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Vermont car seat laws

23 V.S.A. § 1258 · 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

a child under two years of age shall be properly secured in a federally approved rear-facing child restraint system with a harness, as those terms are defined in 49 C.F.R. § 571.213, as may be amended;

23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(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

Not set in 23 V.S.A. § 1258.

Rear-facing until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in 23 V.S.A. § 1258.

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

a child under five years of age who is not properly secured in a federally approved rear-facing child restraint system in accordance with subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be properly secured in a forward-facing federally approved child restraint system with a harness until the child reaches the weight or height limit of the child restraint system as set by the manufacturer;

23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(2).

What the law sets

Forward-facing harness required by law
Yes
Harness until age
5 years
Harness until weight
Not addressed in statute

No number in 23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(2); the limit is the weight or height limit set by the seat manufacturer.

Harness until height
Not addressed in statute

No number in 23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(2); the limit is the weight or height limit set by the seat manufacturer.

Leaving the harness
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

A child leaves the harness at age five, or earlier on outgrowing the harness seat's manufacturer weight or height limit.

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 child under eight years of age who is not properly secured in a federally approved child restraint system in accordance with subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection shall be properly secured in a booster seat, as defined in 49 C.F.R. § 571.213, as may be amended;

23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(3).

What the law sets

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

Not set in 23 V.S.A. § 1258.

Booster until height
Not addressed in statute

Not set in 23 V.S.A. § 1258.

Leaving the booster
Meeting any one listed limit is enough

Age is the only limit: a child leaves the booster 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

a child under 18 years of age who is not properly secured in a federally approved child restraint system in accordance with subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of this subsection shall be restrained in a safety belt system

23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(4).

What the law sets

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

Not set in 23 V.S.A. § 1258.

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
a child under 13 years of age shall always, if practical, ride in a rear seat of a motor vehicle; and no child shall be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system in the front seat of a motor vehicle that is equipped with an active passenger-side airbag unless the airbag is deactivated.

23 V.S.A. § 1258(a)(5) and (6).

Minimum age for the front seat
13 years

Under 13 must ride in a rear seat "if practical".

Conditions
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.

Penalties

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

First offense — fine
$25

23 V.S.A. § 1258(c)(1): civil penalty of $25 for a first violation.

Repeat offense — fine
$50 – $100

$50 for a second violation and $100 for third and subsequent violations (23 V.S.A. § 1258(c)(2), (3)).

License points
Not listed

23 V.S.A. § 1258 sets no points and the point schedule in 23 V.S.A. § 2502 does not list § 1258. § 2502(a)(1)(FFF) assigns 2 points to other moving violations; neither section says whether a § 1258 violation is a moving violation. 23 V.S.A. § 4(44)(B) excludes § 1258 violations from the definition of "moving violation", so the § 2502 point schedule cannot reach them.

Fine waiver
Not addressed in statute

Not set in 23 V.S.A. § 1258.

Exemptions

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

Taxis
Exempt

23 V.S.A. § 1258(b)(1) excludes a vehicle regularly used to transport passengers for hire, except one owned or operated by a child care facility.

Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Not addressed in statute

23 V.S.A. § 1258 does not name transportation network companies; whether the for-hire exclusion in § 1258(b)(1) reaches them is not stated.

Buses
Not addressed in statute

23 V.S.A. § 1258(a) excludes a type I school bus; the statute does not address other buses.

Medical exemption
Not addressed in statute

23 V.S.A. § 1258 has no medical exemption.

Out-of-state vehicles
Not addressed in statute

23 V.S.A. § 1258 does not address nonresident drivers or out-of-state vehicles.

How Vermont compares

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

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

Law compared with the AAP recommendation

  • Vermont 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.
  • Vermont law: a forward-facing harness seat is required until the child reaches age 5. 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.
  • Vermont 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.
  • Vermont 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.

Recent changes

Guides covering Vermont

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 Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles.

State law

Recommendations

Disclaimer

This page summarizes Vermont 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 Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles before relying on anything here.