Window Tint Laws in Louisiana (2026): Legal VLT Limits and Exemptions

Louisiana regulates window tint through La. R.S. 32:361.1. Below: the minimum visible light transmission (VLT) for each window, the windshield rule, what counts as too reflective, who can get a medical exemption, and how an officer checks a car at the roadside.

Legal tint limits in Louisiana

• Front side windows: at least 25% VLT.
• Back side windows: at least 25% VLT.
• Rear window: at least 12% VLT.

SUVs, trucks and vans follow a different rule behind the driver: back side windows any darkness and the rear window any darkness.

VLT is measured through film and glass together. Factory glass already blocks some light, usually landing between 70% and 80% VLT before any film, so a roll sold as "35%" on a window that started at 75% ends up darker than 35% once installed. Officers meter the finished window, not the box the film came in.

Windshield

A transparent strip no more than 5 inches down from the top, not red or amber.

Federal standard FMVSS 205 sets the baseline for the glass itself: the windshield and front side windows of a new car must transmit at least 70% of visible light. State law decides what film may be added afterwards, which is why the windshield rule is usually a strip above the AS-1 line rather than a percentage.

Reflective and colored film

Luminous reflectance may not exceed 20%. Film colors not permitted: red, amber (windshield strip).

Medical exemptions

Louisiana allows darker tint with a medical exemption. A physician or optometrist affidavit is filed with State Police, who issue a decal; the affidavit copy stays in the vehicle, exemptions are reviewed every 3 years, and applicants pass a background check.

Stickers, mirrors and enforcement

A certificate or sticker identifying legal tint is required. The installer must place a label of 1.5 square inches or less between film and glass, naming the installer and city, in the lower corner of the driver's window. Tinting the rear window does not trigger a second-mirror requirement. Driver fines of $150, $250 and $350 for first, second and later offenses; installers or sellers face $1,000 then $2,000 and a bar from the trade (La. R.S. 32:361.1(E),(G)).

In practice

Act 143 of 2025, effective August 1, 2025, lowered the front side window floor from 40% to 25%, matching the rear side windows; the rear window stays at 12%. The statute's percentages are stated with all tolerances included, so no extra margin is added at the meter. Trucks, buses, motor homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles are exempt behind the driver. Vehicles tinted before 1994 can keep darker film with a pre-1994 certificate kept on board.

Sources

• La. R.S. 32:361.1
• legis.la.gov
• legis.la.gov

Checked Nov 5, 2026. Laws change; confirm with the statute before tinting.