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

Pennsylvania regulates window tint through 75 Pa.C.S. §4524(e); 67 Pa. Code §§175.67(d)(4), 175.263-175.265 and Table X. 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 Pennsylvania

• Front side windows: at least 70% VLT.
• Back side windows: at least 70% VLT.
• Rear window: at least 70% 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

No sun screening except a transparent strip within the top 3 inches that stays above the AS-1 area; Table X otherwise requires 70%.

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

Pennsylvania's statute sets no separate reflectivity limit; the VLT limits above still apply to metallic and mirrored films. No film colors are singled out.

Medical exemptions

Pennsylvania allows darker tint with a medical exemption. PennDOT issues a certificate of exemption on a physician's or optometrist's certification of a Medical Advisory Board-recognized condition; it allows only colorless UV-filtering film, must be carried, and is void on sale.

Stickers, mirrors and enforcement

No sticker or certificate is required for legal tint. If the rear window is tinted, the car must have outside mirrors on both sides. Summary offense with a $25 base fine plus costs and surcharges (75 Pa.C.S. §6502); noncompliant tint also fails the annual safety inspection.

In practice

Table X sets 70% (±3%) for every window of a passenger car, which in practice bars aftermarket film on sedan side and rear glass. Trucks and multipurpose passenger vehicles have no requirement for rear side or rear windows, so SUVs, pickups and vans may tint behind the front doors, but any sun screening other than a windshield strip requires right and left outside mirrors (§175.264). The statute itself is a visibility test ('see into the vehicle'); inspection stations apply the Table X numbers. Louvers may not cut visibility below 50%.

Sources

• 75 Pa.C.S. §4524(e); 67 Pa. Code §§175.67(d)(4), 175.263-175.265 and Table X
• www.palegis.us
• www.pacodeandbulletin.gov
• www.palegis.us

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