Maryland requires tint added after manufacture on every window of a passenger car or station wagon to let at least 35% of light through — front side, rear side, and rear window all share the same floor. On light trucks, vans, and multipurpose passenger vehicles, the 35% floor applies to the windows immediately right and left of the driver, and the regulation allows any darkness behind the driver (with an outside mirror on each side). Whether an SUV counts as a passenger car or a multipurpose passenger vehicle depends on how it is registered, and trucks over 10,000 pounds, buses, limousines, and school vehicles follow stricter rules. This comes from Transportation Code 22-406 and implementing regulation COMAR 11.14.02.14, applied the same statewide.
Maryland VLT limits by window
- Sedans / passenger cars: every window — front side, rear side, and rear window — must allow at least 35% VLT.
- Light trucks, vans, and multipurpose passenger vehicles (an SUV's class depends on how it is registered): only the windows immediately to the right and left of the driver (front side windows) must meet the 35% VLT floor; behind the driver the regulation allows any darkness, with an outside rearview mirror on each side. An SUV registered as a passenger car or station wagon (Class A) is held to 35% on any window. Trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses, and limousines may not have added tint on the windshield or the windows beside the driver; school vehicles may not have it anywhere.
- Windshield: no aftermarket film below the AS-1 line, or below 5 inches from the top of the glass, whichever is less.
- Color and reflectance: COMAR 11.14.02.14.D.1 bans red, yellow, amber, and reflective (mirrored) film on any window, regardless of VLT.
- Mirrors: COMAR 11.14.02.14 requires outside mirrors on both sides of the vehicle when the side or rear windows carry tint applied after manufacture.
Medical exemptions
Maryland allows a medical exemption with a written certification from a physician licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, in the manner and format the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division requires (the State Police publish a physician's certification form), detailing the medical need for tint below 35%. It does not allow windshield tint below the AS-1 line or 5 inches from the top. As of a 2025 law change (Chapter 452, effective October 1, 2025), the old flat two-year renewal cap no longer applies across the board: a certification for a permanent condition is now valid indefinitely, while a certification for a non-permanent condition is still capped at two years before it needs to be renewed. Either way, the certification has to be carried in the vehicle. Separately, removable tint used to protect a child under 10 from the sun is allowed regardless of VLT.
Enforcement and penalties
Illegal window tint in Maryland is a traffic citation under Transportation Code 22-406, and an officer can also issue a Safety Equipment Repair Order (SERO) requiring the tint to be corrected within a set window rather than (or in addition to) writing a fine. We haven't verified a specific fine amount, so confirm the current preset fine with the Maryland District Court or your local agency rather than relying on a figure here.
What this means when you're quoting a job
Vehicle class is the detail that trips up a shop — quoting "35% all around" under-sells what's legal on the rear glass of a light truck, van, or multipurpose passenger vehicle, but it is the correct limit for an SUV registered as a passenger car or station wagon, while quoting "any darkness in back" on a sedan puts an illegal rear window on the car. A window tint shop software tool that separates the vehicle-type rule at quote time keeps the front desk from mixing the two up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the darkest legal tint in Maryland? For tint added after manufacture, every window of a passenger car or station wagon needs at least 35% VLT. On a light truck, van, or multipurpose passenger vehicle, only the windows beside the driver need 35% VLT, and behind the driver the regulation allows any darkness with an outside rearview mirror on each side. An SUV's class depends on how it is registered, and heavier trucks, buses, limousines, and school vehicles follow stricter rules.
Is 20% tint legal on a sedan's back windows in Maryland? No. Maryland holds every window on a sedan (a passenger car or station wagon), including the rear, to the same 35% VLT floor for added tint — there's no any-darkness option for sedans the way the regulation allows behind the driver on light trucks, vans, and multipurpose passenger vehicles.
Can I get colored or mirrored tint in Maryland? No. COMAR 11.14.02.14.D.1 bans red, yellow, amber, and reflective tint on any window in the state.
How do I get a medical tint exemption in Maryland? A written certification from a Maryland-licensed physician detailing the medical need, in the format the State Police require (they publish a physician's certification form), kept in the vehicle. Since a 2025 law change, a certification for a permanent condition no longer expires after two years — only a non-permanent condition still carries that renewal cap.
What happens if I get a tint ticket in Maryland? An officer can write a citation, issue a Safety Equipment Repair Order requiring the tint to be corrected, or both. We haven't verified a specific fine amount, so confirm the current preset fine with the Maryland District Court or your local agency.
This is general information based on Maryland's public statutes and reporting on Transportation Code 22-406 and COMAR 11.14.02.14, not legal advice — enforcement can vary and laws change over time, so confirm specifics with the Maryland MVA, Maryland State Police, or a licensed attorney before you install, buy, or contest a citation.
Related
- State-by-state window tint laws (VLT limits) - Maryland shop market + VLT summary - Window tint percentages: what VLT, 5%, 20%, 35% mean - Window tint laws by state: the 2025 reference