Tint laws by state
Tennessee tint laws: 35% on every window, front doors included
Tennessee writes its limit on the material. Enter the film and the glass: the calculator checks the film against 35% and also shows the combined reading an officer's meter may give.
Too dark for the law in Tennessee
24.5% front side
| Meter reads | Law | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front side | 24.5% | 35% | too dark |
| Rear side | 24.5% | 35% | too dark |
| Back window | 24.5% | 35% | too dark |
Darkest film on this glass: front side 50% · rear side 50% · back window 50%
Windshield: 70% min.
The statute does not say how the window is measured; we use film × glass, the reading a meter gives.
Statute: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-107 · Tennessee
Not confirmed on an official text. The official Tennessee Code (published by LexisNexis) could not be read, so these figures are not confirmed on an official text. They come from a non-official copy of the 2023 code, archived on December 11, 2024. The only later change found on an official site, Public Chapter 602 of 2024, rewords the officer exemption and leaves the percentages as they were.
Tennessee sets one floor for the whole car and attaches it to the material. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-107, no one may operate a motor vehicle with any window made of, covered by or treated with material that has a visible light transmittance of less than 35%, and nothing other than the manufacturer's shade band may bring the windshield below 70%. The rule covers the front side windows, the rear side windows and the back window of a car. For trucks, vans and SUVs, windows that federal rules allow to be darker, such as factory privacy glass behind the driver, are exempt, and the statute says the front door windows of any vehicle are never exempt. Officers check by a field comparison test set by the Safety Commissioner, and refusing the test is itself an offense. Professional installers must place a compliance label on the driver's window and give a signed receipt. Because the law does not say whether the glass counts, a 35% film on 80% glass, which reads 28% on a meter, is the case to watch. A violation is a Class C misdemeanor.
From "% dark" to VLT
VLT of that film
35%
| On 70% glass | 24.5% |
| States where it passes in front (car) | 3 / 51 |
Statutes read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the check works
Not confirmed on an official text. The official Tennessee Code (published by LexisNexis) could not be read, so these figures are not confirmed on an official text. They come from a non-official copy of the 2023 code, archived on December 11, 2024. The only later change found on an official site, Public Chapter 602 of 2024, rewords the officer exemption and leaves the percentages as they were.
Source of these figures. Not confirmed on an official text. The official Tennessee Code (published by LexisNexis) could not be read, so these figures are not confirmed on an official text. They come from a non-official copy of the 2023 code, archived on December 11, 2024. The only later change found on an official site, Public Chapter 602 of 2024, rewords the officer exemption and leaves the percentages as they were.
The material, not the window
Most states measure the window as tinted, glass included. Tennessee's text targets "any material that has a visible light transmittance of less than thirty-five percent". Read literally, a film rated 35% is legal whatever the glass beneath it. The statute does not settle the question, and officers check with a field comparison test whose procedure is set by the Safety Commissioner, not by the statute. The calculator above therefore shows both figures: the film against 35%, and the combined reading a meter would give.
| Film rating | Combined on 75% glass | Combined on 85% glass | Film against 35% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 37.5% | 42.5% | legal |
| 35% | 26.2% | 29.8% | legal as a material |
| 30% | 22.5% | 25.5% | too dark |
| 20% | 15% | 17% | too dark |
Darkness versus transmission
Shops often sell film by darkness ("65% tint") when the law speaks of the light that passes. A 65% dark film lets through 35%. Convert any advertised figure here before you buy:
From "% dark" to VLT
VLT of that film
35%
| On 70% glass | 24.5% |
| States where it passes in front (car) | 3 / 51 |
Cars, SUVs and the front doors
On a car, every window follows the same 35% rule. On a truck, van or SUV, windows that federal rules allow to be darker are exempt, which covers factory privacy glass behind the driver. The statute adds that this exemption may never be read to cover the front door windows of any vehicle, so the front doors stay at 35% everywhere.
The windshield
Tennessee has no inch rule for the windshield. Nothing may bring it below 70%, except the shade band the manufacturer installed. An aftermarket strip that goes darker than 70% is therefore outside the rule, even at the very top.
Label, receipt and proof
Professional installers must put a compliance label on the lower right corner of the driver's window and hand over a signed receipt to keep with the registration documents. The owner bears the burden of proving the tint complies, so these two papers are the owner's evidence at the roadside and in court.
Penalty
Violating the section, or refusing the field comparison test, is a Class C misdemeanor, and officers may stop a vehicle when they reasonably believe the tint violates it. The section does not write a fine amount, so this site shows the fine as not confirmed.
Around Tennessee
Kentucky asks for 35% on the front doors and 18% behind, Alabama 32%, Mississippi 28%, Arkansas 25% and Missouri 35%. A Tennessee car with 35% film passes on the front in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas; Missouri and Kentucky use the same 35% but count the glass, so the same film can read too dark there. The text was read on October 24, 2026 in a reproduction of the 2023 code, whose history lists the 2024 amendment (Acts ch. 602, effective March 27, 2024), because the official code is published only through a commercial viewer.