Car Seat Laws: State-By-State Table (December 2025)

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Federal vs. State Car Seat Laws

Both federal and state laws govern children’s car seats. However, the laws serve different purposes. Federal law sets safety standards for car seats, whereas state law dictates when children are required to be restrained in a car seat. Understanding these laws can help you avoid getting a child restraint violation.

Below is a breakdown of each state’s car seat laws:

Data updated in November 2025. Source: IIHS

Looking for more details?

The table above summarizes the main requirements, but each state often has additional details, exceptions and enforcement rules. To explore the full car seat laws in your state, use the interactive map and click on your state.

Reasons for Car Seat Laws

Tens of thousands of vehicle occupants die in the U.S. every year. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, car accident injuries are a leading cause of childhood death. Almost 600 children under 12 years old died in car crashes in 2022, while over 106,000 suffered car accident injuries.

Fortunately, there is a solution. Child safety restraints, including car seats and booster seats, reduce the risk of injury and death when used properly. When compared to seat belt use for young children:

• Car seats reduce the risk of injury by up to 82%
• Booster seats reduce the risk of serious injuries by 45% for children ages 4–8
• Booster seats reduce the risk of moderate to serious injuries for children ages 7–8

Based on these statistics, every state has passed child car seat laws.

Common Child Car Seat and Booster Seat Requirements

Child car seats fall into the following three types:

• Rear-facing car seats
• Forward-facing car seats
• Booster seats

Rear-facing car seats position the child on their back with their feet pointed toward the rear of the vehicle. An integral five-point harness goes over the child’s shoulders, across their chest, and around their waist.

By positioning the child on their back, the seat supports an infant’s weak neck. Equally importantly, in a collision, the infant slides into the shoulder straps of the five-point harness. These two features ensure the child will not suffer a neck injury from whiplash or get ejected from the seat.

Forward-facing car seats are similar to seat belts. The child sits on their buttocks in a car seat with bottom and back support. The back support includes a headrest and a five-point harness that goes over the child’s shoulders, across the child’s chest, and around their waist. The seat is secured to the vehicle using the seat belt or anchor points in the seat.

These systems are less effective than rear-facing seats because the child’s head can whip forward in a collision, causing neck or head injuries. Moreover, the child can slip through the harness if the driver fails to tighten the chest buckle or the child wears a heavy coat.

However, most children will outgrow rear-facing seats by their second birthday, and a forward-facing car seat can provide greater protection to passengers too small to use seat belts.

Most booster seats do not anchor to the vehicle. Instead, they lift the child high enough that the seat belt crosses the chest and hips rather than the neck and abdomen. Thus, boosters rely on the vehicle’s seat belt to restrain the child after repositioning them.

Although you should always check your state’s laws before purchasing and installing a car seat for your child, it may be helpful to understand these typical state baselines:

• Rear-Facing Car Seat: Up until at least age 2
• Front-Facing Car Seat: Up until about age 4
• Booster Seat: Up until about age 8 or a height of 4’9”
• Back Seat in Regular Seat Belt: Up until age 12 to 13

Although every state requires child car restraints, they vary widely in the requirements they impose. Some state laws include very precise language that leaves little room for interpretation. Others allow for more parental discretion.

For example, while many states set specific timelines for children to move from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat, South Dakota simply requires that kids under age five and under 40 pounds be restrained in an approved car seat. Once a child has reached 40 pounds, they may use a standard seat belt without a child safety seat, regardless of age.

Specific Car Seat Laws

Some states impose specific requirements about the type of seat required and when the child must use it. According to December 2025 data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), the majority of states have laws that specify at least one of the following:

• The age when the child can switch from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat
• The age when the child can move from a forward-facing seat to a booster
• The age when the child no longer needs a booster and can use the seat belts
• Whether the state has any height or weight exceptions to the age requirements
• Whether a car seat may be placed in the front seat since airbags can injure a child

According to the IIHS and HLDI chart, 37 states have detailed requirements about the seat the child must use. For example, Illinois law sets the following car seat and booster seat guidelines:

• Infants under two years must ride in rear-facing seats.
• Toddlers move to forward-facing seats when over two years, 40 pounds or 40 inches.
• Children switch to booster seats at seven years.
• Children use seat belts without boosters at eight years.

Drivers can violate car seat regulations by using no restraint or the wrong restraint for the child’s age and size.

The Gold Standard for Car Seat Safety

It’s important for parents to keep in mind that following a state’s car seat laws doesn’t always mean their child will be safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sets forth these additional guidelines for parents who want to keep their children as safe as possible:

Rear-Facing Car Seats

Many states only require kids to be in rear-facing car seats until the age of two. However, the AAP recommends allowing kids to stay in rear-facing seats as long as possible.

This usually means remaining in the seat until the child exceeds the manufacturer’s height and weight recommendations. Most rear-facing seats accommodate kids up to 50 pounds, so children can often stay in these seats until age five or six.

Forward-Facing Seats

Once a child is too big for a rear-facing seat, they may move to a forward-facing one. The AAP suggests that parents keep their kids in forward-facing seats until they are at least four years old.

Booster Seats

Ideally, kids should stay in forward-facing seats until they exceed the manufacturer’s height and weight limits. At that point, they can move to a booster seat. The AAP recommends that kids stay in booster seats until they are at least eight years old.

Even if a child is eight or older, though, they should be at least 4’9” tall. At this height, they can safely use a standard seat belt.

Tips for Car Seat Safety

Once you’ve purchased a car seat, you should install it in your vehicle according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you want to verify that your car seat is installed correctly, you can have it checked at a police station, fire station, hospital or AAA location.

Installing a car seat properly is important, but so is making sure it fits your child well. Using these tips can help you do so:

• Put the car seat in the rear of the vehicle.
• In a rear-facing car seat, shoulder straps must be at or just below the child’s shoulders.
• In a front-facing seat, shoulder straps should be at or just above the shoulders.
• The harness should be snug enough that you can’t pinch extra slack at the shoulder.
• Straps should lie flat.
• Remove winter coats and other bulky outerwear before putting your child in a car seat, as they can interfere with the fit.
• To keep your child warm, buckle them in and then put a warm blanket over the harness.

It’s also important to monitor for recalls on your child’s car seats. If you register your car seat with the manufacturer, you should be notified if there’s a recall. You can also sign up for alerts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA warns parents about defective products and car seat-related recalls.

Which States Have the Strictest Car Seat Laws?

Just as each state has different traffic laws, each is also free to set its own car seat laws. These laws vary substantially by state, and some are much stricter than others.

For example, Delaware, Michigan, Maine, Washington and Louisiana have detailed laws that closely follow recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

On the other end of the spectrum, some states have very lax laws. For instance, in Florida, children are not required to ride in car seats or booster seats once they reach the age of six.

General Car Seat Laws

The remaining 13 states take a different approach. These states do not specify a rear-facing car seat age, front-facing car seat age, or booster seat age. Instead, they simply identify the car seat age limit and leave it to the parents to determine the type of seat needed for their children.

For example, Texas only requires the driver to restrain children under seven years and 57 inches using a child restraint according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Thus, a parent will most likely be cited for violating the Texas child restraint law when they fail to use any car or booster seat for a child under seven years or 57 inches rather than their choice of seat.

Once state laws no longer require your child to be in a car seat, you may put them in a passenger seat. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends keeping your child in a car seat as long as they fit in the seat’s height and weight limits. The extra protection afforded by the car seat may prevent injury or death in an accident. Likewise, making sure your vehicle meets basic safety standards - such as having intact side mirrors - is another small but critical way to reduce risk and stay compliant with traffic laws in many states.

Are There Any Exceptions to Car Seat Laws?

There are a few exceptions to car seat laws. These are some common ones:

• Taxis and public transportation vehicles typically do not require car seats.
• Children on school buses do not need to be in car seats.
• If appropriate, a doctor may prescribe an alternative type of restraint.

It’s important to note that while taxi drivers do not have to follow child transport laws, rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber typically do require car seats. If you need to travel with a young child in a rideshare vehicle, you must bring your own car seat.

Penalties for Violating Car Seat Laws

Car seats were designed to protect children involved in auto accidents. Because parents who don’t use car seats are exposing their children to significant risks, they may face legal penalties. But the penalties aren’t as severe as you might expect. Depending on the state, parents may face a fine of $5 to $500 for failing to put a child in a car seat.

Consider a scenario in which you’re involved in a car accident that results in an injury to your child, and your insurance company discovers that your child was not in an appropriate car seat. In that case, they might deny some or all of your insurance claim. That may mean you’re responsible for your child’s medical bills.

Learn More From ConsumerShield

Compliance with car seat laws can affect claims for car accidents in many states. ConsumerShield can review your situation and refer you to a personal injury lawyer to advise you about your rights. Contact us for a free case review.