Car seat laws in Nevada

A child under 2 must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint in the back seat. The child may ride rear-facing in the front passenger seat, with the airbag deactivated, only if a physician's signed statement says the child's special health care needs require it, if all back seats are taken by other children under 2, or if the vehicle has no back seat. NHTSA and the AAP recommend going further: keeping your child rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat's manufacturer. A child under age 1 should always ride rear-facing, and most convertible seats allow rear-facing for 2 years or more.

A child under 6 years of age and less than 57 inches tall must be secured in a federally approved child restraint system appropriate for the child's size and weight, installed per the manufacturer's instructions. The law's definition includes booster seats. NHTSA and the AAP recommend going further: using a belt-positioning booster seat after your child outgrows the harnessed seat, until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they reach about 4 feet 9 inches tall and are 8 to 12 years old. The AAP says an adult seat belt fits when: the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly; and the child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with knees bent over the edge of the seat without slouching, and can stay that way for the whole trip. NHTSA uses the same lap-belt and shoulder-belt checks. The 5-step test, which California writes into law from January 1, 2027, asks: 1) Does the child sit all the way back against the seat? 2) Do the knees bend over the edge of the seat? 3) Does the shoulder belt snugly cross the center of the chest and shoulder, not the neck? 4) Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? 5) Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

Children under 2 must ride rear-facing in the back seat, with the front-seat exceptions listed under rear-facing. There is no back-seat rule for older children. NHTSA and the AAP recommend going further: keeping all children younger than 13 in the back seat.

A violation is a misdemeanor. First offense: $100–$500 fine or 10–50 hours of community service. Second: $500–$1,000 or 50–100 hours. Third or later: license suspension for 30 to 180 days. Completing a DPS-approved training program within 60 days of sentencing waives a first-offense fine or community service and halves a second-offense one. It is not a moving traffic violation, so no demerit points.

NHTSA's locator lists 32 car seat inspection stations in Nevada, in 17 cities and towns. Las Vegas has the most (7), then Henderson and Reno (3 each). NHTSA flags 8 of them as Spanish-speaking. Certified technicians check seats for free in most cases. Search NHTSA's locator by ZIP code and call the station before you go.