Nebraska Car Seat Laws (2026): Ages, Front Seat & Penalty

Nebraska requires a rear-facing seat until age 2, then a child passenger restraint system in a seat other than the front seat through age 7, then an occupant protection system (seat belt) starting at 8, under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-6,267. 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 Nebraska only. It does not address any other state. For other states, see the car seat laws hub.

Rear-facing through age 2 or the seat's own limit

Section 60-6,267(1) requires every child up to age 2 to use a rear-facing child passenger restraint system, until the child outgrows that seat's own manufacturer maximum allowable height or weight. Whichever of those two limits arrives first ends the rear-facing requirement.

Age 2 through 7: restraint system, and the front-seat limit

For children up to age 8, subsection (1) requires a child passenger restraint system meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 and, separately, that the child "occupy a seat or seats, other than a front seat, if such seat or seats are so equipped with such passenger restraint system and such seat or seats are not already occupied by a child or children under eight years of age." That limiting clause matters: the front-seat rule applies only when a rear seat is both equipped for the restraint system and not already taken by another child under 8. A child under 8 may lawfully ride in the front seat when no equipped, unoccupied rear seat is available, such as in a two-seat vehicle or one whose rear seats are already full of other young children.

Age 8 and up: seat belt

Subsection (2) then requires "all children eight years of age and less than eighteen years of age" to use an occupant protection system, meaning a seat belt. The line between the two subsections falls exactly on the 8th birthday: an 8-year-old is governed by subsection (2), not the child-restraint duty in subsection (1).

Exemptions

Subsection (3) is written as a scope provision as much as an exemption list: it states that subsections (1) and (2) apply to autocycles and to every motor vehicle equipped with, or required to be equipped with, an occupant protection system, except taxicabs, mopeds, motorcycles, and any motor vehicle the manufacturer designated as a 1963 model year or earlier that isn't equipped with an occupant protection system. Subsection (9) clarifies that "motorcycle" does not include an autocycle for this purpose, which is why autocycles stay covered by the duty rather than falling under the motorcycle exclusion.

Three further exemptions sit in the same section. Subsection (4) waives the requirement of subsection (1) or (2) when a licensed physician determines, through accepted medical procedures, that using a child passenger restraint system would be harmful to a particular child because of the child's weight, physical condition, or another medical reason; the driver must carry a signed written statement from the physician, identifying the child and stating the grounds for the waiver, on their person or in the vehicle. Subsection (5) exempts drivers of authorized emergency vehicles from subsection (1) or (2) while operating those vehicles pursuant to their employment. Subsection (6) exempts a vehicle being operated in a parade or exhibition conducted in accordance with applicable state law and local ordinances and resolutions.

Penalty

A violation carries a $25 fine, under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-6,268, charged as an infraction under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-431. If a single stop turns up more than one child-restraint violation in the same vehicle, Nebraska doesn't treat those as separate offenses for fine purposes. Enforcement of the under-8 child-restraint duty in subsection (1), the rule this page is about, is a primary offense: an officer may stop and cite a vehicle for it without any other reason. Nebraska's secondary-enforcement limit, under which an officer generally needs another reason to stop the vehicle first, applies only to subsection (2) (the 8-to-17 occupant-protection duty) and subsection (8) of section 60-6,267, not to the child-restraint duty in subsection (1). Either way, that secondary-enforcement limit also has its own exception when a person under 18 is riding in or on a part of the vehicle not designed or intended for passengers while it's in motion.

Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle

Nebraska's Child Protection and Family Safety Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-710, defines a child being "left unattended in a motor vehicle if such minor child is six years of age or younger" as one of the acts that constitutes child abuse or neglect, the same age-6 threshold some other states use for similar rules. It's worth being precise about how it functions, though: this is a definition that feeds into Nebraska's child-abuse-and-neglect framework, the kind of standard used in protective-services and neglect determinations, rather than a standalone traffic or criminal offense sitting on its own with its own separately listed fine or jail term the way the restraint law above does. A caregiver who leaves a child 6 or younger alone in a vehicle in Nebraska is exposed under this neglect definition.

Federal guidance vs. Nebraska law

The federal standard governing car seats as products, FMVSS 213 (49 CFR 571.213), regulates what a manufacturer may sell, not how a parent must use the seat; Nebraska'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 Nebraska's own rear-facing rule already tracks by tying the requirement to the same manufacturer limits. That's still safety guidance layered on top of the legal floor, not the floor itself. 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 Nebraska law requires a driver to do.

Related Nebraska traffic law pages

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

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Nebraska'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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska?

A rear-facing seat is required until 2 (or the seat's own manufacturer limit, if earlier). A child passenger restraint system is required through age 7. At 8, Nebraska's occupant-protection-system (seat belt) requirement takes over.

Can children ride in the front seat in Nebraska?

Only in limited circumstances. Under section 60-6,267(1), a child through age 7 must occupy a seat other than the front seat if such a seat is equipped with the required restraint system and isn't already occupied by another child under 8. If no equipped, unoccupied rear seat is available, the child may lawfully ride in front.

Can police stop me just for an unbuckled child under 8 in Nebraska?

Yes. The child-restraint duty in section 60-6,267(1) is a primary offense, so an officer may stop and cite a vehicle for it alone. Nebraska's secondary-enforcement rule applies only to the 8-to-17 seat belt duty in subsection (2) and to subsection (8), not to the under-8 child-restraint duty.

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

A $25 fine per violation, under section 60-6,268. Multiple restraint violations found in one vehicle during a single stop aren't charged as separate offenses.

Is it illegal to leave a child alone in a car in Nebraska?

Nebraska's Child Protection and Family Safety Act, section 28-710, defines leaving a child 6 or younger unattended in a vehicle as an act of child abuse or neglect. It functions as a definition used in neglect determinations rather than a standalone criminal offense with its own listed fine.

Are taxis and motorcycles exempt from Nebraska's car seat law?

Yes, along with mopeds and vehicles from model year 1963 or earlier without an occupant protection system, under section 60-6,267(3). The section also waives the requirement for a physician-documented medical reason, for authorized emergency vehicle drivers on duty, and for a vehicle in a lawfully conducted parade or exhibition, under subsections (4) through (6).