Texas window tint law
Front side windows must let through at least 25% of visible light. Middle of the pack on front glass.
The limits, window by window
Texas measures light transmission, not darkness, and the number applies to the film-plus-glass combination. There is a documented gap between the statute (25%) and an old DPS inspection rule that let 20% pass — courts have held the statute controls, so do not rely on the 20% figure.
Medical exemption
No statutory medical exemption for private vehicles
What happens if you are over the limit
Class C misdemeanor, and the installer can be fined up to $1,000 for applying film without the required label between film and glass.
The statute: Texas Transportation Code §547.613
Two things that catch people out
Films are rated alone; the law measures both. A "35% VLT" film placed on factory glass that already transmits 72% reads about 25% at the meter. Installers in strict states will ask what your goal is rather than what film you want, because the film alone does not decide the outcome.
A legal car in one state is not legal in another. Tint rules travel with the registration, not with the driver. If you move from Texas (25%) to California (70%), the same windows become a violation the day you register — and California requires the film itself to transmit 88%, which no normal film does.
Related
Tint is one of three things a state checks. The other two: Texas inspection rules and Texas EV registration surcharge.
Electric vehicle? The charging cost figures on our sister site use the same state boundaries.
Statute and limits checked November 2026.