Booster seat requirements in Maryland
A car seat or booster until age 8.
Unless the child is at least 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) tall, which ends the requirement whatever their age.
- Rear facing until
- 24 months
- Seat belt alone from
- age 8
- First offense
- $50
Every figure on this page was read at Md. Code Ann., Transp. § 22-412.2 on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the Maryland booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps.
| Rule | Figure | What Maryland requires |
|---|---|---|
| Rear facing | under 24 months | Until 24 months (2 years). |
| Car seat or booster | under 8 years | Until age 8, unless the child is at least 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) tall. |
| Adult seat belt alone | from 8 years | Lawful from age 8, or once the child reaches 57 inches (4 ft 9 in). |
| Penalty | $50 | $50 for a first offense. Condition Fifty dollars under § 22-412.2(k)(1)(i), and not a moving violation for points purposes. A first violation of the rear facing rule specifically draws a written warning instead of a fine. A judge may waive the fine where the driver had no seat at the time, acquires one before the hearing and shows the court proof. Failing to provide a seat or belt for several children in the same vehicle at once is treated as a single violation. |
Size ends the requirement, whichever comes first. A child who is at least 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) tall is out of the booster in Maryland 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
Maryland sets this in Md. Code Ann., Transp. § 22-412.2. Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in Maryland 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
- Md. Code Ann., Transp. § 22-412.2
- Source
- mgaleg.maryland.gov
- Jurisdiction
- Maryland (MD), 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 Md. Laws, Ch. 232 (SB 176), approved 21 April 2022, effective 1 October 2022