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

Texas regulates window tint through Tex. Transp. Code § 547.613; 37 Tex. Admin. Code § 21.3. 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 Texas

• Front side windows: at least 25% 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

Film above the AS-1 line (or top 5 inches) only, with at least 25% VLT and no more than 25% reflectance, never red, blue or amber; clear UV film is allowed anywhere.

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 25% on the windshield strip, front side windows, or a rear window on a vehicle without qualifying side mirrors. Film colors not permitted: red, blue, amber (windshield).

Medical exemptions

Texas allows darker tint with a medical exemption. A signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist naming the person must be kept in the vehicle; DPS stopped issuing exemption certificates on Jan 1, 2019.

Stickers, mirrors and enforcement

A certificate or sticker identifying legal tint is required. Installers must place a label reading 'Complies with TTC 547.613(b)' or similar between the film and glass at the lower rear corner of the driver's window. If the rear window is tinted, the car must have outside mirrors on both sides. Misdemeanor with a $1-$200 fine (Tex. Transp. Code 542.401); installers who omit the label face up to $1,000 (547.613(a-1)).

In practice

Texas measures film and factory glass together and allows a 3% variance. Rear side windows are exempt entirely, and the rear window is exempt whenever both outside mirrors show 200 feet behind the vehicle, so SUVs and sedans are treated the same. Front side windows darker than 25% fail the annual inspection regardless of model year. Vehicles not registered in Texas, law-enforcement cars, and fee-paying passenger carriers such as taxis and limousines are exempt.

Sources

• Tex. Transp. Code § 547.613; 37 Tex. Admin. Code § 21.3
• www.dps.texas.gov
• www.law.cornell.edu
• texas.public.law

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