# Florida car seat law in hired cars, in plain English > What Florida statute 316.613 requires for children, how subsection (6) treats chauffeur-driven hired vehicles, and what NHTSA and the AAP recommend. Page: https://floridatransportationservices.com/guides/florida-car-seat-law-hired-cars/ Updated: 2026-10-25 Guide: Child seats Florida’s child restraint statute has an exemption for chauffeur-driven hired vehicles that surprises a lot of parents. What the law says, what it does not, and what the safety experts recommend. This is a summary, not legal advice. - Child seats, meet and greet, tolls and airport fees are in the price ## The general rule Section 316.613 of the Florida Statutes says that anyone driving a child aged five or younger must protect the child with a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. - **Up to and including age 3:** either a standalone carrier or a seat the carmaker built into the vehicle. - **Ages 4 and 5:** a separate carrier, a built-in child seat, or a child booster seat. The rule for four- and five-year-olds is relatively recent: a 2014 law extended the requirement to that age group from January 1, 2015. A violation is a moving violation carrying three points on the driver’s licence. Seat stages at a glance - Up to age 3 A carrier or a built-in child seat Florida law - Ages 4 and 5 Carrier, built-in seat or booster Florida law - Until the belt fits Booster, often to 4 ft 9 in, ages 8–12 Advice - Under 13 Ride in the back seat Advice Law: Florida Statutes 316.613. Advice: NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Not legal advice. ## The hired-vehicle exemption, subsection (6) Subsection (6) reads: the child restraint requirements “do not apply to a chauffeur-driven taxi, limousine, sedan, van, bus, motor coach, or other passenger vehicle if the operator and the motor vehicle are hired and used for the transportation of persons for compensation.” The very next sentence puts the duty elsewhere: “It is the obligation and responsibility of the parent, guardian, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare” to comply with the section. Read together, the two sentences mean the driver of a hired car is not the person the law holds responsible; the parent is. That is why we provide child seats, included in the price, rather than leaving parents to carry their own through the airport. How the exemption applies to app-based ride-share services is a separate question that this guide does not try to answer. Florida Statutes 316.613(6) Hired, chauffeur-driven vehicles are exempt The same subsection places the duty to comply on the parent or guardian. Summary only, not legal advice. ## What this means when you book a car Share every child’s age and current seat, plus weight and height for any child near a seat’s limit. Seats are included in the price. More on that on our [car service with car seats](https://floridatransportationservices.com/car-service-with-car-seats/) page. This guide is a plain-language summary for travellers. It is not legal advice; read the statute itself at the link below. When you book Each child’s age and seat type Plus weight and height near a seat’s limit. Seats are included in the price. ## Questions travellers ask ### Do taxis and limos in Florida need car seats? Subsection (6) of statute 316.613 exempts chauffeur-driven vehicles hired for pay from the restraint requirements, while placing the duty to comply on the parent or guardian. This is not legal advice. ### What car seat does a 3-year-old need in Florida? Up to and including age 3, the statute calls for a standalone carrier or a seat built in by the carmaker. ### Can a 5-year-old use a booster seat in Florida? Yes. For ages 4 and 5, the statute allows a separate carrier, a built-in child seat or a booster seat. ## Online booking opens soon Booking for Orlando Private Car Service is being connected to this site now. Until it is live, the details below are what you will be asked for, so you can have them ready. - Flight number or ship name, and the date - How many people are travelling, and how many bags - Ages of any children, and the kind of seat each rides in - The hotel, home or terminal at each end [How booking works](https://floridatransportationservices.com/contact/) [Compare vehicles](https://floridatransportationservices.com/fleet/) ## Related rides and guides - [**Car service with child seats** Seats for every child in the party, included in the price.](https://floridatransportationservices.com/car-service-with-car-seats/) - [**Our vehicles** Sedan, SUV, minivan, passenger van and Sprinter, with typical capacities.](https://floridatransportationservices.com/fleet/) - [**Orlando airport pickup options compared** Pre-booked car, ride-share, taxi or shuttle: where each one meets you at MCO.](https://floridatransportationservices.com/guides/orlando-airport-pickup/) ### Sources for this page (5) - [Florida Senate: 2026 Florida Statutes, 316.613](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/316.613), checked 2026-10-20 - [FLHSMV: safety belts and child restraints](https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/child-safety/safety-belts-child-restraints/), checked 2026-10-20 - [UF Transportation Institute: Florida’s updated child restraint law (2014)](https://www.transportation.institute.ufl.edu/2014/09/19/florida-t2-center-promotes-updated-child-restraint-law-in-a-big-way), checked 2026-10-20 - [NHTSA: car seat recommendations by age and size](https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/carseat-recommendations-for-children-by-age-size.pdf), checked 2026-10-20 - [AAP Pediatrics: Child Passenger Safety (2018)](https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/5/e20182460/38530/Child-Passenger-Safety), checked 2026-10-20