Tint rules
Windshield tint laws: how deep the strip may go in each state
Pick a state and enter the depth of your strip, measured from the top edge of the glass: the tool says whether it fits the statute or whether the windshield follows a percentage rule instead.
Is your windshield strip legal?
Windshield in Texas
Within the limit
| Inches allowed | 5 in |
| AS-1 line as the limit | Yes |
| Rule | whichever is higher |
No state lets you tint a whole windshield the way you tint a side window. Federal standard FMVSS 205 already requires the glass a driver looks through to transmit at least 70% of the light, and state laws build on that. In 41 of the 51 jurisdictions read, the rule is a strip along the top: 15 measure it both in inches and against the AS-1 line printed on the glass, 11 give a depth in inches only, 9 use the AS-1 line only, and 6 describe the strip without an inch figure, such as California's and Arizona's rule measured from the driver's seat. 7 jurisdictions set a percentage for the whole windshield instead, most often 70%, and 3, Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont, allow no film at all. Clear film that blocks ultraviolet light is allowed on the whole windshield in a few states, Virginia and North Carolina among them since recent amendments. Medical exemptions cover the windshield only where the statute says so.
Does your state allow a medical exemption?
Medical exemption in Texas
Yes
| Front limit without it | 25% |
| Statute read | Tex. Transp. Code § 547.613 |
Statutes read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the check works
Windshield rule by state
The table sorts every jurisdiction by the kind of windshield rule its statute writes for a passenger car. Where a state gives both an inch figure and the AS-1 line, its page says whether the longer or the shorter applies.
| Rule | States | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Top 4 inches | Colorado | 1 |
| Top 5 inches | Alaska, Arkansas and Louisiana | 3 |
| Top 6 inches | Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island | 7 |
| Inches or the AS-1 line (see the state page for which applies) | Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming | 15 |
| Down to the AS-1 line | Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin | 9 |
| Strip without an inch figure | Arizona, California, Connecticut, Missouri, Nevada and Virginia | 6 |
| Percentage for the whole windshield | District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee | 7 |
| No film at all | Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont | 3 |
The federal floor
FMVSS 205 sets the minimum light transmittance of glass requisite for driving visibility at 70%, and the windshield is the first such window. Federal regulators have explained that film applied after sale can take a window below that level (NHTSA interpretation). That is why state laws, even the most permissive on side windows, keep the windshield almost clear and allow tint only in a band at the top, where the sun visor sits.
How to measure a strip
Measure straight down from the top edge of the glass, not along the curve of the frame. Check for the AS-1 marking near the upper corners: if your state uses it, the strip must stop at that line. In California and Arizona the rule is measured from the driver's seat: the strip's lower edge must stay at least 29 inches above the undepressed seat, so a tall windshield can carry a deeper band. Enter your measurement in the tool above for any state.
Color and shine of the strip
Depth is not the only test. Several statutes ban red or amber on the windshield band, Georgia and Arizona among them, and others require the strip to be nonreflective, as Illinois and Michigan do. A mirror-finish visor strip can therefore fail even when it stops at the right line. If a shop offers a colored or metallic band, check the state page before it goes on.
States with a percentage instead of a strip
District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee set a light transmittance for the windshield itself. Most use 70%, the federal figure, and some still allow a darker band above the AS-1 line or in the top few inches. Pennsylvania's figure comes from its inspection table, and Ohio's from its administrative code, which also allows a strip of up to 5 inches. In these states a clear film is possible as long as the combined reading stays at the limit.
Medical exemptions and the windshield
A medical exemption does not always reach the windshield. North Carolina's medical permit leaves the windshield rule unchanged. Virginia's authorization allows 70% below the top 5 inches or the AS-1 line. New York's and Illinois's exemptions cover the windshield along with the front side windows. Check whether your state allows one here:
Does your state allow a medical exemption?
Medical exemption in New York
Yes
| Front limit without it | 70% |
| Statute read | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 375(12-a) |
Commercial vehicles
For trucks and buses in interstate commerce, 49 CFR 393.60(d) allows tint on the windshield and the side windows next to the driver only when they still transmit at least 70% of the light. Owners of light trucks used privately follow their state law instead.