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Under 13 AAC 04.223, film must leave at least 70% light transmittance on driver and front passenger side windows and 40% on rear door windows, quarter glasses and back glasses, counting the glass, with a plus or minus 3% device allowance. The windshield may have only a top eyebrow strip, five inches at most. Mirrored film is barred. For-hire limousines and buses, motor homes and manufacturer-identified multipurpose vehicles may use FMVSS 205 material.
Source: 13 AAC 04.223; AS 28.05.011(a)(2); AS 28.90.010(c)-(d); AS 28.05.011 (duty of commissioners to adopt regulations); AS 28.90.010 (penalties for violations of law and regulations). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | The front windshield may have a strip of tinting material applied to the top edge, known in the industry as an eyebrow, that does not extend downward more than five inches from the top of the glass (subsection (b)(1)). No percentage is stated for the strip. Otherwise, aftermarket tinting or striping material on any window is barred except as the section provides (subsection (a)). |
| Front side windows | The driver and front passenger side windows may have tinting material that permits at least 70% light transmittance (subsection (b)(2)). Light transmittance is the share of total light that passes through the window, including glazing (subsection (f)), so the figure is for the glass plus film, not the film's own rating. It is measured with a device whose accuracy is certified by its manufacturer, with an allowance for manufacturing variances of plus or minus 3% (subsection (e)). The subsection (b)(4) vehicle option and the subsection (c) medical exemption are described below. |
| Rear side windows | Rear door windows and quarter glasses may have tinting material that permits at least 40% light transmittance (subsection (b)(3)), measured the same way as the front side windows (subsections (e), (f)). Limousines and passenger buses used to transport persons for hire, motor homes, and vehicles identified by the vehicle manufacturer as multipurpose may instead have tinting material that complies with Standard No. 205, Glazing Materials, in 49 C.F.R. 571.205 (1992) (subsection (b)(4)). The section states no percentage for that option and does not say which windows it covers. |
| Rear window | Back glasses may have tinting material that permits at least 40% light transmittance (subsection (b)(3)), with the same subsection (b)(4) option for the vehicles listed there. A tinted rear window is exempt from the tint rules if the owner has proof the tinting was installed before July 1, 1994 and the vehicle has driver-side and passenger-side rearview mirrors (subsection (h)). |
| Reflectance and color | Mirrored tinting material is barred on any window (subsection (a)). Tinting materials must be green, gray, bronze or neutral smoke in color, or a sun reflective auto film (subsection (d)). The section states no reflectance percentage and does not define mirrored or sun reflective. |
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).
13 AAC 04.223 governs driving a motor vehicle on a highway, public road, street or parking lot (subsection (a)). Its 70% and 40% limits apply to aftermarket tinting material, while the mirrored-film bar covers mirrored tinting material on any window, and all vehicles had to comply by July 1, 1994 (subsection (g)). It sits in Title 13 of the Alaska Administrative Code (Public Safety); AS 28.05.011(a)(2) directs the commissioner of public safety to adopt regulations on minimum equipment for vehicles. Limousines and passenger buses used to transport persons for hire, motor homes, and vehicles identified by the vehicle manufacturer as multipurpose may use material that complies with FMVSS 205 (subsection (b)(4)), which names no particular windows; the section does not name SUVs, pickups or vans, so body style alone does not decide it. Rear-window tint installed before July 1, 1994 is exempt if the owner has proof and the vehicle has both side rearview mirrors (subsection (h)).
Under 13 AAC 04.223(c), the windows of a vehicle may have tinting material that permits less light transmittance than subsection (b) allows if a driver or a passenger who frequently travels in the vehicle is required for medical reasons to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, the medical reasons are certified annually by a physician licensed to practice in Alaska, and the certification is carried in the vehicle. The section states no minimum percentage for this exemption.
13 AAC 04.223 states no penalty of its own. Under AS 28.90.010(c), unless otherwise specified by law, a person convicted of violating a regulation adopted under Title 28 is guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $300. An infraction is not a criminal offense and may not result in imprisonment (AS 28.90.010(d)).
Under 13 AAC 04.223, the driver and front passenger side windows may have tinting material that permits at least 70% light transmittance (subsection (b)(2)), and rear door windows, quarter glasses and back glasses at least 40% (subsection (b)(3)). The figures are for light passing through the window including its glazing (subsection (f)), measured with a device allowing plus or minus 3% for manufacturing variances (subsection (e)). The windshield may have only an eyebrow strip no more than five inches down from the top (subsection (b)(1)), and mirrored film is barred on any window (subsection (a)). Limousines and passenger buses used to transport persons for hire, motor homes and manufacturer-identified multipurpose vehicles may instead use FMVSS 205-compliant material (subsection (b)(4)), and subsection (c) has a medical exemption.
Not on the standard limits. The minimum is 70% on the driver and front passenger side windows and 40% on rear door windows, quarter glasses and back glasses (13 AAC 04.223(b)(2), (b)(3)), and the figure is for the window including its glazing, not the film's own rating (subsection (f)). The exceptions are the FMVSS 205 option for the vehicles listed in subsection (b)(4), the medical exemption in subsection (c), and a rear window tinted before July 1, 1994 on a vehicle with both side rearview mirrors (subsection (h)).
Not by body style alone. Limousines and passenger buses used to transport persons for hire, motor homes, and vehicles identified by the vehicle manufacturer as multipurpose may have tinting material that complies with FMVSS 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205 (1992)) (13 AAC 04.223(b)(4)). The section does not name SUVs or pickups and states no percentage for this option, so check how the manufacturer identifies the vehicle. Otherwise darker glass is allowed only under the medical exemption (subsection (c)) or for a rear window tinted before July 1, 1994 on a vehicle with both side rearview mirrors (subsection (h)).
Mirrored tinting material is barred on any window (13 AAC 04.223(a)). The color rule in subsection (d) allows green, gray, bronze or neutral smoke film, or a sun reflective auto film. The section states no reflectance percentage and does not define mirrored, so a sun reflective film is listed as allowed while a mirrored one is not.
Yes. Windows may be darker than the subsection (b) limits if a driver or a passenger who frequently travels in the vehicle is required for medical reasons to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, the reasons are certified annually by a physician licensed to practice in Alaska, and the certification is carried in the vehicle (13 AAC 04.223(c)). The section states no minimum percentage for this exemption.
Only with an eyebrow: a strip of tinting material on the top edge that does not extend downward more than five inches from the top of the glass (13 AAC 04.223(b)(1)). No percentage is stated for the strip, and other aftermarket tinting or striping material is barred except as the section provides (subsection (a)).
Running a tint shop in Alaska? See shop software for Alaska.
This page summarizes Alaska 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.