Window Tint Laws by State.

How tint laws work

Every state regulates automotive window tint along the same four dimensions, with different numbers in each:

• Front side windows. The driver and front passenger windows. This is the most-regulated pane — visibility into the cabin matters here. Most states cap at 25%–50% VLT.
• Rear side windows. Behind-the-driver windows on a 4-door. Many states allow “any darkness” or permit much darker than front sides.
• Rear window. The back glass. Same trend — usually more permissive than front sides.
• Windshield. Almost universally restricted to a small non-reflective strip across the top (the “AS-1 strip”), typically 4–6 inches deep. Some states permit full ceramic-clear film at 70%+ VLT on the windshield.

Three additional dimensions some states regulate:

• Reflectivity cap. Mirror-finish or highly-reflective film is illegal almost everywhere. Most states cap at 25%–35% reflectivity.
• Medical exemptions. Most states — but not all — grant exemptions for documented medical conditions — usually allowing significantly darker VLT than the standard limit.
• Commercial vehicle distinctions. Many states have separate (often more permissive) rules for commercial trucks, vans, RVs, and multi-purpose vehicles.

Disclaimer: tint laws change. This guide is current as of 2026 but you should always confirm with your local Polar Tint or state DMV before booking an install.

The 50-state VLT table

Front side / Rear side / Rear / Windshield / Medical exemption availability.

* Colorado: the windows behind the driver, including the back window, may go darker than 27% only if the front side windows and the windshield allow at least 70% VLT (C.R.S. 42-4-227).

† Any darkness only with outside mirrors on both sides: Hawaii (sedans, vans, minivans and trucks), Maine, Nevada (each mirror giving the driver a view at least 200 feet to the rear), North Dakota, Utah and Vermont (back side and rear windows); Arizona, California, Connecticut, New York and Texas (rear window; without them, Texas caps it at 25% and New York at 70%); Michigan (rear window, when the tint blocks the view out the back); Ohio (rear window, when tinted below 50% VLT). Without them, North Dakota applies its 35% limit to those windows (NRS 484D.440; N.D.C.C. 39-21-39; Utah Code 41-6a-1635).

§ New York: sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, convertibles and station wagons must keep the back side windows at 70% VLT, with no mirror exception; SUVs, vans and pickups may go any darkness on the back side windows.

¶ Illinois: front side windows at 35% with at least 35% behind the driver, or at 50% with at least 30% behind the driver, for every vehicle type; factory privacy glass behind the driver means 50% on the front sides. A tinted rear window needs outside mirrors on both sides (625 ILCS 5/12-503).

‡ Multipurpose vehicles such as SUVs and vans may go darker behind the driver: as dark as 6% in Florida (Fla. Stat. 316.2954), and exempt from the limit in Georgia (O.C.G.A. 40-8-73.1, effective July 1, 2026). Many other states also relax back-side and rear limits for multipurpose vehicles; see each state page.

AS-1 strip: The thin band across the top of the windshield, marked on the inside of the glass by an “AS-1” designation. Width varies by manufacturer but is typically 4–6 inches deep.

Sun Belt deep dive

The hot-climate states — AZ, NV, TX, FL, southern CA — are where heat-driven tint demand is highest. Three of the four (AZ, NV, TX) permit any darkness on rear glass (with outside mirrors on both sides; in Arizona and Texas that condition applies only to the rear window), which lets Sun Belt drivers maximize heat rejection where it matters. California is the outlier: it allows only clear film on the front sides (at least 88% VLT), but any darkness on the back side windows and any rear-window darkness with outside mirrors on both sides.

Florida runs 28% VLT on the front sides and 15% on the rear sides and back glass (6% on multipurpose vehicles such as SUVs and vans). For more on Polar Tint in Florida, see our Florida state page.

The Sun Belt pairing strategy: the 70 shade (Ceramic Plus or Ceramic Ultimate Plus) on the windshield for UV/IR without darkening, Ceramic Ultimate Plus in the darkest shade that keeps your front side windows within your state’s law once it’s measured with your factory glass, Ceramic Ultimate Plus or Ceramic Plus (Better) at the darkest legal VLT on rear sides and back glass.

Strictest vs most permissive states

Strictest: New Jersey and Vermont don’t allow aftermarket tint on the front side windows at all. New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island require 70%+ VLT on front sides — essentially clear film — and California allows only clear film that lets in at least 88% of light. Michigan permits only a 4-inch strip on the fronts; the rest of the window must be uncovered glass.

Most permissive: New Mexico, Mississippi, and Wyoming all allow under 30% VLT on all four windows. Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Maine allow any rear darkness — Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Maine only with outside mirrors on both sides, and Texas requires them for the back glass — with relatively forgiving front-side caps (25%–35%).

Windshield rules

Every state regulates the windshield separately and almost universally restricts non-clear film. The most common rule: a 4–6 inch strip across the top of the glass at any VLT, with the rest of the windshield clear. A few states (for example Iowa, Kentucky and North Dakota) allow full-windshield film at 70% VLT or higher. Polar Tint 70% VLT is the right pick where full-windshield film is legal — UV and IR protection without darkening the driver’s view.

How Polar Tint handles this

Every Polar Tint location knows the law in its state and the immediate neighboring states. When you book, the shop confirms the legal limit, walks you through your options, installs the look you want, and provides an install receipt that documents the VLT at install.

Medical exemptions

Most states — but not all — allow darker-than-standard tint with documented medical justification (Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah have no medical-exemption pathway, Kansas allows only clear UV-blocking film, and Iowa has granted no new exemptions since 2012). Common qualifying conditions:

• Lupus (UV-induced systemic flare)
• Photosensitive porphyria
• Severe photophobia (often post-concussion or post-eye-surgery)
• History of melanoma or recurrent skin cancer
• Documented severe migraine triggered by direct light

The process differs by state. Some states handle exemptions through an application to a state agency; in others there is no application, and the driver carries a physician’s or optometrist’s statement in the vehicle. Each state’s page describes its process. Once an exemption is in place, Polar Tint can install film to the specs it allows.

FAQs

General window tint law questions

State-specific edge cases