Tint rules
Tint ticket: how much it costs and when it can be dismissed
Pick a state to see the highest fine its law writes for illegal tint, the meter tolerance and the front limit. The table below gives every state, with the statute cited.
Tint ticket in your state
Highest fine written in the law
$200
| Front side windows | 25% |
| Meter tolerance | 3 points |
| Statute | Tex. Transp. Code §§ 547.613, 542.401, 547.004(c) |
A tint ticket is usually a small charge with a large catch: in most states the film still has to come off. Of the 51 jurisdictions read for this site, 31 write a maximum fine that could be confirmed in the statute or in the general penalty it points to. The highest is $1,000, in District of Columbia, Georgia and Oregon, and the lowest is $70 in Iowa. In the other 20 the amount is set by a schedule or a general rule that was not read, and this site shows it as not confirmed rather than guessing. The type of charge varies: a civil infraction in states such as Arizona and Michigan, a misdemeanor in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Several states let the driver avoid the penalty by fixing the windows: Texas dismisses the charge against a fee of up to $10, North Carolina gives a defense if the film is removed within 15 days, and Virginia and Oregon let the court dismiss or reduce it on proof of compliance. Installers often face heavier penalties than drivers.
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
Highest fine written in each state
The figure is the largest amount the statute, or the general penalty it points to, allows for driving with illegal tint, usually for a first offense. Surcharges and court costs come on top. "Not confirmed" means the amount sits in a schedule or rule that was not read for this site.
| State | Highest fine | Penalty provision |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $500 | Ala. Code § 32-5C-7 |
| Alaska | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Arizona | $250 | A.R.S. §§ 28-121(B), 28-1598 |
| Arkansas | not confirmed | Ark. Code Ann. § 27-37-306(g) |
| California | $250 | Cal. Veh. Code §§ 40000.1, 42001 |
| Colorado | $100 | C.R.S. §§ 42-4-227(3), 42-4-1701(3)(a)(I) |
| Connecticut | not confirmed | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-99g(f) |
| Delaware | $100 | 21 Del. C. § 4315(d); § 4313A(b) |
| District of Columbia | $1,000 | D.C. Code § 50-2207.02(c)-(e), (p) |
| Florida | not confirmed | Fla. Stat. §§ 316.2953, 316.2954(3), 316.2956, 318.18(2) |
| Georgia | $1,000 | O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1(h); § 17-10-3 |
| Hawaii | $550 | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 291-21.5(d), (f) |
| Idaho | not confirmed | Idaho Code § 49-944(6) |
| Illinois | $500 | 625 ILCS 5/12-503(j) |
| Indiana | $500 | Ind. Code § 9-19-19-7; § 9-19-19-8; § 34-28-5-4 |
| Iowa | $70 | Iowa Code § 805.8A(3)(ai) |
| Kansas | $500 | K.S.A. 8-1749a(h); 8-1749c; 8-2116; 21-6611 |
| Kentucky | $100 | KRS 189.990(1)(a); KRS 189.110(9) |
| Louisiana | $350 | La. R.S. 32:361.1(E), (G) |
| Maine | not confirmed | 29-A M.R.S. § 1916(6) |
| Maryland | $500 | Md. Code, Transp. § 27-101(b); § 22-406(i)(2) |
| Massachusetts | $250 | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 9D |
| Michigan | not confirmed | MCL 257.709 |
| Minnesota | $300 | Minn. Stat. § 169.89, subd. 1-2; § 169.71, subd. 5(b) |
| Mississippi | $100 | Miss. Code §§ 63-7-59(10)-(12), 63-7-7, 63-9-11 |
| Missouri | $750 | Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 307.173.4, 558.002.1(4) |
| Montana | $500 | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 61-9-429, 46-18-212 |
| Nebraska | $100 | Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 60-6,258, 60-6,259, 28-106 |
| Nevada | not confirmed | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 484D.440(7) |
| New Hampshire | not confirmed | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 266:58-a, VI |
| New Jersey | not confirmed | N.J.S.A. 39:3-74; MVC form MR-15 |
| New Mexico | not confirmed | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 66-3-846.1(I) |
| New York | $150 | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law §§ 375(12-a), 1800(a) |
| North Carolina | not confirmed | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-127(d), (e), (g) |
| North Dakota | not confirmed | N.D. Cent. Code §§ 39-06.1-06, 39-06.1-08 |
| Ohio | $150 | Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4513.241(K), 2929.28 |
| Oklahoma | $500 | Okla. Stat. tit. 47, §§ 12-422(I), 17-101(B) |
| Oregon | $1,000 | Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 815.222, 153.018, 153.019 |
| Pennsylvania | not confirmed | 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(e) |
| Rhode Island | $250 | R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-23.3-5 |
| South Carolina | $200 | S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5015(G), (K) |
| South Dakota | $500 | S.D. Codified Laws §§ 32-15-2.4, 32-15-2.5, 22-6-2 |
| Tennessee | not confirmed | Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-107(c), (d) |
| Texas | $200 | Tex. Transp. Code §§ 547.613, 542.401, 547.004(c) |
| Utah | not confirmed | Utah Code § 41-6a-1635(7), (9), (10) |
| Vermont | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Virginia | not confirmed | Va. Code § 46.2-1052(D), (O), (P) |
| Washington | not confirmed | RCW 46.37.430(7), 46.37.435 |
| West Virginia | $200 | W. Va. Code § 17C-15-36a(i) |
| Wisconsin | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Wyoming | $200 | Wyo. Stat. §§ 31-5-962(k), 31-5-1201 |
Fix it before court
A tint charge is one of the few traffic charges that the driver can often cure. The statutes read for this site show several routes:
- Texas: an equipment charge is dismissed if the defect is fixed before the first court appearance, with an administrative fee of up to $10.
- North Carolina: removing the film, or replacing it with legal film, within 15 days and getting a compliance certificate is a defense.
- Virginia and Oregon: the court may dismiss or reduce the charge when the windows are brought into compliance.
- Connecticut: the owner must remove the material and present the car to the police department that issued the ticket within 60 days.
- District of Columbia: the car must be inspected within 5 business days, and the fine rises to $1,000 if it is not brought into compliance.
Before you go back to the shop, find the film that will pass on your glass:
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% |
Installers pay more
Many statutes treat the person who applies illegal film more harshly than the driver. Louisiana fines a seller or installer $1,000 for a first offense. Hawaii fines an installer $700 to $1,200 per offense, plus free reinstallation. South Carolina fines a professional tinter at least $1,000. In Ohio, operating a car with illegal tint is a minor misdemeanor, while installing it is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. A shop that refuses to put dark film on your front doors is protecting itself as much as you.
What the officer measures
The charge rests on a meter reading of the window, film and glass together in most states, compared with the limit and any written tolerance. A few states, such as Tennessee, also make it an offense to refuse the field test. Keep the invoice and any label the installer placed on the glass: in Tennessee and Ohio the law requires one, and it helps if the reading is close to the limit.
Repeat offenses
Several states raise the stakes for a second ticket. California's base fine rises from $100 to $250 by the third within a year, Illinois turns a second violation into a Class C misdemeanor, and Massachusetts suspends the license for up to 90 days after a third conviction. Fixing the windows after the first ticket is the cheapest route.