Booster seat requirements in Iowa
A car seat or booster until age 6.
Iowa sets no height or weight that ends the requirement early. Age is the only test.
- Rear facing until
- 12 months
- Seat belt alone from
- age 6
- First offense
- $135
Every figure on this page was read at Iowa Code §§ 321.446, 805.8A(14)(c)(2) on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the Iowa booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps.
| Rule | Figure | What Iowa requires |
|---|---|---|
| Rear facing | under 12 months | Until 12 months (1 year), unless the child weighs at least 20 lb. |
| Car seat or booster | under 6 years | Until age 6. |
| Adult seat belt alone | from 6 years | Lawful from age 6. |
| Penalty | $135 | $135 for a first offense. Condition A simple misdemeanor charged as a scheduled violation under Iowa Code § 805.8A(14)(c)(2), where the scheduled fine is set at one hundred and thirty-five dollars. A first charge under subsection 1 cannot be convicted if the driver produces proof in court, within a reasonable time, of having since bought a conforming child restraint system. For a passenger aged fourteen or over the citation goes to the passenger rather than the driver. |
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
Iowa sets this in Iowa Code §§ 321.446, 805.8A(14)(c)(2). Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in Iowa 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
- Iowa Code §§ 321.446, 805.8A(14)(c)(2)
- Source
- www.legis.iowa.gov
- Jurisdiction
- Iowa (IA), 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
- 2022 Acts, ch 1066, §43