Booster seat requirements in Ohio
A car seat or booster until age 8.
Unless the child is at least 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) tall.
Condition Division (A) sits underneath this and has no age ceiling on its weight limb: a child under 40 pounds needs a full child restraint system at any age, not a booster.
- Seat belt alone from
- age 8
- First offense
- $25
Every figure on this page was read at Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.81 on 4 October 2026. Read the statute
What the Ohio booster seat law says
The stages below are separate rules in the statute, not one rule in steps.
| Rule | Figure | What Ohio requires |
|---|---|---|
| Car seat or booster | under 8 years | Until age 8, unless the child is at least 57 inches (4 ft 9 in) tall. Condition Division (A) sits underneath this and has no age ceiling on its weight limb: a child under 40 pounds needs a full child restraint system at any age, not a booster. |
| Adult seat belt alone | from 8 years | Lawful from age 8, or once the child reaches 57 inches (4 ft 9 in). |
| Penalty | $25 | $25 for a first offense. Condition A minor misdemeanor, fined not less than $25 and not more than $75 under (L)(1)(a), rising to a fourth degree misdemeanor on a repeat. Several children unrestrained at the same time and place is one violation. Division (E) bars a stop made solely to check the booster or belt rules in (C) and (D). Fines go to the child highway safety fund. |
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
Ohio sets this in Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.81. Read it at the source.
This is information, not legal advice. A city or county in Ohio 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
- Ohio Rev. Code § 4511.81
- Source
- codes.ohio.gov
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio (OH), 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
- S.B. 196, 135th General Assembly, effective 20 March 2025