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On Alabama-registered vehicles, material or glazing may not cut light transmission through the rear windshield or side windows below 32 percent or raise light reflectance above 20 percent, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent. Material that reduces light through the front windshield is barred, apart from listed exceptions such as a transparent, non-red, non-amber item on the top six inches. Applied tint requires a compliance label visible from outside.
Source: Code of Ala. §§ 32-5C-1 to 32-5C-7; Code of Ala. Title 32, Chapter 5C (Justia copy of the 2025 code); Code of Ala. § 32-5C-3 on ALISON (exceptions, including the top six inches of the windshield); Code of Ala. § 32-5C-4 on ALISON (medical exemptions and decal); Code of Ala. § 32-5C-6 on ALISON (compliance label; installation); Code of Ala. § 32-5C-7 on ALISON (penalties); Code of Ala. § 32-1-1.1(12) on ALISON ("director" means the Secretary of ALEA); Code of Ala. § 32-5-215 on ALISON (unobstructed windshield; occupants identifiable); Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.17, Regulation on Window Tinting (filed November 14, 1990); ALEA, Alabama Tinting Regulations (agency guidance; medical waiver contact). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Material or glazing applied or affixed to the front windshield that reduces light transmission through it is prohibited (32-5C-2(a)(1)). The exceptions in 32-5C-3 include any transparent item that is not red or amber in color placed on the uppermost six inches of the windshield ((4)); adjustable sun visors mounted forward of the side windows and not attached to the glass ((1)); signs, stickers or other matter displayed in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the front or rear windshield ((2)); and federal, state or local stickers or certificates required by law ((5)). The statute gives no light-transmission percentage for the top six inches. |
| Front side windows | Material or glazing on the side or door windows may not reduce light transmission to less than 32 percent or increase light reflectance to more than 20 percent, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent (32-5C-2(a)(2)). Light transmission must be measured with a device or instrument capable of measuring it before a person may be charged, and the officer must be equipped with such a meter before stopping the driver. The same figures cover every side and door window. |
| Rear side windows | The same limit as the front side windows: at least 32 percent light transmission and no more than 20 percent light reflectance, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent (32-5C-2(a)(2)). Section 32-5C-3(6) excepts any other vehicle whose windows or windshields were tinted or darkened before factory delivery or permitted by federal law or regulation; see the scope section for how ALEA describes this for multi-purpose passenger vehicles. |
| Rear window | The rear windshield has the same limit: at least 32 percent light transmission and no more than 20 percent light reflectance, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent (32-5C-2(a)(2)). The 32-5C-3(6) exception for a vehicle whose windows or windshields were tinted or darkened before factory delivery, or as permitted by federal law or regulation, also applies. |
| Reflectance | Reflective film is capped rather than banned: material or glazing may not increase light reflectance to more than 20 percent on the rear windshield or the side or door windows (32-5C-2(a)(2)). The chapter defines light reflectance as the ratio of the total light reflected outward by a product or material to the total light falling on it (32-5C-1(1)). |
| Compliance label | A vehicle with material and glazing on its windows or rear windshield that reduced light transmission or increased light reflectance must display a label visible from the outside of the vehicle indicating that the windows and windshield comply with 32-5C-2 (32-5C-6). Film manufacturers must apply to the director (the Secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, 32-1-1.1(12)) for approval and registration of the material and label before shipping the material into the state, and must provide labels of a size and type the director approves, with written placement instructions (32-5C-5). Altering or reproducing an approved label is unlawful (32-5C-5). ALEA's tinting page says the stickers must be affixed by a tinting dealer. |
| Installers | No person may install material on the windshield or windows of any motor vehicle if the installation would reduce light transmission or increase light reflectance in violation of 32-5C-2 (32-5C-6). |
| Occupant identification | Separately, Code of Ala. 32-5-215(d) bars operating a motor vehicle whose windshield, sidewing or rear window has tinting to the extent, or is manufactured in such a way, that occupants cannot be easily identified or recognized through the sidewing or rear windows from outside. That section does not apply to the manufactured tinting of windshields (32-5-215(e)). |
VLT (visible light transmission) is the percentage of visible light that passes through a window or film; a higher number means lighter tint. Most state limits are measured on the finished window (glass and film together). Where a rule is stated for the film itself, the table says so. Some states also limit reflectance, the share of light bounced back off the surface (a mirror-like look).
Section 32-5C-2 governs operating a motor vehicle registered in Alabama, and 32-5C-3(7) exempts any motor vehicle not registered in the state. The chapter sets one limit for rear windshields and side windows and does not list SUVs, trucks or vans by name. Section 32-5C-3(6) exempts any vehicle whose windows or windshields were tinted or darkened before factory delivery or as permitted by federal law or regulation. ALEA's tinting page says that on multi-purpose passenger and recreational vehicles, darker tinting is permitted on the windows behind the driver as allowed by the manufacturer of the vehicle by federal law, that outside rearview mirrors on each side are required when the darker tint is installed, and that the manufacturer determines the vehicle's classification; the front windshield and front seat windows follow the passenger-car rules. Personal-use vehicles belonging to, and occupied by, active or retired state, local or federal law enforcement officers are exempt from 32-5C-2, and those officers must carry law enforcement identification while driving them (32-5C-2(b)-(c)). Ala. Admin. Code r. 760-X-1-.17, filed November 14, 1990 under Code sections 32-2-9 and 32-5-215, states the same 32 percent and 20 percent figures without a measurement tolerance; its factory-tint exception is written to exclude the windows to the right and left of the driver.
The Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) may issue a medical exemption from the chapter, on application from a person required for medical reasons to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, for a motor vehicle the person owns or in which the person is a habitual passenger (32-5C-4(a)). The application must be supported by a written statement from a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama, and ALEA may attach conditions and limitations. For persons with light-sensitive porphyria (spelled "prophyria" in the Code), the exemption covers all areas of the windshield and windows the physician prescribes in the written statement (32-5C-4(b)). ALEA issues each exempt person a decal with a unique identification number, to be placed on the windshield of each motor vehicle the person operates, and may charge a reasonable fee for each decal (32-5C-4(c)). ALEA lists its Driver License Division Medical Records Unit, P.O. Box 1471, Montgomery, AL 36102, phone 334.676.7396, as the medical waiver contact.
A person who violates the chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor (32-5C-7). For a first conviction the punishment is a fine of not more than $100, imprisonment for not more than 10 days, or both. For a second conviction for an offense committed within one year after the date of the first offense: a fine of not more than $200, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both. For a third or subsequent offense committed within one year after the date of the first offense: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than three months, or both. The chapter reaches installers as well as drivers: 32-5C-6 bars installing material that would violate 32-5C-2.
For vehicles registered in Alabama, material or glazing on the rear windshield or the side or door windows may not reduce light transmission to less than 32 percent or increase light reflectance to more than 20 percent, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent (Code of Ala. 32-5C-2(a)(2)). Material that reduces light transmission through the front windshield is prohibited (32-5C-2(a)(1)), apart from the exceptions in 32-5C-3, such as a transparent item that is not red or amber in color on the uppermost six inches ((4)).
The statute does not give SUVs or trucks their own number. Its exception is for any vehicle whose windows were tinted or darkened before factory delivery or as permitted by federal law or regulation (32-5C-3(6)). ALEA's tinting page says multi-purpose passenger and recreational vehicles may have darker tinting on the windows behind the driver as allowed by the manufacturer of the vehicle by federal law, with outside rearview mirrors on each side, and that the manufacturer determines the classification. ALEA's 1990 window tinting rule excludes the windows to the right and left of the driver from that factory-tint exception. The statute text does not say whether aftermarket film behind the driver of such a vehicle qualifies, and this page cannot decide how a specific vehicle is treated.
Yes. A vehicle whose windows or rear windshield have material and glazing that reduced light transmission or increased light reflectance must display a label visible from the outside of the vehicle indicating compliance with 32-5C-2 (32-5C-6). Film manufacturers supply labels of a size and type approved by the director (32-5C-5), and ALEA's tinting page says the stickers must be affixed by a tinting dealer.
Only up to a limit. Material or glazing on the rear windshield or side or door windows may not increase light reflectance to more than 20 percent, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent (32-5C-2(a)(2)).
ALEA may issue one on application from a person required for medical reasons to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, supported by a written statement from a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama (32-5C-4(a)). It covers a vehicle the person owns or is a habitual passenger in, may carry conditions and limitations set by ALEA, and comes with a numbered decal placed on the windshield (32-5C-4(c)). For light-sensitive porphyria it covers all areas of the windshield and windows the physician prescribes (32-5C-4(b)).
Violating the chapter is a misdemeanor (32-5C-7): a fine of up to $100, imprisonment of up to 10 days, or both for a first conviction; up to $200, 30 days, or both for a second conviction for an offense within one year after the first offense; and up to $500, three months, or both for a third or subsequent offense within one year after the first offense.
The 32 percent and 20 percent limits do not: Section 32-5C-2 covers a motor vehicle registered in Alabama, and 32-5C-3(7) says it does not apply to any motor vehicle not registered in the state. Section 32-5-215(d), which bars tint so dark that occupants cannot be easily identified or recognized through the sidewing or rear windows from outside, is not limited to Alabama-registered vehicles.
Running a tint shop in Alabama? See shop software for Alabama.
This page summarizes Alabama statute and regulation text for general information and is not legal advice. It covers passenger vehicles with aftermarket film (film added after the vehicle left the factory) and includes SUV, van and truck rules where the state sets different ones. Some vehicle types, such as limousines, buses, commercial and law-enforcement vehicles, and factory glass are treated differently in some states, and whether a vehicle registered in another state is covered depends on the state; see “Who this covers” above. Federal glazing rules (FMVSS 205, 49 CFR 571.205) apply separately from state law, and 49 U.S.C. 30122 bars manufacturers, distributors, dealers, rental companies and motor vehicle repair businesses from knowingly making inoperative any part of a device or element of design installed to comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard, so installers should check both. Laws change and enforcement varies; confirm current requirements with the state before tinting. Before tinting, ask the installer to measure your glass and confirm the finished window will meet the limit; afterward, ask for a reading on a light-transmission meter and keep it.