Window tint: the number that actually gets you cited

Every state sets a minimum visible light transmission for the front side windows. The number is measured through glass and film together, which is why a film sold as "legal 35%" can still fail. These pages give the number, the reflectivity cap, the colors that are banned, and the statute it comes from.

Why 70% is not what you think it is

The limit is a minimum, not a maximum — it is the percentage of visible light that must get through. So 70% is nearly clear glass and 25% is quite dark. Guides that say "70% tint" as if it were heavy tint have the scale backwards.

And the reading is taken through glass and film together. Factory glass already transmits roughly 70–75%, so almost any film drops a car below the limit in a strict state. The film's own rating — the number printed on the box — is not the number the meter sees.

Strictness runs in three tiers

California and New York sit at the top with a 70% front side minimum. Washington and Texas sit in the middle at 24% and 25%. Florida is among the loosest at 28% on the front, though its back window split by vehicle type catches people out.

The gap between tiers is not small: moving from a 70% state to a 25% state is the difference between "no film at all" and "visibly dark, and legal". That is why a car tinted in one state gets cited after moving to another, and why installers ask for your registration before they quote.

Rules checked November 2026. Each state page cites the statute it comes from.