State Window Tint Darkness (VLT%) Limits by Window Position
Every state sets its own minimum visible-light-transmittance (VLT) percentage for aftermarket window tint, and the limit is usually different for the windshield, front side windows, rear side windows, and rear window -- so the same tint film can be legal in one state and a ticket in the next, and legal on the back windows but not the front. States revise these numbers periodically (Iowa's front-side-window minimum dropped from 70% to 50% effective 1 July 2026 under House File 766, while Iowa's own implementing administrative rule, 761 IAC 450.7, still states the old 70% figure), and the free tint-shop guides that circulate are inconsistent about it: one popular guide's Iowa page, dated before the law was even signed, still shows 70%. A car owner or installer asking 'how dark can I legally tint my windows here' needs the current, per-window, per-state percentage from the statute itself.
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The data
| jurisdiction | window position | vehicle class | vlt min | statute citation | condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | front side windows | 1998 & Newer Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear side windows | 1998 & Newer Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear window | 1998 & Newer Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | windshield | 1998 & Newer Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | front side windows | All Other Vehicles | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear side windows | All Other Vehicles | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | No Requirement | |
| Pennsylvania | rear window | All Other Vehicles | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | No Requirement | |
| Pennsylvania | windshield | All Other Vehicles | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Arizona | front side windows | thirty-three percent plus or minus three percent | Ariz. Rev. Stat. 28-959.01(A)(1) | Front side wing vents and windows that have a substance or material in conjunction with glazing material | |
| California | front side windows | 88 percent | Cal. Veh. Code 26708(d) | clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat | |
| Florida | front side windows | 28 percent | Fla. Stat. 316.2953 | the material has a total solar reflectance of visible light of not more than 25 percent as measured on the nonfilm side | |
| Iowa | front side windows | fifty percent | Iowa Code 321.438(2)(a)(2), as amended by House File 766 (91st G.A.), effective 1 July 2026 | ||
| Massachusetts | front side windows | thirty-five per cent | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, s. 9D(4) | if the vehicle is equipped with two outside mirrors, one on each side, adjusted so that the driver has a clear view of the highway behind the vehicle | |
| Michigan | front side windows | Mich. Comp. Laws 257.709(1)(a) | a tinted film may be used along the top edge of the windshield and the side windows or sidewings immediately adjacent to the driver or front passenger if the material does not extend more than 4 inches from the top of the windshield, or lower than the shade band, whichever is closer to the top of the windshield | ||
| Minnesota | front side windows | 50 percent plus or minus three percent | Minn. Stat. 169.71, subd. 4(3) | when any side window or rear window is composed of or treated with any material so as to obstruct or substantially reduce the driver's clear view through the window | |
| Missouri | front side windows | thirty-five percent or more plus or minus three percent | Mo. Rev. Stat. 307.173.1 | front sidewing vents or windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material | |
| Nevada | front side windows | not less than 35 percent with a tolerance of 7 percent | Nev. Rev. Stat. 484D.440(3)(a) | A window that is to the immediate right or left of the driver if the window is: (1) Nonreflective | |
| New York | front side windows | seventy percent | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law 375(12-a)(b)(2) | the sidewings or side windows of which on either side forward of or adjacent to the operator's seat | |
| North Carolina | front side windows | thirty-five percent (35%) | N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-127(b)(1) | A vehicle window that, by use of a light meter approved by the Commissioner, measures a total light transmission of more than thirty-two percent (32%) is conclusively presumed to meet this restriction. | |
| Ohio | front side windows | fifty per cent plus or minus three per cent | Ohio Admin. Code 4501-41-03(A)(3) | is not red or yellow in color | |
| Oregon | front side windows | 35 percent or more | Or. Rev. Stat. 815.221(2) | The tinting material has a light transmittance of 50 percent or more | |
| Virginia | front side windows | 50 percent | Va. Code 46.2-1052(D)(2) | unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side of such motor vehicle, so located as to reflect to the driver of the vehicle a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle | |
| Washington | front side windows | twenty-four percent | Wash. Rev. Code 46.37.430(5)(a) | where the vehicle is equipped with outside rearview mirrors on both the right and left | |
| Pennsylvania | front side windows | Medium/Heavy Trucks & Buses | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear side windows | Medium/Heavy Trucks & Buses | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | No Requirement | |
| Pennsylvania | rear window | Medium/Heavy Trucks & Buses | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | No Requirement | |
| Pennsylvania | windshield | Medium/Heavy Trucks & Buses | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Virginia | rear side windows | multipurpose passenger vehicle or pickup truck | Va. Code 46.2-1052(H) | applying to the rear side windows or rear window of any multipurpose passenger vehicle or pickup truck sun-shading or tinting films that reduce the total light transmittance of such window or windows below 35 percent | |
| Virginia | rear window | multipurpose passenger vehicle or pickup truck | Va. Code 46.2-1052(H) | applying to the rear side windows or rear window of any multipurpose passenger vehicle or pickup truck sun-shading or tinting films that reduce the total light transmittance of such window or windows below 35 percent | |
| Oregon | rear side windows | multipurpose passenger vehicle | Or. Rev. Stat. 815.221(4) | may be applied to all windows of a multipurpose passenger vehicle that are behind the driver. This subsection applies only to vehicles that are equipped with rearview mirrors on each side of the vehicle. | |
| Oregon | rear window | multipurpose passenger vehicle | Or. Rev. Stat. 815.221(4) | may be applied to all windows of a multipurpose passenger vehicle that are behind the driver. This subsection applies only to vehicles that are equipped with rearview mirrors on each side of the vehicle. | |
| Pennsylvania | front side windows | Pre-1998 Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear side windows | Pre-1998 Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear window | Pre-1998 Passenger Cars | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | VESC-20* | |
| Pennsylvania | windshield | Pre-1998 Passenger Cars | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Arizona | rear side windows | Ariz. Rev. Stat. 28-959.01(A)(6) | Side windows that are to the rear of the driver and rear windows that have a substance or material in conjunction with glazing material that has a luminous reflectance of thirty-five percent plus or minus three percent or less. | ||
| California | rear side windows | Cal. Veh. Code 26708(b)(4) | Side windows that are to the rear of the driver | ||
| Massachusetts | rear side windows | thirty-five per cent | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, s. 9D(4) | if the vehicle is equipped with two outside mirrors, one on each side, adjusted so that the driver has a clear view of the highway behind the vehicle | |
| Michigan | rear side windows | Mich. Comp. Laws 257.709(3)(b) | The use of a nonreflective, smoked or tinted glass, nonreflective film, perforated window screen, or other decorative window application on the rear window or a side window to the rear of the driver. | ||
| Minnesota | rear side windows | 50 percent plus or minus three percent | Minn. Stat. 169.71, subd. 4(3) | when any side window or rear window is composed of or treated with any material so as to obstruct or substantially reduce the driver's clear view through the window | |
| Nevada | rear side windows | Nev. Rev. Stat. 484D.440(3)(b) | A side window that is to the rear of the driver, or a rear window, if the vehicle has outside mirrors on each side that are located so as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of not less than 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle. | ||
| North Carolina | rear side windows | thirty-five percent (35%) | N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-127(b)(1) | A vehicle window that, by use of a light meter approved by the Commissioner, measures a total light transmission of more than thirty-two percent (32%) is conclusively presumed to meet this restriction. | |
| Ohio | rear side windows | Ohio Admin. Code 4501-41-03(A)(4) | outside left and right rear view mirrors are required if the sunscreening material is applied to the rear window | ||
| Oregon | rear side windows | 35 percent or more | Or. Rev. Stat. 815.221(2) | The tinting material has a light transmittance of 50 percent or more | |
| Virginia | rear side windows | 35 percent | Va. Code 46.2-1052(D)(1) | unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side of such motor vehicle, so located as to reflect to the driver of the vehicle a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle | |
| Washington | rear side windows | twenty-four percent | Wash. Rev. Code 46.37.430(5)(a) | where the vehicle is equipped with outside rearview mirrors on both the right and left | |
| Arizona | rear window | Ariz. Rev. Stat. 28-959.01(A)(6) | Side windows that are to the rear of the driver and rear windows that have a substance or material in conjunction with glazing material that has a luminous reflectance of thirty-five percent plus or minus three percent or less. | ||
| California | rear window | Cal. Veh. Code 26708(b)(8) | The rear window or windows, if the motor vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on both the left- and right-hand sides of the vehicle that are so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle. | ||
| Massachusetts | rear window | thirty-five per cent | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, s. 9D(4) | if the vehicle is equipped with two outside mirrors, one on each side, adjusted so that the driver has a clear view of the highway behind the vehicle | |
| Michigan | rear window | Mich. Comp. Laws 257.709(3)(b) | The use of a nonreflective, smoked or tinted glass, nonreflective film, perforated window screen, or other decorative window application on the rear window or a side window to the rear of the driver. | ||
| Minnesota | rear window | 50 percent plus or minus three percent | Minn. Stat. 169.71, subd. 4(3) | when any side window or rear window is composed of or treated with any material so as to obstruct or substantially reduce the driver's clear view through the window | |
| Nevada | rear window | Nev. Rev. Stat. 484D.440(3)(b) | A side window that is to the rear of the driver, or a rear window, if the vehicle has outside mirrors on each side that are located so as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of not less than 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle. | ||
| New York | rear window | seventy percent | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law 375(12-a)(b)(4) | A rear window may have a light transmittance of less than seventy percent if the vehicle is equipped with side mirrors on both sides of the vehicle so adjusted that the driver thereof shall have a clear and full view of the road and condition of traffic behind such vehicle. | |
| North Carolina | rear window | thirty-five percent (35%) | N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-127(b)(1) | A vehicle window that, by use of a light meter approved by the Commissioner, measures a total light transmission of more than thirty-two percent (32%) is conclusively presumed to meet this restriction. | |
| Ohio | rear window | Ohio Admin. Code 4501-41-03(A)(4) | outside left and right rear view mirrors are required if the sunscreening material is applied to the rear window | ||
| Oregon | rear window | 35 percent or more | Or. Rev. Stat. 815.221(2) | The tinting material has a light transmittance of 50 percent or more | |
| Virginia | rear window | 35 percent | Va. Code 46.2-1052(D)(1) | unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side of such motor vehicle, so located as to reflect to the driver of the vehicle a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle | |
| Washington | rear window | twenty-four percent | Wash. Rev. Code 46.37.430(5)(a) | where the vehicle is equipped with outside rearview mirrors on both the right and left | |
| New York | rear side windows | station wagon, sedan, hardtop, coupe, hatchback or convertible | seventy percent | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law 375(12-a)(b)(3) | if it is classified as a station wagon, sedan, hardtop, coupe, hatchback or convertible |
| Pennsylvania | front side windows | Trucks & Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicles | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Pennsylvania | rear side windows | Trucks & Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicles | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | No Requirement | |
| Pennsylvania | rear window | Trucks & Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicles | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | No Requirement | |
| Pennsylvania | windshield | Trucks & Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicles | 70% | 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Table X | |
| Maryland | front side windows | vehicle registered under § 13–912 | at least 35% | Md. Code, Transp. 22-406(i)(1)(i) | In the case of a vehicle registered under § 13–912 of this article, there is affixed to any window of the vehicle any tinting materials added to the window after manufacture of the vehicle |
| Maryland | rear side windows | vehicle registered under § 13–912 | at least 35% | Md. Code, Transp. 22-406(i)(1)(i) | In the case of a vehicle registered under § 13–912 of this article, there is affixed to any window of the vehicle any tinting materials added to the window after manufacture of the vehicle |
| Maryland | rear window | vehicle registered under § 13–912 | at least 35% | Md. Code, Transp. 22-406(i)(1)(i) | In the case of a vehicle registered under § 13–912 of this article, there is affixed to any window of the vehicle any tinting materials added to the window after manufacture of the vehicle |
| Maryland | front side windows | vehicle registered under § 13–913, § 13–917, or § 13–937 | at least 35% | Md. Code, Transp. 22-406(i)(1)(ii) | In the case of a vehicle registered under § 13–913, § 13–917, or § 13–937 of this article, there is affixed to any window to the immediate right or left of the driver any window tinting materials added after manufacture of the vehicle |
| Arizona | windshield | Ariz. Rev. Stat. 28-959.01(A)(11) | Transparent material that is installed, affixed or applied to the topmost portion of the windshield | ||
| California | windshield | Cal. Veh. Code 26708(c) | transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the topmost portion of the windshield if the following conditions apply: (1) The bottom edge of the material is at least 29 inches above the undepressed driver’s seat when measured from a point five inches in front of the bottom of the backrest with the driver’s seat in its rearmost and lowermost position with the vehicle on a level surface. (2) The material is not red or amber in color. | ||
| Florida | windshield | Fla. Stat. 316.2952(2)(b) | Sunscreening material along a strip at the top of the windshield, so long as such material is transparent and does not encroach upon the driver’s direct forward viewing area as more particularly described and defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 205 as the AS/1 portion of the windshield. | ||
| Illinois | windshield | 625 ILCS 5/12-503(a) | a nonreflective tinted film may be used along the uppermost portion of the windshield if such material does not extend more than 6 inches down from the top of the windshield | ||
| Iowa | windshield | seventy percent | Iowa Code 321.438(2)(a)(1), as amended by House File 766 (91st G.A.), effective 1 July 2026 | ||
| Massachusetts | windshield | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, s. 9D(5) | the use of any transparent material limited to the uppermost 6'' along the top of the windshield, provided such strip does not encroach upon the driver's direct forward viewing area | ||
| Michigan | windshield | Mich. Comp. Laws 257.709(1)(a) | a tinted film may be used along the top edge of the windshield and the side windows or sidewings immediately adjacent to the driver or front passenger if the material does not extend more than 4 inches from the top of the windshield, or lower than the shade band, whichever is closer to the top of the windshield | ||
| Minnesota | windshield | Minn. Stat. 169.71, subd. 4(1) | when the windshield is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material which has the effect of making the windshield more reflective or in any other way reducing light transmittance through the windshield | ||
| Missouri | windshield | Mo. Rev. Stat. 307.173.1 | all sun-screening devices applied to the windshield of a motor vehicle are prohibited | ||
| Nevada | windshield | Nev. Rev. Stat. 484D.440(3)(c) | Any transparent material that is installed, affixed or applied to the topmost portion of the windshield | ||
| New York | windshield | seventy percent | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law 375(12-a)(b)(1) | unless such materials are limited to the uppermost six inches of the windshield | |
| North Carolina | windshield | N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-127(b) | The windshield of the vehicle may be tinted only along the top of the windshield and the tinting may not extend more than five inches below the top of the windshield or below the AS1 line of the windshield, whichever measurement is longer. | ||
| Ohio | windshield | seventy per cent plus or minus three per cent | Ohio Admin. Code 4501-41-03(A)(2) | is not red or yellow in color | |
| Oregon | windshield | Or. Rev. Stat. 815.221(3) | may be applied to the top six inches of a windshield. Tinting material may not be applied to any other portion of the windshield. | ||
| Virginia | windshield | Va. Code 46.2-1052(F) | No film or darkening material may be applied on the windshield except to replace the sunshield in the uppermost area as installed by the manufacturer of the vehicle. However, clear film may be applied to a windshield | ||
| Washington | windshield | Wash. Rev. Code 46.37.430(5)(e) | A greater degree of light reduction is permitted along the top edge of the windshield as long as the product is transparent and does not extend into the AS-1 portion of the windshield or extend more than six inches from the top of the windshield. |
Where this came from
Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 19 sources this dataset was assembled from.
- pacodeandbulletin.govhttps://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/067/chapter175/s175.265.html
- azleg.govhttps://www.azleg.gov/ars/28/00959-01.htm
- leginfo.legislature.ca.govhttps://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=26708
- flsenate.govhttps://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/316.2953
- legis.iowa.govhttps://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/HF766.pdf
- malegislature.govhttps://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Section9D
- legislature.mi.govhttps://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=MCL-257-709
- revisor.mn.govhttps://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.71
- revisor.mo.govhttps://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=307.173
- leg.state.nv.ushttps://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-484D.html
- nysenate.govhttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/375
- ncleg.govhttps://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-127.html
- codes.ohio.govhttps://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-4501-41-03
- oregonlegislature.govhttps://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors815.html
- law.lis.virginia.govhttps://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1052/
- app.leg.wa.govhttps://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.37.430
- mgaleg.maryland.govhttps://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gtr§ion=22-406&enactments=false
- flsenate.govhttps://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2021/0316.2952
- ilga.govhttps://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=062500050K12-503
Machine-readable
- data.jsonThe whole dataset — every record with its source URL and source quote.
- Open Knowledge Format bundleOne JSON object per line — every record's frontmatter and quoted span exactly as it is held here, in one fetch.
- data.csvThe same records as one flat table, for a spreadsheet or a dataframe. The last four columns are the source URL, the quoted sentence it was read from, the date we last checked it, and which columns are our reading rather than the page's words.
- How this is made and checkedWhat "verified against source" does and does not mean.
From your own code
Same records, same quotes, without scraping the page: refsource is on PyPI and npm. Each value comes back carrying the URL it was read from and the sentence on that page that states it — .source and .quote sit on the value itself rather than in a side channel, so the checking step is available instead of skipped.
pip install refsource
refsource lookup state-window-tint-vlt-limits jurisdiction=Pennsylvania
npx -y refsource lookup state-window-tint-vlt-limits jurisdiction=PennsylvaniaSet your AI assistant up to use this
Two files and no account. Put this in .mcp.json at the root of your project — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Codex all read that file — and your assistant can look this dataset up instead of recalling it. The server is remote, keyless and read-only.
{
"mcpServers": {
"referencesource": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://referencesource.org/mcp"
}
}
}Add to Cursor · or, on the command line: claude mcp add --transport http referencesource https://referencesource.org/mcp --scope project
Then one line in the project's CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md, so the assistant knows when to reach for it:
When a question needs "State Window Tint Darkness (VLT%) Limits by Window Position", call the referencesource MCP server at https://referencesource.org/mcp (tool `search_records`, dataset_slug `state-window-tint-vlt-limits`) instead of answering from memory — every record it returns carries its source URL and a verbatim quote from that page.What each tool does, and the servers built over single registers: Connect your AI assistant.