What penalties or fines apply for violating California booster seat requirements in 2025?

1. What the new law actually does — a closer look

The bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed keeps California’s existing baseline — boosters required until a child is 8 or reaches 4′9″ — but adds a five‑step fit test for 8‑to‑16‑year‑olds to determine whether an adult seat belt fits properly; beginning in 2027, failure to meet the test means the child is not considered properly restrained under state law ^{[1] [2]}. Reporting frames the test as guidance converted into enforceable criteria: officers or others would use the five questions (shoulder belt position, lap belt position, ability to sit still, etc.) to decide if a child must stay in a booster ^[1].

2. Penalties reported in the coverage — the headline number

Multiple outlets that republished the original CalMatters/AP reporting state that if the driver cannot answer “yes” to all five questions about a belted child passenger, the driver “could get a ticket and fines of $490,” and they identify that consequence as tied to the law set to take effect in 2027 ^{[1] [2] [3]}. That $490 figure appears consistently in the October reporting summarizing what the enacted (watered‑down) Assembly Bill 435 does ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Earlier versions and different penalty proposals — the legislative backstory

During committee consideration earlier in 2025, a version of Assembly Bill 435 proposed substantially smaller fines — reporting from spring committee hearings cited $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses — and included tougher measures such as banning teens up to 16 from front‑seat riding if they didn’t meet height rules ^{[4] [5]}. Those earlier penalty numbers differ from the $490 figure in fall reporting because the bill was revised and “watered down” before final signing; press accounts emphasize the bill’s evolution from more prescriptive penalties and restrictions to the five‑step fit test approach that carried forward ^{[3] [5]}.

4. Where reporting agrees and where it diverges

Coverage from CalMatters and outlets republishing that piece (Mercury News, KPBS, Desert Sun, LAist) agree on: (a) the law preserves age/height triggers through age 8 or 4′9″, (b) introduces a five‑step test for ages 8–16 effective in 2027, and (c) cites a $490 fine tied to enforcement of the fit test ^{[1] [2] [3] [6] [7]}. Earlier April reporting and some committee testimony indicate different proposed fines ($20/$50) and stricter front‑seat bans that were not included in the final, signed version — illustrating how legislative compromise altered both scope and penalties ^{[4] [5]}.

5. Legal and practical implications cited by reporting

Advocates and agencies (California Highway Patrol, public health groups, AAA, AAP echoed in coverage) supported shifting to the five‑step fit approach as better aligned with safety science and national guidance, and framed penalties as a tool to encourage continued booster use until the belt fits correctly ^{[2] [8]}. Opponents in the Legislature pushed back on tougher restrictions and penalties, producing the watered‑down final law; reporting notes political and practical concerns about enforcing front‑seat bans and penalizing families ^[3].

6. Gaps and limits in current reporting

Available reporting provides the $490 figure and the five‑step test language but does not publish the statute’s exact code text, the detailed enforcement mechanism (who issues the ticket, how the five questions are documented in a citation), or whether local jurisdictions will assess additional fines or court fees beyond the reported amount — those specifics are not found in the current reporting ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Earlier committee reports show other penalty figures during debate, but the final statutory language and full enforcement protocol are not reproduced in the articles provided ^{[4] [5]}.

7. Practical takeaways for parents and drivers

Journalistic coverage’s clear takeaway: keep using boosters for shorter children until an adult seat belt fits properly per the five‑step test; beginning 2027, drivers may face a ticket and reporting cites a $490 fine if they can’t answer “yes” to all five fit questions about a child passenger ^{[1] [2]}. Parents who recall earlier proposals should note those numbers (e.g., $20/$50) refer to earlier drafts that were changed before the law was signed ^{[4] [5]}.

If you want, I can locate the final Assembly Bill 435 text or the California vehicle code citation to show the statutory language and any fee schedule — current articles summarize enforcement and penalty amounts but do not reproduce the full legal text (not found in current reporting).