Michigan Car Seat and Booster Seat Laws by Age, Height and Weight

Last verified: October 26, 2026 against MCL 257.710d, MCL 257.710e, MCL 257.907, 2024 PA 21, 2024 PA 22, ORC 4511.81, 625 ILCS 25/4 and Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning guidance

Michigan car seat laws changed on April 2, 2025. The state now sets steps by age and by the limits printed on your seat, and it keeps children under 13 in the back seat when the vehicle has one.

This page explains the car seat law in Michigan stage by stage, how the booster seat law works, what the front seat rule says, and what happens if you are ticketed.

What are the car seat laws in Michigan?

Michigan requires every driver to secure a child in a federally approved child restraint system. The rule sits in MCL 257.710d, and the system must meet the standard in 49 CFR 571.213.

Since April 2, 2025, the law follows a clear ladder. Each step lasts until the child hits the seat’s manufacturer limit or the age shown below, so read the labels on your seat.

Stage	Seat type	Required until
Infants and toddlers	Rear-facing seat	The seat’s weight or height limit, or age 2
Toddlers and preschoolers	Forward-facing seat with internal harness	The seat’s weight or height limit, or age 5
Young school-age children	Belt-positioning booster with lap and shoulder belt	4 feet 9 inches tall, or age 8
Older children under 13	Properly adjusted and fastened safety belt	Age 13, riding in the rear seat if there is one
Ages 13 to under 16	Safety belt, driver responsible	Age 16, under MCL 257.710e

The legislature also recommends keeping a child in each restraint for as long as they fit within the seat’s limits, even past the legal minimum.

What is the booster seat law in Michigan?

Children from age 5 until they reach 4 feet 9 inches or turn 8 must ride in a belt-positioning booster used with a lap and shoulder belt. That is the Michigan booster seat law in one sentence.

The two limits work together. A child who turns 8 but is still short of 4 feet 9 inches has met the legal minimum, but a booster may still fit better than the vehicle belt alone. A tall 7-year-old can also be past the height limit, so the seat’s own labels and the child’s fit matter.

How to tell if the seat belt fits

• The lap belt lies low across the upper thighs, not across the stomach.
• The shoulder belt crosses the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or face.
• The child’s back rests against the seat and the knees bend at the edge of the seat cushion.
• The child can stay seated that way for the whole trip.

Booster seats only work with a lap and shoulder belt. Do not use one with a lap-only belt.

What is the Michigan front seat law?

Children under 13 must ride in the rear seat if the vehicle has one. This rule applies to child restraints and to older children who have outgrown the booster.

A child may ride in the front only if every rear seat is already occupied by children. A rear-facing seat may go in the front only if the front passenger airbag is turned off. Many pickup trucks and two-seat cars have no usable back seat, so the airbag switch matters there.

If an older article says the front seat is fine at age 8, check its date against the April 2, 2025 update.

Seat belts for children ages 8 to 15

A child who has outgrown the booster but is under 13 must wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt, and ride in the back seat if there is one. This is the last stage of the Michigan child seat law.

For children 13 to under 16, MCL 257.710e puts the duty on the driver. The child must be belted unless there are more children than belts and all other belts are in use. A child may also ride unbelted in the front of a pickup with no extended cab or jump seat only if all front belts are already in use.

Adults and teens 16 and older in the front seat must also wear a belt. Michigan treats failure to buckle as a civil infraction, and the $25 combined fine and court costs for adults is set in MCL 257.907.

Exceptions to the car seat law

The child restraint rule does not apply to buses, school buses, taxicabs, mopeds, motorcycles, or other vehicles that federal law does not require to have safety belts.

The Secretary of State can also exempt a class of children by rule when a required seat is impractical because of a physical condition, medical problem or body size. If your child has a medical need, talk to the pediatrician and a certified child passenger safety technician before changing how the child rides.

What happens if you break the Michigan car seat law?

A car seat violation is a civil infraction, not a crime. You will not get points on your license, and the violation is not reported to the Secretary of State.

Item	What the law says
Type of violation	Civil infraction under MCL 257.710d
Maximum civil fine	$10 under MCL 257.907, plus any court costs and assessments the court adds
Driver license points	None
Reported to Secretary of State	No abstract is sent
Adult seat belt ticket	$25 fine and court costs combined under MCL 257.907 for a violation of MCL 257.710e

Courts can waive the fine, costs and assessments if you show proof that you obtained a required seat. Under 2024 PA 22, a companion to 2024 PA 21, you must also show proof of education from a certified child passenger safety technician. See MCL 257.907.

The small fine does not reduce the real risk. Child restraints exist to prevent injury in a crash, and a loose or wrong seat is the problem the law is aimed at.

Michigan timeline: how the rules changed

Date	Change	Source
March 31, 1982	Child restraint requirement first takes effect	MCL 257.710d history, 1981 PA 117
March 10, 2000	Earlier update to the child restraint and belt rules	1999 PA 29
June 26, 2009	Amendment takes immediate effect	2009 PA 57
April 2, 2025	Age-and-limit stages, rear-seat rule for children under 13, and belt rule for ages 13 to 15	2024 PA 21

Myths vs. facts about Michigan car seat laws

Myth	Fact
Once a child turns 8, a booster is never needed.	The legal minimum ends at age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches, whichever comes first, but fit still matters.
A child can ride in front once they are out of a booster.	Children under 13 must ride in the back seat when the vehicle has one.
Rear-facing ends at the first birthday.	Rear-facing is required until the seat limit or age 2.
There are points for a car seat ticket.	There are no points and no abstract to the Secretary of State.
A child who turns 8 can skip every seat.	A child who has outgrown the booster still needs a properly fitted safety belt, in the back seat if the vehicle has one.

How Michigan compares with nearby states

Ohio, which borders Michigan, requires a booster for children under 8 who are also under 4 feet 9 inches, under ORC 4511.81. Ohio treats a first violation as a minor misdemeanor with a $25 to $75 fine, which is steeper than Michigan’s civil infraction. If you drive across the border with kids, follow the stricter rule of the state you are in.

Frequently asked questions

What is the car seat law in Michigan?

Michigan law requires children to ride in a federally approved restraint matched to age and size. That means rear-facing to age 2 or the seat limit, forward-facing with a harness to age 5 or the limit, then a booster to 4 feet 9 inches or age 8. Children under 13 ride in the rear seat if one exists.

What is the booster seat law in Michigan?

A child must use a belt-positioning booster with a lap and shoulder belt from the end of the harness stage until they reach 4 feet 9 inches tall or turn 8, whichever comes first. The booster must be used with a vehicle lap and shoulder belt, never with a lap-only belt.

What age can a child sit in the front seat in Michigan?

Children under 13 must ride in the rear seat if the vehicle has one. A child can sit in front only when every rear seat is occupied by children, or when the vehicle has no rear seat. A rear-facing seat in front requires the passenger airbag to be turned off.

Do Michigan car seat laws apply to taxis and buses?

The child restraint section does not apply to buses, school buses, taxicabs, mopeds, motorcycles or other vehicles that federal law does not require to have safety belts. The crash risk is the same, though, so a seat is still the safer choice when you can bring one.

Can I get a ticket if my child is in the wrong seat?

Yes. A violation is a civil infraction. The fine is capped at $10 under state law, with no license points, though court costs may apply. A court can waive the fine with proof you obtained a proper seat and completed education from a certified technician.

How do I know if my seat is installed correctly?

Check the manual and the labels on the seat, then have a certified child passenger safety technician inspect it. The Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning points parents to technician search tools, Safe Kids events and the NHTSA fitting station locator at Michigan.gov/carseats.

What are the Michigan car seat laws for 2026?

The rules from 2024 PA 21 are still the current ones. They took effect April 2, 2025, and our review of the statute text on October 26, 2026 shows the same stages for age, height, weight and the rear-seat rule.

What changed on this page

If this affects you