Tint laws by state
Georgia tint laws: 32% all around, with a 3-point margin
Georgia measures the film and the glass together and allows 3 points either way. Enter both: the calculator shows whether each window lands inside the margin.
Legal in Georgia
35% front side
| Meter reads | Law | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front side | 35% | 32% | legal |
| Rear side | 35% | 32% | legal |
| Back window | 35% | 32% | legal |
Darkest film on this glass: front side 45.8% · rear side 45.8% · back window 45.8%
Windshield: 6 in.
Statute: O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1 · Georgia
Read on October 24, 2026 on the official site legis.ga.gov (text of 2026 bill HB 1022, which reprints the section in force).
Georgia uses one number for the whole car. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1, film and glass together must let through 32% of the light, plus or minus 3%, on the front side windows, the rear side windows and the back window of a passenger car, and may reflect no more than 20%. Multipurpose vehicles (SUVs, vans, pickups) keep the 32% rule on the windows beside the driver but are exempt behind the driver. On the windshield, only a transparent item that is not red or amber may sit in the uppermost 6 inches. With the glass counted, a 35% film fails on most cars: on 75% glass it reads 26.2%, under the 29% floor of the tolerance. Operating a car with illegal tint, or installing it, is a misdemeanor, and Georgia's general misdemeanor fine reaches $1,000. A 2026 bill to move the limits did not become law, so these figures stand.
Does your state allow a medical exemption?
Medical exemption in Georgia
Yes
| Front limit without it | 32% |
| Statute read | O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1 |
Statutes read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the check works
Read on October 24, 2026 on the official site legis.ga.gov (text of 2026 bill HB 1022, which reprints the section in force).
The plus-or-minus rule in practice
Georgia writes its limit as "32 percent, plus or minus 3 percent", which gives a working floor of 29% for the meter. The combined reading is what matters, because the statute measures the material and the glazing as applied. Here is what common films give on two typical glass readings:
| Film | On 70% glass | On 80% glass | Georgia car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 35% | 40% | legal |
| 45% | 31.5% | 36% | legal |
| 40% | 28% | 32% | within the margin on 70%, legal on 80% |
| 35% | 24.5% | 28% | too dark on 70%, within the margin on 80% |
| 20% | 14% | 16% | too dark |
The table shows why a "legal in Georgia" film bought by its label is not a safe bet: the same 35% roll passes on one car and fails on another. Measure the bare glass, or enter 70% to stay on the cautious side.
Sedans and SUVs are treated differently
For a passenger car, every window behind the windshield carries the same rule. For a multipurpose passenger vehicle, the law keeps the rule on the windows to the right and left of the driver and exempts everything behind. A family moving from a sedan to an SUV can therefore go darker at the back without breaking the law, but never on the front doors.
Checking a car you already own
If your car came tinted, the label alone tells you little, because nobody knows how many layers sit on the glass. A tint meter at an inspection lane or a film shop gives the combined reading in seconds. Compare it with 29%, the bottom of the margin: a reading of 30% or 31% passes, while 28% does not, whatever the installer wrote on the invoice. Ask for the reading on each door, since a single replaced window often carries a different film from the rest of the car.
Windshield, color and reflection
Nothing that reduces light transmission may be put on the windshield, except a transparent item in the top 6 inches that is neither red nor amber. On the other windows, the film may not reflect more than 20% of the light, which rules out mirror finishes. A medical exemption is available through the Department of Public Safety; the tool below shows the rule for Georgia and lets you compare any other state.
Does your state allow a medical exemption?
Medical exemption in Georgia
Yes
| Front limit without it | 32% |
| Statute read | O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1 |
Penalty
Driving with illegal tint and installing it are both misdemeanors under section 40-8-73.1(h). The statute does not write its own amount; the general misdemeanor rule of section 17-10-3 caps the fine at $1,000, and the amount actually set is left to the court.
Around Georgia
Next door, Florida allows 15% behind the driver of a car, South Carolina asks for 27% on every window, Tennessee for 35% and North Carolina for 35%. A Georgia car tinted down to the 32% limit passes in Florida and South Carolina, but can read too dark for the 35% rules of Tennessee and North Carolina. Figures read in the Official Code of Georgia on October 24, 2026; the official code site was not reachable that day, so the wording was read in the current-law text reproduced by the 2026 bill.