Booster seat requirements in District of Columbia
A car seat or booster until age 8.
District of Columbia sets no height or weight that ends the requirement early. Age is the only test.
- Rear facing until
- 24 months
- Seat belt alone from
- age 8
- First offense
- $75
Every figure on this page was read at D.C. Code §§ 50-1703, 50-1706 on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the District of Columbia booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps.
| Rule | Figure | What District of Columbia requires |
|---|---|---|
| Rear facing | under 24 months | Until 24 months (2 years). |
| Car seat or booster | under 8 years | Until age 8. |
| Adult seat belt alone | from 8 years | Lawful from age 8. |
| Penalty | $75 | $75 for a first offense. Condition A first offender chooses between the $75 fine and a child restraint safety class costing $25. A second offense is both: the class and the fine. A third is $125 and a fourth or later one $150. Violations are processed as moving violations and carry 2 points. The fine for a first violation of the restraint-seat requirement is waived on proof that a seat has since been acquired, by purchase, gift or a seat loan programme. |
Where this and size guidance disagree, follow the stricter one. A belt that crosses the neck rather than the middle of the chest is worse protection than a booster even where the statute allows it.
The statute
District of Columbia sets this in D.C. Code §§ 50-1703, 50-1706. Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in District of Columbia can set a stricter rule than the state one, and an officer enforces the text of the statute rather than a summary of it. Where this page and the statute differ, the statute is right and this page is a bug.
Where this comes from
- Statute
- D.C. Code §§ 50-1703, 50-1706
- Source
- code.dccouncil.gov
- Jurisdiction
- District of Columbia (DC), state law only
- Last reviewed
- 4 October 2026 0 days ago
- Read at the statute
- 4 October 2026
- Signed off by a person
- Not yet
- Amendment history
- D.C. Law 22-237, § 2, effective 13 March 2019