Alaska Car Seat Laws (2026): 5 Stages & Penalties

Alaska runs a five-stage restraint law under AS 28.05.095: rear-facing for every child under 1 (and for a 1-year-old still under 20 pounds), a child restraint device with no orientation specified from 1 to 4, a mandatory booster from 4 to 8 while a child stays at least 20 pounds and under 57 inches and 65 pounds, a seat belt for anyone over 4 who exceeds those numbers, and a driver's-choice device-or-belt stage for ages 8 to 15 who are still below the booster thresholds. 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 Alaska only. It does not address any other state. For other states, see the car seat laws hub.

Rear-facing: the statute's disjunctive rule

AS 28.05.095(b)(1) covers "a child who is less than one year of age or a child one year of age or older who weighs less than 20 pounds." Read carefully, this is two separate triggers joined by "or," not a combined age-and-weight test: every child under 1 must ride rear-facing no matter how much they weigh, and separately, any child who has turned 1 but still weighs under 20 pounds must also ride rear-facing. The rear-facing requirement ends only once a child is both 1 or older and at least 20 pounds.

Child restraint device: age 1 to under 4, no orientation specified

Once a child ages out of the rear-facing stage, § (b)(2) requires that a child "one or more years of age but less than four years of age who weighs 20 pounds or more shall be properly secured in a child restraint device." The statute does not specify an orientation for this device, so it is not accurate to call this a "forward-facing" stage; the seat's own manufacturer instructions, not AS 28.05.095, set whether the device faces forward or rearward at this age.

Booster: the statute's four-condition stage

Section (b)(3) is genuinely conjunctive, not a simple age cutoff: a child "over four years of age but less than eight years of age who is less than 57 inches in height and weighs 20 or more pounds but less than 65 pounds shall be properly secured in a booster seat." All four conditions, age, height, and weight (a floor and a ceiling), apply together. A child who is 5 years old but has already grown past 57 inches or 65 pounds falls out of this booster mandate and into the seat-belt stage below, even though they are still under 8.

Seat belt: once a child over 4 outgrows the booster thresholds

Section (b)(4) covers a child "over four years of age who exceeds the height or weight requirements in (3) of this subsection," requiring only that the child "be properly secured in a seat belt." This stage is triggered by size, not by a fixed age, once the child is older than 4.

Ages 8-15: a driver's-choice stage most families don't expect

A less commonly cited part of the statute, (b)(5), covers a child "eight years of age but less than 16 years of age who does not exceed the height and weight requirements in (3) of this subsection." For that child, the law requires "a child safety device approved for a child of that size by the United States Department of Transportation or in a safety belt, whichever is appropriate for the particular child as determined solely by the driver." In other words, a smaller 8-to-15-year-old who still fits the booster-size window isn't required to use a booster the way a 4-to-7-year-old in the same size range is; the statute leaves the choice between a safety device and a seat belt to the driver.

No statutory front-seat or airbag rule

Alaska's restraint statute, AS 28.05.095, has no front-seat placement or airbag language anywhere in subsections (a) through (f). Advice to keep a rear-facing seat out of the front seat near an active airbag is a manufacturer and safety-advocate recommendation, not an Alaska legal requirement.

Exemptions

Section (c) exempts several categories from the restraint requirements: passengers on a school bus, unless that bus is required by U.S. Department of Transportation rule to carry seat belts, and occupants of an emergency vehicle; a vehicle operator delivering mail or newspapers from inside the vehicle to roadside boxes, in the course of employment; a person who would otherwise be covered but whose vehicle isn't equipped with safety belts at all; and operators or passengers of motorcycles, off-highway vehicles, electric personal mobility vehicles, snowmobiles, and similar vehicles not built for highway use. Section (c)(3) recognizes one further category: a person or class of persons the commissioner of public safety has exempted by regulation under AS 28.05.096. That statute does not create a self-executing medical exemption; it only authorizes the commissioner to adopt regulations exempting people for whom a physical or medical condition makes using a safety belt or child safety device impractical, and only if the commissioner also specifies an alternative means of protection. A driver is exempt on medical grounds only if such a regulation actually reaches them, not simply because a medical condition exists.

Penalty

A violation of the (b) restraint requirements is an infraction under AS 28.05.099(b), carrying a fine of up to $50, plus demerit points assessed under DMV regulations (the point total itself isn't fixed in the penalty statute). The court will dismiss the case if the driver, within 30 days, presents proof of purchase or acquisition, and installation, of an approved child safety device or safety belt, unless the driver has a prior conviction or forfeiture for the same violation, or has already used this proof-of-purchase relief once before.

Leaving a child unattended: an open legal question

Alaska has general child-endangerment statutes, but none of them specifically criminalizes leaving a child unattended in a vehicle: one commonly cited endangerment provision is triggered only by a caregiver storing controlled substances where a child under 10 can reach them or being impaired by an intoxicant with no other capable adult present, not simply by leaving a child alone in a car. Whether a different Alaska statute reaches an ordinary unattended-vehicle scenario is an open question. Parents should check current Alaska law directly rather than assume a specific unattended-child offense applies.

Federal guidance vs. Alaska law

The federal standard governing car seats as products, FMVSS 213 (49 CFR 571.213), sets construction and crash-test requirements a seat must meet before it can be sold; it does not dictate how an Alaska parent must use the seat day to day. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 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 in practice often extends well past Alaska's age-1/20-pound statutory floor, and moving through each later stage only once the child outgrows it. That is safety guidance, not a legal requirement; Alaska's own age, height, and weight numbers in AS 28.05.095 are what the statute actually requires.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Alaska'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 Alaska about a specific situation.

Related Alaska traffic law pages

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

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can a child in Alaska stop riding rear-facing?

Not until the child is both at least one year old and at least 20 pounds. A child under one must ride rear-facing regardless of weight, and a one-year-old who is still under 20 pounds must also ride rear-facing, under AS 28.05.095(b)(1).

Does Alaska require a booster seat for older kids, like 10-year-olds?

The mandatory booster stage in AS 28.05.095(b)(3) applies only from age 4 to under 8. For ages 8 through 15, a separate provision, (b)(5), lets the driver choose between an approved child safety device and a seat belt if the child still hasn't exceeded 57 inches and 65 pounds.

What is the fine for a car seat violation in Alaska?

It's an infraction carrying a fine of up to $50 under AS 28.05.099(b), plus DMV demerit points. The court will dismiss the case if the driver proves, within 30 days, that they purchased or acquired, and installed, a conforming child safety device or safety belt, unless that relief was already used before.

Is it illegal to put a rear-facing car seat in the front seat in Alaska?

Alaska's restraint statute has no front-seat or airbag provision at all. Avoiding the front seat with a rear-facing restraint near an active airbag is a safety recommendation, not an Alaska legal requirement.

Can a school bus passenger in Alaska skip the car seat law?

Yes, unless the school bus is required by federal rule to have seat belts installed, school bus passengers are exempt from AS 28.05.095, along with emergency-vehicle occupants, certain delivery drivers, and motorcycle or off-highway vehicle occupants.