Tint shops get this question every quote: "How dark can I go in my state?" Here's the quick reference for 2026.
How VLT works
VLT = Visible Light Transmission. The percentage of light the film + glass lets through. Lower = darker.
- 5% = limo tint (essentially private)
- 15-20% = very dark
- 35% = moderately dark, popular legal-front choice in many states
- 50% = light tint, often legal where 35% isn't
- 70% = nearly clear, often legal even where front is highly restricted
Most measurements account for the OEM glass (which is typically 75-80% VLT on its own). If your film is rated 35% VLT, the combined VLT through the window is 75% × 35% = 27%. Police officers measure the combined VLT, not the film rating.
State-by-state highlights (2026)
### Hot-climate states (most permissive)
- Texas: front sides 25% minimum, rear sides + back any darkness; windshield 25% above AS-1 line
- Florida: front sides 28%, rear sides 15%, rear 15%
- Arizona: front sides 33%, rear sides any, rear any; windshield 33% above AS-1
- Nevada: front sides 35%, rear sides any, rear any
- Georgia: front sides 28%, rear sides 15%, rear (back glass) 28% — split by HB 1161, effective 7/1/2026 (was flat 32%)
- South Carolina: 27% all (medical exemption can go darker)
### Mid-permissive states
- California: front sides 70%, rear sides any, rear any; windshield strip only above manufacturer's AS-1 line
- North Carolina: 35% all windows; medical exemption can go to 15%
- Tennessee: 35% all windows
- Virginia: 50% front sides, 35% rear sides + rear
- Oklahoma: 25% all windows + windshield strip
### Restrictive states
- New York: 70% front sides + rear sides; rear unrestricted
- New Jersey: 70% front sides; rear can be any darkness
- Pennsylvania: 70% front sides, 70% rear sides if no rear vision via mirrors; rear any
- Michigan: 4-inch strip on top of windshield + front sides; rear sides + back any
- Illinois: 35% front sides + rear sides; rear unrestricted
### "Any darkness on rear" states
In about 30 states, you can put 5% or even 0% on the rear windows. But almost every state requires both outside mirrors if rear darkness exceeds 35%.
Windshield rules
Most states allow only a "shade strip" on the windshield — typically the top 4-6 inches or above the AS-1 line (a small triangle marker stamped into most windshields).
Exceptions: - Texas: 25% VLT shade above AS-1 - Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico: limited darker shade above AS-1 - Most "70% front sides" states: no windshield film of any kind permitted, even above AS-1
Front windshield tint is the #1 cause of tint tickets. Be conservative.
Medical exemptions
About 35 states issue medical exemption permits that allow darker tint than the standard limit. Conditions that qualify vary but typically include:
- Lupus
- Skin cancer or pre-cancerous condition
- Severe photosensitivity
- Specific ophthalmologic conditions
The customer needs documentation from a licensed physician, submits to the state DMV (or DPS, depending on state), and receives a permit they must keep in the vehicle. Some states issue a placard for the windshield.
When a customer presents a medical exemption permit: - Verify the permit's expiration date - Note the permit number in the SalesThumb customer record - Photo-document the permit at install - Apply the requested darker tint (the permit overrides standard VLT law)
What to enforce in your shop
There's no per-state VLT table for you to configure — SalesThumb ships its own state limit table and checks against it. What you get is a compliance check on the quote, plus one gate you can turn on:
- The quote's compliance card. On a quote's detail page, a compliance card defaults the state from the customer's address and the vehicle class from the vehicle's body type (you can override either), then lets you enter the proposed VLT per window. It flags any window that violates that state's limit. The limits themselves are built in — you can't raise, lower, or add a state's numbers, so treat the table in this article as the reference and the card as the check.
- The waiver. When the check finds a violation, the card opens a waiver flow: the customer types their name and signs on-screen, and the signed waiver is stored against that quote.
- The gate that makes it mandatory. Turn on Require state-VLT check or signed waiver at Settings → Quality Control, on the QC Gates tab, and a quote can't be sent until the check passes or a waiver is on file. This one is on by default for new shops. It's enforced on the server, so it holds whether the send comes from the app, an automation, or the API.
What you won't find: a configurable warning threshold, editable acknowledgment wording, or a per-state minimum you set yourself. The waiver text is fixed and includes your shop's name.
Some shops refuse to install illegal tint. Some install whatever the customer wants and take the signed waiver. Pick your shop's policy and document it — the software gives you the waiver, not the policy.
Out-of-state vehicles
A customer with a Texas-registered car visiting your California shop wants Texas-legal 25% on front sides. California's law applies to vehicles operated in California regardless of registration state.
Some shops refuse out-of-state-only installs. Some install and let the customer take the risk. Local enforcement varies — some California counties cite out-of-state plates, others don't bother.
Resources
- IWFA (International Window Film Association) keeps the most up-to-date state-by-state rules
- Your local DPS / DMV's website is the authoritative source
- Most film manufacturers (3M, LLumar, Madico, Solar Gard) publish per-state guides