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

Maine regulates window tint through 29-A M.R.S. § 1916. 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 Maine

• Front side windows: at least 35% VLT.
• Back side windows: any darkness.
• 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

Tint above the AS-1 line, or a 5-inch strip at the top when the glass has no AS-1 line.

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

Any reflective window material is prohibited. No film colors are singled out.

Medical exemptions

Maine allows darker tint with a medical exemption. The Chief of the State Police may issue an exemption certificate when sunlight harms the owner's or a regular occupant's health; it must be shown to an officer on request.

Stickers, mirrors and enforcement

A certificate or sticker identifying legal tint is required. Tinted vehicles need a light transmittance certificate from a State Police-authorized issuer, shown at inspection; without it the vehicle is presumed noncompliant. If the rear window is tinted, the car must have outside mirrors on both sides. Traffic infraction with a forfeiture of at least $100 (29-A M.R.S. 1916(6)).

In practice

The 35% floor is measured net of glass and film on side and rear windows, but it lifts for windows behind the driver and the rear window when the vehicle has two outside mirrors, one per side. Front door glass and the windows at each end of the rear seat must stay two-way glass that lets an outsider see in. Inspection stations reject windshield tint below the AS1 line and any tinted vehicle without its certificate. One line in the State Police inspection manual rejects side windows under 70%, apparently drawn from the federal commercial standard; the statute's 35% governs passenger cars.

Sources

• 29-A M.R.S. § 1916
• www.maine.gov

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