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Since July 1, 2026, Georgia requires at least 28% light transmission (plus or minus 3 percent) on front side windows and at least 15% (plus or minus 3 percent) on rear side windows and the rear windshield. Reflectance on those windows may not go above 20%. Material that reduces light through the front windshield is prohibited, apart from listed exceptions. Some vehicle classes are exempt at the rear.
Source: O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1 as amended by 2026 Ga. Act 640 (HB 1161) § 3, effective July 1, 2026; O.C.G.A. § 17-10-3(a)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-22-.05 and 570-22-.06; HB 1161 status record (Act 640, signed May 12, 2026, effective date July 1, 2026); Legislative Counsel, Summary of General Statutes Enacted, 2026 session (Act 640: Section 5 effective July 1, 2027, other sections July 1, 2026); Governor's signed copy of HB 1161 (identical file to the enrolled Act); HB 20 (2005), original 40-8-73.1(b), (c)(1)-(7), (e) and misdemeanor provision; SB 570 (2006), subsection (d): physician or optometrist attestation, DPS; HB 79 (2007), subsections (c)(8)-(10); HB 112 (2011) Section 16, subsections (f)-(h); O.C.G.A. 40-8-73.1 as codified before HB 1161 (Justia archive copy of the 2024 Code; mirror, cross-check only); DPS form DPS-431 (Rev. 3/2026) with Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-22-.05 and 570-22-.06; DPS medical exemption page; Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-22-.05, window tinting (Secretary of State rules site, current through Sept. 2, 2026); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 570-22-.06, limited exemptions (Secretary of State rules site, current through Sept. 2, 2026); O.C.G.A. 17-10-3 general misdemeanor punishment (Justia archive copy; mirror); FOX 5 Atlanta list of new Georgia laws (news report; states a July 1, 2027 date for the tint section that conflicts with the enrolled Act). Summary last checked against these sources on September 19, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Material that reduces light transmission through the front windshield is prohibited (subsection (b)(1)). Exceptions in subsection (c): adjustable sun visors mounted forward of the side windows and not attached to the glass; signs, stickers or other matter in a seven-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver or a five-inch square in the lower corner nearest the driver; direction, destination or termination signs on a passenger common carrier vehicle that do not interfere with the driver's clear view of approaching traffic; a transparent item that is not red or amber on the uppermost six inches; and federal, state or local stickers or certificates required by law. |
| Front side windows | At least 28% light transmission, plus or minus 3 percent, and reflectance no more than 20 percent (subsection (b)(2)). Front side windows are the side and door windows directly right and left of the driver; the rear-window exemptions in subsection (c)(6) do not cover them. |
| Rear side windows | At least 15% light transmission, plus or minus 3 percent, and reflectance no more than 20 percent (subsection (b)(3)). Rear side windows are the side and door windows that are not directly right and left of the driver. Exempt on the vehicle classes in subsection (c)(6): a multipurpose passenger vehicle (a motor vehicle designed to carry ten persons or less, constructed on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation); a school bus, other public-transport bus, or bus or van owned or leased by a Georgia-incorporated religious or nonprofit organization; a limousine owned or leased by a public or private entity; and any other vehicle tinted or darkened before factory delivery or permitted by federal law or regulation. Subsection (a) defines only multipurpose passenger vehicle; this page does not cover how other terms in that list are defined elsewhere in the Code. |
| Rear window (rear windshield) | At least 15% light transmission, plus or minus 3 percent, and reflectance no more than 20 percent (subsection (b)(3)), the same limit as the rear side windows. Before July 1, 2026 it fell in the 32 percent group; HB 1161 moved it to the 15 percent group. The same subsection (c)(6) exempt classes apply. |
| Reflectance | The statute's reflectance ceiling is 20 percent on the front side windows, rear side windows and rear windshield (subsections (b)(2) and (b)(3)). Separately, DPS Rule 570-22-.05(1) says no material may increase the light reflectance of "the windshield"; that paragraph is written about the front windshield, the sentence states no percentage, and it does not say whether it reaches the rear windshield. |
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).
Subsection (b) applies to anyone operating a motor vehicle in Georgia and covers material and glazing applied or affixed to the glass. Front side windows are the side and door windows directly right and left of the driver; the other side and door windows are rear side windows. On the (c)(6) vehicle classes in the rear side window row, the rear windshield and rear side windows, but not the front side windows, are exempt. Law enforcement, some government-plated, and licensed private detective or security business vehicles are also outside subsection (b). Commercial motor vehicles are subject to 49 CFR 393.60 instead, which this page does not cover. The text reviewed has no exemption for vehicles registered in another state.
Georgia's Department of Public Safety (DPS) may grant a medical exemption, at its discretion, under O.C.G.A. 40-8-73.1(d) and DPS Rule 570-22-.06. The application (form DPS-431) must be supported by a written attestation that the person must be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, signed by a physician licensed under Title 43, Chapter 34 or an optometrist under Chapter 30; the rule says the attestation must state the specific medical diagnosis, and the form says physician assistants, nurse practitioners, RNs and LPNs cannot sign. DPS says the letter must explain why the condition can only be addressed by a 9% reduction of visible light, not ultraviolet light. Conditions that protective eyewear (prescription or non-prescription), or legal-limit tint that blocks 99.9% of UV light, can address are not eligible, and neither are conditions that may occur due to family history. DPS also says the letter must be on the medical office's letterhead and mailed directly from that office with the application and payment. The fee is $10 per application or household (non-refundable under the rule), payable by money order, certified check or cashier's check; personal checks are not accepted. The approved copy of the application serves as the authorization, and the form and rule do not mention a sticker. It covers a vehicle the person owns or is a habitual passenger in, lasts four years from approval, is not transferable if the vehicle is sold (the letter must then be returned to DPS), and must be carried in the vehicle and shown to a police officer on request. It never allows any reduction of light through the windshield. The rule bars going below 23% (plus or minus 3 percent) on the windows right and left of the driver, and the DPS form's note says no window below 23% light transmission; this page does not resolve whether that also binds the rear windows.
Violating the tint limits in subsection (b), or installing material that would cause a violation of them (subsection (e)), is a misdemeanor under O.C.G.A. 40-8-73.1(h). The section states no fine or other punishment of its own and has no fix-it or repair provision, so the general misdemeanor range in O.C.G.A. 17-10-3(a)(1) applies unless other law provides otherwise: a fine of up to $1,000, confinement of up to 12 months, or both. Subsection (b) does not apply to what subsection (c) lists: the windshield items in (c)(1)-(5); the rear windshield and rear side windows, but not the front side windows or windshield, of the (c)(6) vehicle classes; and the vehicles in (c)(7)-(10) (law enforcement vehicles, certain government-plated vehicles, and vehicles operated in the course of business by licensed private detective or security businesses). A DPS medical exemption comes with DPS's conditions: it never allows reducing light through the windshield, and the rule bars going below 23% (plus or minus 3 percent) on the windows right and left of the driver.
Georgia requires at least 28% light transmission (plus or minus 3 percent) on the front side windows and at least 15% (plus or minus 3 percent) on the rear side windows and the rear windshield, with reflectance no higher than 20%. Material that reduces light through the front windshield is prohibited, with exceptions such as a transparent item that is not red or amber on the top six inches. These limits took effect July 1, 2026, and some vehicle classes are exempt on the rear windshield and rear side windows.
Yes. House Bill 1161 (Act 640, signed May 12, 2026) replaced the old flat 32% (plus or minus 3 percent) limit, which covered the rear windshield and the side and door windows. Front side windows went from 32% to 28%, and the rear windshield and rear side windows went from 32% to 15%. Section 8 of the Act makes the tint section (Section 3) effective July 1, 2026; only Section 5, on school-zone traffic-camera warning signs, is set for July 1, 2027. One news report (FOX 5 Atlanta) says the tint section takes effect July 1, 2027; that does not match the enrolled Act, and the legislature's record for the bill lists July 1, 2026 as the effective date.
It depends on whether the vehicle fits an exempt class in the statute, not on its body style. The rear windshield and rear side windows are exempt on a multipurpose passenger vehicle, which the statute defines as a motor vehicle designed to carry ten persons or less and constructed on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation. They are also exempt on a school bus, other public-transport bus, or bus or van owned or leased by a Georgia-incorporated religious or nonprofit organization; a limousine owned or leased by a public or private entity; and any other vehicle tinted or darkened before factory delivery or permitted by federal law or regulation. The statute does not list SUVs, pickups or vans by body style, so whether a particular vehicle qualifies turns on those class descriptions, and this page cannot decide that for a specific vehicle. A vehicle that fits no exempt class is held to 15% (plus or minus 3 percent) on the rear side windows and rear windshield. The exemption does not cover the front side windows, which are held to 28% (plus or minus 3 percent) unless a different subsection (c) exemption applies, such as a law enforcement vehicle. A DPS medical exemption is also possible, with DPS's own limits, including a 23% (plus or minus 3 percent) floor on the windows right and left of the driver.
A window that measures 32% light transmission is above both current minimums (28% for front side windows, 15% for rear side windows and the rear windshield), but the front windshield follows a different rule: material that reduces its light transmission is prohibited, apart from the listed exceptions. Compliance depends on the light transmission measured through the finished window. The statute adds "plus or minus 3 percent" to each minimum without saying how that is applied, so a film's rated percentage alone does not settle it. DPS Rule 570-22-.05(3) requires installers to certify transmission after installation; the last answer below says what that rule cites.
Yes, DPS may grant one at its discretion. You apply with form DPS-431, which needs a written attestation from a licensed physician or optometrist that you must be shielded from the direct rays of the sun; the rule says it must state the specific medical diagnosis. DPS says the letter must explain why the condition can only be addressed by a 9% reduction of visible light, not ultraviolet light. Conditions that protective eyewear or legal-limit tint blocking 99.9% of UV light can address are not eligible, and neither are conditions that may occur due to family history. The fee is $10 per application or household (non-refundable under the rule), paid by money order, certified check or cashier's check, and DPS says the letter must be mailed directly from the medical office on its letterhead. The exemption lasts four years, covers a vehicle you own or are a habitual passenger in, and does not allow tint on the windshield or any window below 23% light transmission, per the DPS form; the rule states the 23% (plus or minus 3 percent) floor for the windows right and left of the driver.
Illegal tint is a misdemeanor under O.C.G.A. 40-8-73.1(h), and so is installing material that would put a window in violation of the limits (subsection (e)). The section states no fine or other punishment of its own and has no fix-it provision, so the general misdemeanor range in O.C.G.A. 17-10-3(a)(1) applies unless other law provides otherwise: a fine of up to $1,000, confinement of up to 12 months, or both. DPS Rule 570-22-.05(3) requires an installer to certify that light transmission after installation is not below, and reflectance not above, what subsection (b)(2) allows. The rule text on the Secretary of State's rules site (current through September 2, 2026) and in DPS's March 2026 form packet cites only (b)(2), the front-side-window paragraph, and does not name the new (b)(3) rear limit; this page does not settle how DPS applies that certification to rear glass.
Read the full Georgia breakdown
Running a tint shop in Georgia? See shop software for Georgia.
This page summarizes Georgia 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 required safety equipment inoperative, 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.