182(17) assigns 1 point to all other reported traffic violations. The exclusion that follows covers occupant protection or safety belt violations under § 60-6,270, not the child restraint rule in § 60-6,267.

Fine waiver
Not addressed in statute

Not set in §§ 60-6,267 or 60-6,268; there is no proof-of-seat waiver.

Exemptions

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

Taxis
Exempt

§ 60-6,267(3) excepts taxicabs from subsections (1) and (2).

Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Not addressed in statute

§ 60-6,267 does not name transportation network companies; whether the taxicab exception in § 60-6,267(3) reaches them is not stated.

Buses
Not addressed in statute

§ 60-6,267(3) applies the rule to vehicles equipped or required to be equipped under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 and excepts only taxicabs, mopeds, motorcycles and pre-1964 model vehicles without an occupant protection system; buses are not named.

Medical exemption
Exempt

§ 60-6,267(4) waives subsections (1) and (2) when a licensed physician determines a restraint would be harmful; the driver must carry the physician's signed statement.

Out-of-state vehicles
Not addressed in statute

§ 60-6,267 applies to "any person in Nebraska who drives any motor vehicle" and does not address nonresident drivers or out-of-state vehicles.

How Nebraska compares

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

Compared with Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming, Nebraska differs on: rear-facing rules (from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming), booster rules (from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming), and front-seat rules (from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming).

Law compared with the AAP recommendation

  • Nebraska law: a rear-facing seat is required until the child reaches age 2. 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.
  • Nebraska 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.
  • Nebraska law: a booster seat is required until the child reaches age 8. 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.
  • Nebraska law: a child may use the seat belt alone once reaching age 8. 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 Nebraska

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 Nebraska Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Office.

State law

Recommendations

Disclaimer

This page summarizes Nebraska 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 Nebraska Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Office before relying on anything here.