Tint laws by state
Texas tint laws: the 25% front rule, glass included
Enter your film and your factory glass: the calculator reads them the way a DPS meter does and checks each window against section 547.613 of the Transportation Code.
Too dark for the law in Texas
17.5% front side
| Meter reads | Law | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front side | 17.5% | 25% | too dark |
| 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.
Texas sets the bar on the front side windows only: the film and the window together must let through at least 25% of the light, with a luminous reflectance of 25% or less, under Tex. Transp. Code § 547.613. The side windows behind the driver are exempt, and the back window can take any film as long as the car has an outside mirror on each side. On the windshield, a strip is allowed above the AS-1 line or in the top 5 inches, whichever is closer to the top. Because the glass counts, a film sold as "25%" fails on most cars: on 70% glass it reads 17.5%. The darkest film that 70% glass can take is 35.8%, and the law lets DPS treat a window within 3 points of the limit as compliant. The highest fine for the driver is $200.
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% |
Statutes read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the check works
Read on October 24, 2026 on the official site statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
Texas windows, one by one
| Window | Texas rule | What it means on 70% glass |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | above the AS-1 line or top 5 in., 25% reflectance max | a strip only, never the whole glass |
| Front side | 25% combined, reflectance 25% max | film of 35.8% or lighter |
| Rear side | any darkness | exempt from the percentage |
| Back window | any darkness | needs an outside mirror on each side |
Texas draws no line between a sedan and an SUV, which keeps the rule simple: the only percentage that matters is the one on the two front side windows. The statute words it as a sunscreening device that "in combination with the vent or window" has a light transmission of 25 percent or more. That phrase is why the factory glass belongs in the calculation. A window that passes 75% of the light with no film becomes 26.2% with a 35% film and 22.5% with a 30% film.
The 3-point tolerance
Section 547.613(d) lets the Department of Public Safety treat a front side window as compliant when its transmission or reflectance varies by no more than 3 percent from the standard. A front window that reads 22% or more is therefore inside that margin. Count on the tolerance only as a safety margin for meter error: a 35% film on 70% glass reads 24.5%, which the calculator marks "tolerance", while a 20% film on the same glass reads 14% and fails outright.
Check your own glass with the darkest-film tool. Enter the reading of your bare front window if you know it; if not, 70% is the federal minimum for new cars and the cautious choice.
Darkest legal film for your car
Front side windows · Texas
31.3%
| Rear side windows | any film |
| Back window | any film |
| Front limit in the law | 25% |
Colors, reflectance and labels
Red, blue and amber film is banned on every window, and the front side windows and the windshield strip may reflect no more than 25% of the light. A mirror finish is out. Each sunscreening device sold or installed in Texas must carry a legible label between the film and the glass, stating that it complies with section 547.613; installing film without it is a misdemeanor for the business, with a fine of up to $1,000.
Texas next to its neighbors
Driving into another state, your Texas film is judged by that state's law. Oklahoma asks for 25% on every window of a car, Louisiana for 25% in front and 12% on the back window, and New Mexico for 20%. A car tinted to the Texas limit therefore passes in New Mexico but can fail on the rear windows in Oklahoma and Louisiana, where the darkness behind the driver is limited too. The 50-state comparison puts any two states side by side.
The Texas figures on this page were read in the Transportation Code on October 24, 2026. The law was last amended in 2009; if a new act changes section 547.613, this page and the calculator change with it.