Window tint laws: check your tint in any state
Pick the state, enter the film percentage and the factory glass: the calculator multiplies the two layers, as an officer's meter does, and checks each window against the statute.
Legal only with the tolerance in Texas
24.5% front side
| Meter reads | Law | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front side | 24.5% | 25% | tolerance |
| Rear side | – | any darkness | any |
| Back window | – | any darkness | any |
Darkest film on this glass: front side 35.8% · rear side any film · back window any film
Windshield: AS-1 / 5 in.
Statute: Tex. Transp. Code § 547.613 · Texas
Read on October 24, 2026 on the official site statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
Window tint laws set a minimum visible light transmission (VLT), the share of light that must pass through the window, not a maximum darkness. On the front side windows of a car, 19 of the 51 states and DC require at least 35%, 8 require 70% and 3 allow no aftermarket film at all; the darkest limit is New Mexico's 20%. Behind the driver, 17 jurisdictions set no limit for cars. The trap is the glass: in 31 states the statute measures the film together with the glass, and a 35% film on 70% glass lets through 24.5%, not 35%. In Texas, where the front limit is 25%, the darkest film that glass can take is 35.8%. Every limit on this site links to the statute section we read it in.
Last updated , 32 state statutes read on the official site, 17 on a dated archived copy of the official page, 2 not confirmed · Radif Partners · How the check works · About
This site reads the tint statute of every state, multiplies your film by the factory glass and tells you, window by window, whether the result passes, passes only thanks to the tolerance or is too dark, with the statute section one click away.
Why the factory glass changes the answer
A film is sold by its own VLT: 5, 20, 35, 50 or 70%. But the car's glass already filters light. Federal standard FMVSS 205 requires the maker to leave at least 70% on the windows needed for driving, and nothing stops a glass from being lighter than that minimum, so measure yours if you can. The two layers multiply: 35% × 70% = 24.5%. An officer who puts a meter on your window reads that figure, not the one on the label. In 31 states the statute says so in words ("in combination with the glass"); the others do not specify, and the calculator takes the meter reading, the cautious choice. Commercial trucks and buses also follow the federal rule 49 CFR 393.60(d): 70% on the windshield and the windows beside the driver.
On 70% glass, <a href="/en/texas-tint-laws/">Texas</a> (25% in front) only takes films of 35.8% or lighter, even though many shops sell "25%". In <a href="/en/california-tint-laws/">California</a> (70% in front) the factory glass already uses up almost the whole margin: only a nearly clear film fits. In <a href="/en/florida-tint-laws/">Florida</a> (28% in front, 15% behind) a sedan's rear windows can be far darker than the front ones.
| State | Front side | Rear side | Back window | SUV | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 32% | 32% | 32% | own rule | ±3 |
| Alaska | 70% | 40% | 40% | own rule | ±3 |
| Arizona | 33% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±3 |
| Arkansas | 25% | 25% | 10% | own rule | – |
| California | 70% | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| Colorado | 27% | 27% | 27% | = | – |
| Connecticut | 35% | 35% | any darkness | own rule | ±3 |
| Delaware | 50% | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| District of Columbia | 70% | 50% | 50% | own rule | – |
| Florida | 28% | 15% | 15% | own rule | ±3 |
| Georgia | 32% | 32% | 32% | own rule | ±3 |
| Hawaii | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±6 |
| Idaho | 35% | 20% | 35% | = | ±3 |
| Illinois | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±5 |
| Indiana | 30% | any darkness | 30% | = | – |
| Iowa | 70% | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| Kansas | 35% | 35% | 35% | = | – |
| Kentucky | 35% | 18% | 18% | own rule | ±3 |
| Louisiana | 25% | 25% | 12% | own rule | – |
| Maine | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| Maryland | 35% | 35% | 35% | own rule | – |
| Massachusetts | 35% | 35% | 35% | = | – |
| Michigan | no film | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| Minnesota | 50% | 50% | 50% | own rule | ±3 |
| Mississippi | 28% | 28% | 28% | own rule | – |
| Missouri | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±3 |
| Montana | 24% | 14% | 14% | own rule | – |
| Nebraska | 35% | 20% | 20% | own rule | – |
| Nevada | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±7 |
| New Hampshire | 70% | 35% | 35% | own rule | – |
| New Jersey | no film | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| New Mexico | 20% | 20% | 20% | own rule | – |
| New York | 70% | 70% | any darkness | own rule | – |
| North Carolina | 35% | 35% | 35% | own rule | ±3 |
| North Dakota | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| Ohio | 50% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±3 |
| Oklahoma | 25% | 25% | 25% | = | – |
| Oregon | 35% | 35% | 35% | own rule | – |
| Pennsylvania | 70% | 70% | 70% | own rule | ±3 |
| Rhode Island | 70% | 70% | 70% | own rule | – |
| South Carolina | 27% | 27% | 27% | own rule | – |
| South Dakota | 35% | 20% | 20% | = | ±9 |
| Tennessee | 35% | 35% | 35% | own rule | – |
| Texas | 25% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±3 |
| Utah | 35% | any darkness | any darkness | = | ±5 |
| Vermont | no film | any darkness | any darkness | = | – |
| Virginia | 50% | 35% | 35% | own rule | ±7 |
| Washington | 24% | 24% | 24% | own rule | – |
| West Virginia | 35% | 35% | 35% | own rule | – |
| Wisconsin | 50% | 35% | 35% | = | ±3 |
| Wyoming | 28% | 28% | 28% | own rule | – |
Cars, SUVs and pickups
27 jurisdictions write a separate rule for multipurpose vehicles. 23 of them leave the windows behind the driver free, because those vehicles often leave the factory with privacy glass, while a sedan keeps the limit on every window. If you drive an SUV, a van or a pickup, choose that type in the calculator: the answer can change completely at the back and never in front.
What the laws regulate besides the percentage
- The windshield. Nearly every state allows only a strip at the top, above the AS-1 line marked on the glass or within the top 4 to 6 inches. The windshield guide gives each state's rule.
- Reflectivity. Many statutes cap the mirror effect, often at 25 or 35%, and ban metallic or mirrored films.
- Colors. Red and amber are banned in most states that name colors, because they can be mistaken for signal lights.
- Mirrors. Many states require two outside mirrors when the back window is tinted.
- Labels and certificates. Some states require an installer's label between the film and the glass.
How we read the laws
For each state and for DC we read the section of the vehicle code on window tint, on the legislature's official site whenever it answered (otherwise on a dated archived copy of the official page, or marked not confirmed), and recorded for each window the minimum, the tolerance, the SUV rule, the medical exemption and the fine, with a word-for-word extract of the sentence that gives the figure. Where the law gives no figure, the site says so instead of making one up. The method page covers the sources, the hard cases and what the check does not do.
Guides
- Helmet lawsOther equipment laws · Which states require a helmet for every rider, which only for riders under 18 or 21, and the conditions.
- Tint laws by stateTint rules · The 50 states and DC grouped by the darkest front tint they allow, with the rear rules and SUV exceptions.
- Radar detectorsOther equipment laws · Where radar detectors are banned in private cars, the federal ban for commercial trucks, and what counts as possession.
- Legal tint percentageTint rules · The darkest film you can legally buy for each window in every state, worked out on real factory glass.
- Tint percentageTint rules · What 5%, 20%, 35% or 50% tint really means once the film sits on factory glass, with a chart.
- Windshield tintTint rules · How far down a windshield strip may go in each state, in inches or to the AS-1 line, and where no film is allowed.
- Tint ticketTint rules · The highest fine each state writes for illegal tint, and the states that drop the charge once the film is fixed.
- Medical exemptionTint rules · Which states allow darker tint for a medical condition, who signs the request, and whether a permit is issued.
Tint laws by state
Texas · California · Florida · Georgia · North Carolina · Ohio · Arizona · Tennessee · Virginia · Illinois · Pennsylvania · New York
Questions drivers ask about tint
What does VLT mean in window tint?
VLT is visible light transmission: the share of light that passes through the glass. A 5% film is close to black and a 70% film close to clear. State laws give a minimum, so "35%" means at least 35% of the light must get through. The lower the number, the darker the window and the easier it is to fall below your state's minimum.
Why does my 35% film read lower at a traffic stop?
Because the meter reads the film and the glass together, and the two transmissions multiply: 35% on 70% glass gives 24.5%, and on 80% glass 28%. 31 state statutes say outright that the combination is measured. That is why the calculator also asks for the factory glass, which federal standard FMVSS 205 keeps at 70% or more on windows needed for driving.
Can an SUV have darker rear windows than a sedan?
In 27 jurisdictions, yes: their law has its own rule for multipurpose vehicles (SUVs, vans, pickups), in 23 of them with no limit behind the driver. Elsewhere one figure applies to every vehicle. Choose "SUV, van, pickup" in the calculator to apply the right rule for your state.
Is there a tolerance on the meter reading?
In 21 states the statute writes a tolerance, 3 points in most of them and up to 9 in South Dakota, so a window slightly under the minimum is not cited. The calculator says "tolerance" when your window only passes thanks to that margin. Where the law writes no tolerance, the minimum applies as it stands.
Do I need a medical exemption for darker tint?
42 jurisdictions provide a medical exemption or defense in their law, usually with a statement signed by a physician or optometrist kept in the vehicle. Each state sets its own conditions and some exemptions must be renewed. The medical exemption guide sums up the rule of each state.
What happens if I get a tint ticket?
It depends on the state: the highest fine written in the statutes we read runs from $70 to $1,000, and some states drop the fine once the film is removed and proof is shown. In Virginia, police may no longer stop a car for tint alone. The tint ticket page goes through each case.
Written by Radif Partners
Independent publisher of state-by-state window tint limits and vehicle equipment rules for the United States, with a combined tint calculator
State statutes checked on · Editorial policy · Contact
Window tint statutes of the 50 states and DC, read section by section 2026, last checked on