Booster seat requirements in Hawaii
A car seat or booster until age 10.
Unless the child has turned 7 and is taller than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in).
- Rear facing until
- 24 months
- Seat belt alone from
- age 10
- First offense
- $100
Every figure on this page was read at Haw. Rev. Stat. § 291-11.5 on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the Hawaii booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps.
| Rule | Figure | What Hawaii requires |
|---|---|---|
| Rear facing | under 24 months | Until 24 months (2 years). |
| Car seat or booster | under 10 years | Until age 10, unless the child has turned 7 and is taller than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in). |
| Adult seat belt alone | from 10 years | Lawful from age 10, or once the child has turned 7 and reaches more than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in). |
| Penalty | $100 | $100 for a first offense. Condition An offense under § 701-107(5). A first conviction is a fine of not more than $100, a mandatory child restraint safety class of up to four hours approved by the judiciary’s division of driver education, a $50 driver education assessment, a $10 neurotrauma special fund surcharge and, if the court orders it, up to $10 more for the trauma system special fund. A second conviction within three years is $250 to $500 plus those add-ons, and a third or later one within three years is $500 to $800. The real first-offense cost is therefore well above the headline $100. |
Size alone is not enough here, and age alone is not either. A child in Hawaii needs both: the requirement runs to age 10, and only a child who has turned 7 and is taller than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) is out of it any earlier. A child below age 7 stays in a booster no matter how tall or heavy they are.
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
Hawaii sets this in Haw. Rev. Stat. § 291-11.5. Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in Hawaii 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
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 291-11.5
- Source
- data.capitol.hawaii.gov
- Jurisdiction
- Hawaii (HI), 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
- L 2022, c 122, § 1