Booster seat requirements in New Jersey
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
- Back seat until
- age 8 conditions
- Seat belt alone from
- age 8
- First offense
- $50
Every figure on this page was read at N.J. Stat. Ann. § 39:3-76.2a on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the New Jersey booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps. The back seat requirement and the restraint requirement are different obligations, and a child can be caught by both at once.
| Rule | Figure | What New Jersey requires |
|---|---|---|
| Rear facing | under 24 months | Until 24 months (2 years), unless the child weighs at least 30 lb. |
| Car seat or booster | under 8 years | Until age 8, unless the child is at least 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) tall. |
| Back seat | under 8 years | Required for a child under age 8. Condition Ends at 57 inches as well as at eight. Front seat permitted only where the vehicle has no rear seats, and never for a rear facing seat unless the passenger side airbag is off. |
| 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 Not less than $50 and not more than $75, under § 39:3-76.2d as last amended by P.L.2015, c.50, s.3. The higher second offense figures in wide circulation come from A3877 of 2018, which was introduced and not enacted. |
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 New Jersey 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
New Jersey sets this in N.J. Stat. Ann. § 39:3-76.2a. Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in New Jersey 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
- N.J. Stat. Ann. § 39:3-76.2a
- Source
- pub.njleg.gov
- Jurisdiction
- New Jersey (NJ), 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
- P.L.2015, c.50, s.1, approved 7 May 2015, effective the first day of the fourth month following enactment