Tint rules
Window tint laws by state: who allows what on the front doors
Pick two states to compare their limits window by window, or read the groups below: every state is placed by the darkest front side window its statute allows on a car.
Compare two states
Front side windows: Texas / California
25% / 70%
| Rear side windows | any darkness / any darkness |
| Back window | any darkness / any darkness |
| Stricter in front | California |
Across the 51 jurisdictions read for this site, the front side windows are where the laws differ most. 19 states set the front limit at 35%, the most common figure. 8 jurisdictions ask for 70%, the same figure federal rules require of new glass in the driver's view, and 3, Michigan, New Jersey and Vermont, allow no film at all on the front side windows. At the other end, New Mexico goes down to 20%. Behind the driver the picture changes: 18 states let the back window of a car take any darkness, usually on condition of two outside mirrors, and 27 write a separate rule for SUVs, vans and pickups. 21 statutes write a measurement tolerance, from 3 to 9 points. Most states measure film and glass together, so the film you buy must be lighter than the number in the law. Each state page cites the section read, with the date it was checked.
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
States grouped by front side window limit
The table places every jurisdiction by the lowest light transmission its statute allows on the front side windows of a passenger car. Click a state with its own page for the full rule; for the others, the calculator on the home page opens their statute.
| Front limit | States | Count |
|---|---|---|
| No film at all | Michigan, New Jersey and Vermont | 3 |
| 70% | Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island | 8 |
| 50% | Delaware, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin | 5 |
| 35% | Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia | 19 |
| 30% to 33% | Alabama, Arizona, Georgia and Indiana | 4 |
| 27% to 28% | Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina and Wyoming | 5 |
| 24% to 25% | Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington | 6 |
| 20% | New Mexico | 1 |
A few rules do not fit a single number. California allows only clear film of at least 88% on the front doors, on top of the 70% total. Illinois ties the front limit to the rear windows: 35% if no rear window is below 35%, 50% if none is below 30%, and no front tint otherwise. Michigan allows no film on the front side windows except a strip along the top. The calculator applies each of these rules.
The rear of the car is usually freer
18 jurisdictions let the back window of a car take any darkness, and 17 do the same for the rear side windows. The common condition is a pair of outside mirrors giving a view to the rear. Where the rear does have a number, the darkest figures for a car are in Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana and Florida, at 10%, 12%, 14%, 15% respectively.
SUVs, vans and pickups
27 statutes write a separate rule for multipurpose passenger vehicles. In most of them the windows behind the driver are free, which is why factory privacy glass is legal on an SUV in states that ban the same darkness on a sedan. The front side windows almost never get this exemption. Pick the vehicle type in the calculator to apply the right rule.
Compare the darkest film by state
The legal film depends on your glass as well as the limit. Choose a state, a vehicle type and your glass reading to see the darkest film for each window:
Darkest legal film for your car
Front side windows · Florida
37.4%
| Rear side windows | 20% |
| Back window | 20% |
| Front limit in the law | 28% |
Tolerance, reflection and the windshield
21 statutes give officers a measurement margin, usually 3 points; Virginia and Nevada write 7 and South Dakota 9. Most states also cap reflectance, often at 20%, 25% or 35%, and ban mirror finishes. On the windshield, the usual rule is a strip along the top, measured either in inches or down to the AS-1 line marked on the glass; a few states ask for 70% on the whole windshield instead, and the windshield guide compares them.
How the figures were read
Each state's figures come from its statute or regulation. 32 jurisdictions were read on the official legislature, code or agency site on the day of the check. 17 official sites refused automated reading, so their text was read on an archived copy of the official page, and the calculator and each state page give the date of that copy: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Arkansas and Tennessee could not be read on any official text: their figures are shown as not confirmed, with the copy they come from. The method page explains how the calculator turns these texts into a verdict.