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New Hampshire car seat laws

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 265:107-a · 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

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any way while carrying as a passenger a person less than 2 years of age unless such passenger is properly fastened and secured by a rear facing child restraint system which is in accordance with safety standards.

RSA 265:107-a, I-c.

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

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Rear-facing until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Leaving rear-facing
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

Age is the only limit: a child may leave rear-facing at two.

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 RSA 265:107-a; paragraph I-b requires a child restraint system under age 7 but sets no forward-facing or harness rule.

What the law sets

Forward-facing harness required by law
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a; paragraph I-b requires a child restraint system under age 7 but sets no forward-facing or harness rule.

Harness until age
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Harness until weight
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Harness until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Leaving the harness
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

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

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any way while carrying as a passenger a person less than 7 years of age unless such passenger is properly fastened and secured by a child restraint system which is in accordance with the safety standards approved by the United States Department of Transportation in 49 C.F.R. section 571.213. If the passenger is 57 inches or more in height, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply. Each child restraint system shall be used in accordance with its manufacturer instructions, including manufacturer height and weight limits, proper attachment to the vehicle, correct securement of the child, and expiry dates.

RSA 265:107-a, I-b. The statute does not name booster seats; it requires any child restraint system, and these booster fields record when that requirement ends.

What the law sets

Booster required by law
Yes

Any child restraint system satisfies RSA 265:107-a, I-b; a booster is not specifically required.

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

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Booster until height
57 in (4 ft 9 in)

A child 57 inches or more in height is not covered.

Leaving the booster
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

A child leaves the requirement on turning seven or on reaching 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

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any way while carrying as a passenger a person less than 18 years of age unless such person is wearing a seat or safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened.

RSA 265:107-a, I.

What the law sets

Seat belt alone from age
7 years
Seat belt alone from height
57 in (4 ft 9 in)
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 RSA 265:107-a.

Minimum age for the front seat
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in RSA 265:107-a.

Conditions
Not addressed in statute

No front-seat provision in RSA 265:107-a.

Penalties

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

First offense — fine
$50

RSA 265:107-a, III(a): $50 for a first offense.

Repeat offense — fine
$100

RSA 265:107-a, III(b): $100 for a second or subsequent offense.

License points
None

RSA 265:107-a sets no points, and the demerit point schedule in N.H. Admin. R. Saf-C 212.03 does not list RSA 265:107-a.

Fine waiver
Not addressed in statute

Not set in RSA 265:107-a.

Exemptions

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

Taxis
Exempt

RSA 265:107-a, II excludes a vehicle regularly used to transport passengers for hire.

Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Not addressed in statute

RSA 265:107-a does not name transportation network companies; whether the for-hire exclusion in paragraph II reaches them is not stated.

Buses
Not addressed in statute

RSA 265:107-a, II excludes school buses over 10,000 pounds and school buses under 10,000 pounds built without safety belts; the statute does not address other buses.

Medical exemption
Not addressed in statute

RSA 265:107-a has no medical exemption; paragraph II excludes a child with an individualized education program statement contraindicating restraints.

Out-of-state vehicles
Not addressed in statute

RSA 265:107-a does not address nonresident drivers or out-of-state vehicles.

How New Hampshire compares

New Hampshire is tied for 39th of 47 jurisdictions with a numeric booster age: 3 jurisdictions, including New Hampshire, require a booster until age 7.

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

Law compared with the AAP recommendation

  • New Hampshire 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.
  • New Hampshire 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.
  • New Hampshire law: a booster seat is required until the child reaches age 7 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.
  • New Hampshire law: a child may use the seat belt alone once reaching age 7 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 New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety.

State law

Recommendations

Disclaimer

This page summarizes New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety before relying on anything here.