Michigan Car Seat Laws (2026): Ages, Booster & Penalty

Michigan requires a rear-facing car seat until a child turns 2 (or outgrows the seat's own manufacturer limits, whichever comes first), then a forward-facing harness seat until 5, then a booster until age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches, under MCL 257.710d. The statute also requires rear seating whenever the vehicle has a rear seat. This page reflects the statute's text as of September 2026.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers car seat and child-restraint law in the state of Michigan only. It does not address any other state. For other states, see the car seat laws hub.

Rear-facing: birth until 2 or the seat's own limit

Section 710d(2)(a) requires a rear-facing child restraint system until the child meets either of two conditions: reaching the weight or height limit the seat's own manufacturer has set, or turning 2 years old. Because the statute uses "either," a child who outgrows the seat's manufacturer limit before turning 2 can move on early, and a child who is small for their age can stay rear-facing past 2 under the same seat if it still fits, up to whatever the seat itself allows. Michigan's law sets the age-2 floor; it doesn't set an outer limit on how long a family may keep a child rear-facing. This staging is recent: the tie-barred 2024 PA 21 (House Bill 4511), effective April 2, 2025, rewrote section 710d to extend restraint coverage from under-4 to under-8 and create this age/height/weight staging; it did not exist before that date.

Forward-facing harness: after rear-facing, until 5 or the seat's own limit

Once a child exits the rear-facing stage, section 710d(2)(b) requires a forward-facing restraint system with an internal harness, again until either the seat's manufacturer weight or height limit is reached or the child turns 5. The same either/or structure applies: whichever threshold arrives first ends this stage.

Booster: after forward-facing, until 8 or 4'9"

Section 710d(2)(c) then requires a belt-positioning booster seat secured with the vehicle's lap-shoulder belt, until the child reaches 4 feet 9 inches in height or turns 8, whichever comes first. Once a child clears the booster stage but is still under 13, section 710d(4) itself keeps governing: the child must wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt and still ride in a rear seat if the vehicle has one (front seat only if all rear seats are occupied by children). Michigan's general seat belt law, section 710e, takes over only at 13.

Where the child restraint sits in the vehicle

Section 710d(2) requires a driver to position the child restraint system in a rear seat if the vehicle is equipped with one. A child may be positioned in the front seat only if all available rear seats are already occupied by children. A child in a rear-facing child restraint system may be placed in the front seat only if the front passenger air bag is deactivated. That same rear-seat rule carries over to the post-booster, under-13 seat belt stage under 710d(4).

Exemptions

Section 710d(6) exempts buses, school buses, taxicabs, mopeds, motorcycles, and any other motor vehicle that federal law or regulations do not require to be equipped with safety belts in the first place. The statute doesn't carve out a separate physician-certification exemption in its own text; a medical exception, if one exists, runs through the Secretary of State's rulemaking authority rather than a self-executing doctor's note provision written into 710d itself.

Penalty and the 2024 change to the fine waiver

A violation of MCL 257.710d is a civil infraction, and the civil fine itself is capped at $10 under MCL 257.907(2)(n), among the smallest car seat fine caps in the country. That $10 figure is not the full exposure: a court may also tax costs of up to $100 under 907(4), and must add a $40 justice system assessment under 907(12) in most cases (the assessment does not apply when the total fine and costs come to $10 or less).

A court has long been able to waive that fine, cost, or assessment under 907(11) on evidence, supplied before the appearance date on the citation, that the driver acquired, purchased, or rented a child seating system meeting 710d's requirements. That waiver isn't new. What changed is 2024 PA 22, effective April 2, 2025: it added a second requirement to the same waiver, evidence that the driver also received education from a certified child passenger safety technician. The amendment narrowed an existing waiver route; it didn't create the waiver itself. It is the staging itself, not the waiver, that is new: the tie-barred 2024 PA 21 (House Bill 4511), also effective April 2, 2025, created the age-2 rear-facing threshold, the age-5 forward-facing threshold, and the age-8/4'9" booster threshold described above and extended restraint coverage from under-4 to under-8.

Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle

Michigan has a dedicated unattended-child statute, MCL 750.135a, separate from the restraint law above. It covers a "child," defined as an individual less than 6 years of age, and prohibits a person responsible for that child's care from leaving the child unattended in a vehicle "for a period of time or under circumstances posing an unreasonable risk of harm or injury." That's a contextual standard, not a fixed number of minutes. Penalties scale with outcome: a base misdemeanor if no injury results (up to 93 days and a $500 fine), an enhanced misdemeanor if the child suffers non-serious physical harm (up to 1 year and $1,000), a felony if the child suffers serious physical harm (up to 10 years and $5,000), and a felony if the child dies (up to 15 years and $10,000).

Federal guidance vs. Michigan law

The federal standard governing car seats as products, FMVSS 213 (49 CFR 571.213), regulates what a manufacturer may sell, not how a driver must use the seat; Michigan's own statute, described above, sets the use requirement. NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics separately recommend keeping a child rear-facing as long as the seat's own height and weight limits allow, which can mean well past age 2. That's safety guidance, not a separate legal floor, and it can call for a longer rear-facing period than Michigan's own age-2 threshold requires. A newer federal side-impact standard for car seats themselves, FMVSS 213a/213b, becomes mandatory for manufacturers on December 5, 2026; it changes what a seat must be built to withstand, not what Michigan law requires a driver to do.

Related Michigan traffic law pages

• Michigan DUI laws
• Michigan window tint laws
• Car seat laws in every state

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Michigan's car seat law as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Statutes, exemptions, and penalties change; verify the current text of the law before relying on it, and talk to a lawyer licensed in Michigan about a specific situation.

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-09-16. Last updated: 2026-09-16.

Frequently Asked Questions

Until what age does a child need a car seat in Michigan?

A child needs a rear-facing seat until 2 (or the seat's manufacturer limit, if earlier), then a forward-facing harness seat until 5, then a booster until 8 or 4 feet 9 inches, under MCL 257.710d.

When can a child face forward in a car seat in Michigan?

At age 2, or earlier if the child reaches the rear-facing seat's own manufacturer weight or height limit first, under MCL 257.710d(2)(a).

Does Michigan require a child restraint to go in the back seat?

Yes. Section 710d(2) requires the child restraint to be positioned in a rear seat if the vehicle has one. The front seat is allowed only if all available rear seats are already occupied by children, and a rear-facing seat may go in front only if the front passenger air bag is deactivated. The same rear-seat rule applies to belted children under 13 under 710d(4).

Can you get a Michigan car seat fine waived?

Yes. A court can waive the fine, cost, and assessment on proof, supplied before the appearance date on the citation, that the driver acquired a child seating system. As of 2024 PA 22, effective April 2, 2025, the waiver also requires proof the driver received education from a certified child passenger safety technician.

What is the penalty for a car seat violation in Michigan?

It's a civil infraction with a civil fine capped at $10 under MCL 257.907(2)(n), one of the lowest fine caps in the country. A court can also tax costs of up to $100 and, in most cases, add a $40 justice system assessment.

Is it illegal to leave a young child alone in a car in Michigan?

Yes. MCL 750.135a makes it a crime to leave a child under 6 unattended in a vehicle for a period of time or under circumstances posing an unreasonable risk of harm. Penalties range from a 93-day misdemeanor up to a 15-year felony depending on whether the child is injured or killed.