Car seat laws in each state
Knowing if a child should be in a car seat when traveling can be a headache. Each state has its own laws regarding how old a child must be before they don’t have to use a car seat or booster seat while in a vehicle, and the laws differ greatly: in one state, a child can be 5 years old and just fine in a regular adult seat belt, while in another, the child must be 9 years old before they can ride without a car- or booster-seat.
So here is a chart describing the car seat requirements for each state. Please realize that these requirements may change at any time, and this chart may not reflect current laws.
| State | Rear Facing Age | Rear Facing Weight (lbs.) | Car Seat Age | Car Seat Weight (lbs.) | Car Seat Height (in.) | Booster Age | Booster Seat Weight (lbs.) | Booster Height (in.) |
| Alabama | 1 | 20 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| Alaska | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| Arizona | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| Arkansas | 6 | 60 | 6 | 60 | ||||
| California | 6 | 60 | 6 | 60 | ||||
| Colorado | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 6 | 55 | ||
| Connecticut | 1 | 20 | 6 | 60 | 6 | 60 | ||
| Delaware | 6 | 60 | 8 | 66 | ||||
| District of Columbia | 8 | |||||||
| Florida | 3 | 5 | ||||||
| Georgia | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| Hawaii | 8 | 57 | ||||||
| Idaho | 1 | 4 | 6 | |||||
| Illinois | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| Indiana | 8 | 8 | 57 | |||||
| Iowa | 1 | 20 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| Kansas | 4 | 8 | 80 | 57 | ||||
| Kentucky | 40 | 7 | 50 | |||||
| Louisiana | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 60 | |||
| Maine | 40 | 8 | 80 | |||||
| Maryland | 6 | 40 | 8 | 65 | 57 | |||
| Massachusetts | 5 | 40 | 8 | 57 | ||||
| Michigan | 4 | 7 | 57 | |||||
| Minnesota | 1 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 57 | |||
| Mississippi | 4 | 7 | 65 | 57 | ||||
| Missouri | 4 | 40 | 7 | 80 | 57 | |||
| Montana | 6 | 60 | 6 | 60 | ||||
| Nebraska | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| Nevada | 6 | 60 | 6 | 60 | ||||
| New Hampshire | 6 | 55 | 6 | 55 | ||||
| New Jersey | 8 | 80 | 8 | 80 | ||||
| New Mexico | 1 | 6 | 60 | 6 | 60 | |||
| New York | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| North Carolina | 8 | 80 | 8 | 80 | ||||
| North Dakota | 7 | 7 | 80 | 57 | ||||
| Ohio | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 40 | 57 | |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| Oregon | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 57 | ||
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 8 | ||||||
| Rhode Island | 7 | 80 | 54 | 7 | 80 | 54 | ||
| South Carolina | 1 | 20 | 5 | 40 | 6 | 80 | ||
| South Dakota | 5 | 40 | ||||||
| Tennessee | 1 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 60 | 57 | ||
| Texas | 5 | 36 | 5 | 36 | ||||
| Utah | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 80 | 57 | |
| Vermont | 1 | 20 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Virginia | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| Washington | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 57 | ||
| West Virginia | 8 | 8 | 80 | 57 | ||||
| Wisconsin | 1 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 80 | 57 | |
| Wyoming | 1 | 20 | 8 | 8 | ||||