Booster seat requirements in Kentucky
A car seat or booster until age 8.
Unless the child is taller than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in), which ends the requirement whatever their age.
- Seat belt alone from
- age 8
- First offense
- $50
Every figure on this page was read at Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 189.125(3), 189.990(24)-(25) on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the Kentucky booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps.
| Rule | Figure | What Kentucky requires |
|---|---|---|
| Car seat or booster | under 8 years | Until age 8, unless the child is taller than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in). |
| Adult seat belt alone | from 8 years | Lawful from age 8, or once the child reaches more than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in). |
| Penalty | $50 | $50 for a first offense. Condition Two different fines. Fifty dollars for failing to use a child restraint system under KRS 189.125(3)(a), per KRS 189.990(24); thirty dollars for failing to use a booster seat under 189.125(3)(b), per 189.990(25). Both are prepayable and, unusually, both are exempt by statute from court costs and added fees. A first booster charge is dismissed with no fees or costs on proof that the driver has since acquired a conforming booster seat. |
Size ends the requirement, whichever comes first. A child who is taller than 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) is out of the booster in Kentucky whatever their age. A child who has not reached that stays in one until age 8. The size is an escape from the age rule rather than a second thing that also has to be true.
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
Kentucky sets this in Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 189.125(3), 189.990(24)-(25). Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in Kentucky 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
- Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 189.125(3), 189.990(24)-(25)
- Source
- apps.legislature.ky.gov
- Jurisdiction
- Kentucky (KY), 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
- 2016 Ky. Acts ch. 87, sec. 4, effective 15 July 2016