Tint rules
Legal tint percentage: the darkest film you can actually buy
The legal percentage in the law is not the film to buy. Pick your state, vehicle and glass: the tool gives the darkest film each window can take without falling below the limit.
Darkest legal film for your car
Front side windows · Texas
33.4%
| Rear side windows | any film |
| Back window | any film |
| Front limit in the law | 25% |
The "legal tint percentage" printed in a statute is a minimum share of light that must pass through the window, and in most states that share is measured on the finished window, film and glass together. Factory glass already blocks part of the light, so the film has to be lighter than the number in the law. The rule of thumb is a division: darkest film = legal limit ÷ glass reading. On 75% glass, a 35% limit allows a film of about 46.7%, a 50% limit about 66.7%, and a 70% limit about 93.4%. 19 states set 35% on the front side windows, so a "35% film" sold as legal is in fact too dark on most cars there. The table below works out the darkest film for every window in the 51 jurisdictions on 75% glass, without counting any tolerance, which is the cautious reading. Enter your own glass in the tool to get your figures.
Real percentage of stacked layers
Combined VLT (what a meter reads)
26.2%
| Light blocked | 73.8% |
| Below the film alone | 8.8% |
| Formula | 75 × 35 / 100 |
Statutes read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the check works
Darkest legal film by state, on 75% glass
For each window of a passenger car, the darkest film that keeps the window at or above the state limit once applied to glass that transmits 75%. "Any" means the statute sets no number for that window; "none allowed" means no aftermarket film is allowed there.
| State | Front side | Rear side | Back window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 42.7% | 42.7% | 42.7% |
| Alaska | 93.4% | 53.4% | 53.4% |
| Arizona | 44% | any | any |
| Arkansas | 33.4% | 33.4% | 13.4% |
| California | 93.4% | any | any |
| Colorado | 36% | 36% | 36% |
| Connecticut | 46.7% | 46.7% | any |
| Delaware | 66.7% | any | any |
| District of Columbia | 93.4% | 66.7% | 66.7% |
| Florida | 37.4% | 20% | 20% |
| Georgia | 42.7% | 42.7% | 42.7% |
| Hawaii | 46.7% | any | any |
| Idaho | 46.7% | 26.7% | 46.7% |
| Illinois | 46.7% | any | any |
| Indiana | 40% | any | 40% |
| Iowa | 93.4% | any | any |
| Kansas | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Kentucky | 46.7% | 24% | 24% |
| Louisiana | 33.4% | 33.4% | 16% |
| Maine | 46.7% | any | any |
| Maryland | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Massachusetts | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Michigan | none allowed | any | any |
| Minnesota | 66.7% | 66.7% | 66.7% |
| Mississippi | 37.4% | 37.4% | 37.4% |
| Missouri | 46.7% | any | any |
| Montana | 32% | 18.7% | 18.7% |
| Nebraska | 46.7% | 26.7% | 26.7% |
| Nevada | 46.7% | any | any |
| New Hampshire | 93.4% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| New Jersey | none allowed | any | any |
| New Mexico | 26.7% | 26.7% | 26.7% |
| New York | 93.4% | 93.4% | any |
| North Carolina | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| North Dakota | 46.7% | any | any |
| Ohio | 66.7% | any | any |
| Oklahoma | 33.4% | 33.4% | 33.4% |
| Oregon | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 93.4% | 93.4% | 93.4% |
| Rhode Island | 93.4% | 93.4% | 93.4% |
| South Carolina | 36% | 36% | 36% |
| South Dakota | 46.7% | 26.7% | 26.7% |
| Tennessee | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Texas | 33.4% | any | any |
| Utah | 46.7% | any | any |
| Vermont | none allowed | any | any |
| Virginia | 66.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Washington | 32% | 32% | 32% |
| West Virginia | 46.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Wisconsin | 66.7% | 46.7% | 46.7% |
| Wyoming | 37.4% | 37.4% | 37.4% |
Why the glass matters so much
Federal standard FMVSS 205 requires the glass in the driver's field of view to transmit at least 70%, and federal regulators have long pointed out that aftermarket film can take a window below that figure (NHTSA interpretation letter). Each layer multiplies: a window is the product of its glass and every film on it. The same film therefore gives different readings on different cars, and two films stacked on one window can fall far below what either one shows alone. Try your own stack here:
Real percentage of stacked layers
Combined VLT (what a meter reads)
31.2%
| Light blocked | 68.8% |
| Below the film alone | 18.8% |
| Formula | 78 × 50 × 80 / 100² |
Darkness or transmission?
Film is often sold by the share of light it blocks ("20% tint" can mean 20% transmission or 20% darkness, depending on the shop). The laws always speak of light transmission, the share that passes. Before you buy, confirm that the figure on the box is the visible light transmission. The tint percentage guide explains the conversion and shows a chart of common films.
Reading the table with your own car
The table uses 75% glass because it sits between the 70% federal minimum and clear glass, but your car can be lighter or darker. If your glass reads higher, the darkest film gets a little darker; if lower, it gets lighter, and on glass already under the limit no film is legal at all. For a sedan, the three columns apply as shown. For an SUV, van or pickup, many states free the windows behind the driver; the tool at the top of the page lets you switch vehicle type and enter your glass.
What the table does not include
It leaves out three things a full check needs. First, the reflectance limits, which many states write as a maximum share of reflected light. Second, the windshield, which follows a separate strip or percentage rule. Third, the measurement tolerance, which some states add to the reading. The full calculator checks all of them for one car at a time.