Quick reference
- Nevada: 35% front sides, any darkness rear, AS-1 windshield. Medical exemption stickers allowed.
- Colorado: 27% front sides, any darkness rear, AS-1 windshield. Medical waiver via state-approved form.
- Florida: 28% front sides, 15% rear, non-reflective AS-1 windshield. Medical exemption tied to vehicle, not driver.
- Know the limit: Polar Tint walks every customer through their state’s legal VLT before install — the citation, if any, goes to the vehicle owner, so it pays to know exactly where the line is.
What VLT actually means
Visible Light Transmission (VLT) is the percentage of visible light that passes through tinted glass. A 35% VLT film allows 35% of light through, blocks 65%, and reads on a tint meter at 35. Lower numbers are darker. The factory glass on most cars sits between 70% and 80% VLT, which is why you can still see “factory tint” on rear glass at 20% — the privacy glass is already tinted from the manufacturer, and aftermarket film stacks on top of it.
State law typically regulates VLT separately for front side windows, rear side windows, the rear windshield, and the front windshield. Most states also reference the AS-1 line — the manufacturer-marked horizontal line near the top of the windshield, usually 4 to 5 inches from the top edge — as the boundary for legal windshield tint.
The three Polar Tint markets in depth
Nevada (NRS 484D.440)
Nevada is among the more permissive states. Polar Tint operates three open shops in Nevada (Henderson, Summerlin, Spring Valley Ranch) and quotes only legal pairings.
| Window | Minimum VLT | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | n/a | AS-1 strip only across the top |
| Front side windows | 35% | Both driver and passenger |
| Rear side windows | Any darkness | 5% limo dark is legal |
| Rear window | Any darkness | 5% limo dark is legal |
Nevada allows medical exemption stickers for darker tint with a physician statement. The exemption attaches to the vehicle. Find a Polar Tint Nevada shop at our locations page.
Colorado
Colorado is meaningfully stricter than Nevada on front side windows. Polar Tint Parker North — the network’s first Colorado location — opened June 3, 2026 and installs only legal pairings.
| Window | Minimum VLT | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | n/a | AS-1 strip only across the top |
| Front side windows | 27% | Both driver and passenger |
| Rear side windows | Any darkness | 5% limo dark is legal |
| Rear window | Any darkness | 5% limo dark is legal |
Colorado medical exemption is handled via a state-approved physician statement and exempts the vehicle from the front-side VLT minimum.
Florida
Florida is permissive on the rear and stricter on the front than Colorado. Polar Tint Coral Springs is opening in 2026 (see our Coral Springs preview).
| Window | Minimum VLT | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | Non-reflective above AS-1 | AS-1 strip permitted |
| Front side windows | 28% | Must allow more than 28% through |
| Rear side windows | 15% | SUVs/vans/trucks can go darker |
| Rear window | 15% | Same as rear side |
Florida medical exemption requires a physician’s statement on the appropriate form and attaches to the vehicle, not the driver.
Top-10 states at a glance
The table below summarizes 2026 VLT limits for the ten largest tint-installing states. Reflectivity and color rules (no red, no amber, no mirror) apply broadly and aren’t restated.
| State | Front sides VLT | Rear sides VLT | Rear window VLT | Windshield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 35% | Any | Any | AS-1 |
| Colorado | 27% | Any | Any | AS-1 |
| Florida | 28% | 15% | 15% | AS-1 |
| Texas | 25% | Any | Any | AS-1 + 25% |
| Arizona | 33% | Any | Any | AS-1 |
| California | 70% | Any | Any | AS-1 (4″) |
| Georgia | 32% | 32% | 32% | AS-1 + 6″ |
| North Carolina | 35% | 35% | 35% | AS-1 |
| New York | 70% | 70% | 70% | AS-1 (6″) |
| Illinois | 35% | 35% | 35% | AS-1 (6″) |
Medical exemption rules — the broad picture
Roughly 35 states allow some form of medical exemption from the front-window VLT minimum, generally on the strength of a physician’s statement attesting that the driver (or a regular passenger) has a medical condition that requires darker tint. There are three common patterns:
- Vehicle-attached exemption. Most states (FL, NV, CO, TX, AZ) attach the exemption to a specific vehicle, with a visible sticker or paperwork that must be presented on traffic stops.
- Driver-attached exemption. Fewer states issue exemptions to a specific driver, which travels between vehicles registered to that driver. Less common.
- No exemption. A small number of states do not provide a medical exemption pathway, even on physician statement.
Polar Tint will install below the legal minimum on a verified medical exemption with documentation, but the exemption paperwork has to be in place before the install — not after.
How enforcement works (and why the legal limit matters)
When tint comes in below a state’s legal VLT, the citation goes to the vehicle owner, not the shop — which means knowing the limit up front saves you money and hassle. Polar Tint walks every customer through their state’s VLT, explains the IR-rejection math at each darkness level, and installs the look you choose. For most drivers, the darkest legal grade delivers the privacy and heat rejection they’re after while holding up cleanly under enforcement.
For the perennial reference (all 50 states, updated when statutes change), see window film laws by state. For our network shops in Nevada and Colorado, find directions and hours at polartint.com/locations.
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