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In Maryland, tint added after manufacture needs at least 35% light transmittance on front side windows of passenger cars, station wagons, light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles. Behind the driver, only passenger cars and station wagons need 35%, so an SUV depends on its registration class. Added windshield tint is barred below the AS-1 line or 5 inches from the top, whichever is less. Limousines, school vehicles and heavy or large vehicles differ.
Source: Md. Code, Transp. § 22-406(i); COMAR 11.14.02.14D, 11.14.04.16D and 29.02.01.11F; COMAR 11.14.02.14 (vehicle glazing: cars, light trucks, vans, limousines, school vehicles); COMAR 11.14.04.16 (vehicle glazing: heavier trucks, truck tractors, buses); COMAR 29.02.01.11 (State Police defect 61, glass and tinting); COMAR 11.14.01.01 (definitions, including limousine and multipurpose passenger vehicle); Transp. § 27-101 (general penalty for Maryland Vehicle Law violations); COMAR 11.14.02.01 (applicability); COMAR 11.14.04.01 (applicability); Transp. § 13-912 (Class A); Transp. § 13-913 (Class B); Transp. § 13-917 (light Class E trucks); Transp. § 13-937 (Class M); Transp. § 11-136.2 (multipurpose passenger vehicle); Transp. § 23-105 (safety equipment repair orders); State Police repair order and window tint page; State Police medical certification form ASED 23-04B; State Police tint inspection report ASED 23-04; District Court traffic fine schedule DC-CR-090. Summary last checked against these sources on September 19, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Front side windows | Passenger cars, convertibles and station wagons: tint added after manufacture needs at least 35% light transmittance, measured after the tint is applied. Light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles: at least 35% on the windows immediately right and left of the driver. The statute's truck cross-reference (Transp. 13-917) covers Class E trucks rated 3/4 ton or less with a gross vehicle weight of 7,000 pounds or less, while the regulation covers light trucks up to 10,000 pounds GVWR. For vehicles registered as for-hire (Class B), the statute applies 35% only to the windows immediately right and left of the driver, and the Motor Vehicle Administration regulation's tint list (COMAR 11.14.02.14D) does not name taxicabs. No added tint on those windows: limousines, school vehicles, trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses and certain large multipurpose passenger vehicles, meaning those seating 16 or more including the driver, those formerly registered as a school vehicle or passenger bus and used mainly to carry passengers, and those over 10,000 pounds used in a commercial enterprise. The wording of that large-vehicle clause is unclear in the Motor Vehicle Administration regulation; the State Police version (COMAR 29.02.01.11F(4)) ties the commercial prong to over 10,000 pounds GVWR, so confirm a specific vehicle with the State Police. The cited sections state no tolerance. |
| Rear side windows | Passenger cars, convertibles and station wagons: at least 35% light transmittance after the tint is applied, and an outside rearview mirror on each side. Light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles: no 35% requirement; the regulation allows any degree of darkness behind the driver if the vehicle has an outside rearview mirror on each side. The statute and regulation are worded differently: for a vehicle registered as a passenger car or station wagon (Class A), the statute applies 35% to any window, while the regulation lists side and rear windows for passenger cars and only the windows beside the driver for light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles. So an SUV's answer depends on its registration class; see the SUV question. Limousines, trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses and the large multipurpose passenger vehicles described under Front side windows: any degree of darkness behind the driver, with an outside rearview mirror on each side. School vehicles: no added tint. |
| Rear window | Passenger cars, convertibles and station wagons: at least 35% light transmittance after the tint is applied, and an outside rearview mirror on each side. Light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles other than the large ones described under Front side windows: no 35% requirement, with an outside rearview mirror on each side. Limousines, trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses and the large multipurpose passenger vehicles described under Front side windows: any degree of darkness, with an outside rearview mirror on each side. On vehicles covered by COMAR 11.14.02 (up to 10,000 pounds), added tint may not cover the part of the rear window in front of an inside-mounted high mounted stop lamp. School vehicles: no added tint. |
| Windshield | Passenger cars, convertibles, station wagons, light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles: added tint may not go below the AS-1 line or below 5 inches from the top of the windshield, whichever is less. The cited regulations do not define the AS-1 line; the regulation refers glazing questions to the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division. The regulation gives no light transmittance figure for the strip above that line. For passenger cars the statute applies 35% to any window while the regulation lists only side and rear windows, so the texts do not settle whether the strip must meet 35%. Limousines, school vehicles, trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses and certain large multipurpose passenger vehicles (described under Front side windows): no added windshield tint. |
| Reflectance or color | On any window or windshield of any vehicle, added tint with a mirrored or one-way vision effect or a sparkling effect is prohibited, and so is red, yellow or amber tint and tint that changes to red, yellow or amber. The cited sections state no numeric reflectance limit, but the State Police repair-order page says reflective window tint is prohibited on all vehicles, which is broader than the regulation's wording. Check a metallic or reflective film with the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division before installing it. A tint maker's label may not affect the driver's vision or cover the glazing maker's trademark or AS marking. |
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).
These rules cover tint added after manufacture, not glass as built. The statute names the passenger car, for-hire, multipurpose passenger vehicle and lighter truck registration classes; the regulations also cover limousines and school vehicles. In the Motor Vehicle Administration's inspection rules a limousine is a vehicle stretched or modified for passengers, driven as part of an advertised or Public Service Commission-registered limousine service, or equipped with amenities not normally provided in passenger cars (COMAR 11.14.01.01). Limousines, trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses and certain large multipurpose passenger vehicles may not have added tint on the windshield or driver-adjacent windows; school vehicles may not have it anywhere. Section 22-406(i)(1) applies to vehicles in the registration classes it lists; the text does not say how it applies to a vehicle registered in another state.
Maryland has a medical exemption from the 35% requirement. The owner keeps in the vehicle a written certification, in the format the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division requires, from a physician licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, describing the medical need for tint below 35%. It stays valid for the period the physician sets, up to 2 years, or indefinitely if the physician finds the condition permanent. The statute does not bar driving without the certified person aboard, so long as the certification is in the vehicle. The exemption does not allow windshield tint below the AS-1 line or 5 inches from the top, and the vehicle must otherwise meet the tint rules. Keeping the certification in the vehicle is the statute's roadside test. At a State inspection, or on a repair order for tint (defect 61), the regulations instead refer an owner claiming the exemption to the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division, which reviews the medical papers and the tint and, if the owner qualifies and the vehicle otherwise complies, may issue an exemption form to the inspection station or certify the repair order. The regulations limit the exemption to the vehicle classes that have a 35% requirement, so it does not apply to limousines, school vehicles, trucks over 10,000 pounds, truck tractors, buses or the large multipurpose passenger vehicles barred from added tint. The State Police form says the exemption is non-transferable. That form's certifier line also mentions optometrists, which the statute does not; the statute names a physician licensed to practice medicine in Maryland. Separately, the statute's tint rules do not apply to easily removed tint used to protect a child under 10 from the sun; the regulation lists no matching exception.
A driver stopped for a violation can be cited, and the officer may also issue a safety equipment repair order. The District Court fine schedule effective October 1, 2025 lists a preset, prepayable fine of $70 (court costs included) for operating a vehicle with unauthorized window tint and $70 for installing tint that does not meet the statute's light transmittance requirements. Section 22-406 itself states no fine amount. Under Transp. 27-101, a Maryland Vehicle Law violation with no other penalty stated is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500; $70 is the District Court's preset, prepayable schedule amount. The repair order directs the owner to have the tint corrected within 10 days and to send in a repair order certification, and state law directs that the rules provide for suspending the registration if the order is not complied with within 30 days. The State Police say tint repairs must be certified at a licensed inspection station, even if the tint has been removed. At a roadside stop, a valid medical certification kept in the vehicle exempts the owner from the 35% requirement; see the exemptions section for the inspection and repair-order route.
For tint added after manufacture, Maryland requires at least 35% light transmittance on the front side windows of passenger cars, station wagons, light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles. Passenger cars and station wagons need 35% behind the driver too, but light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles have no 35% requirement there. Registration class matters; see the SUV question. Added windshield tint is barred below the AS-1 line or 5 inches from the top, whichever is less. Limousines, school vehicles and heavier trucks, buses and large multipurpose passenger vehicles follow separate rules.
It depends on how the SUV is classified and registered, not on the label 'SUV'. If it is registered as a passenger car or station wagon (Class A), the statute applies the 35% limit to any window, so 35% applies behind the driver too. If it is registered as a multipurpose passenger vehicle (Class M) or a light truck, the 35% limit applies to the windows immediately right and left of the driver, and the regulation allows any degree of darkness behind the driver with an outside rearview mirror on each side, except the area in front of an inside-mounted high mounted stop lamp. Maryland's definition of a multipurpose passenger vehicle includes vehicles designed primarily to carry people and built on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road use. The State Police repair-order page groups SUVs, vans and small trucks with the driver-adjacent-only rule, but the statute applies 35% to any window of a vehicle registered as a passenger car or station wagon. Confirm with the Maryland MVA how your vehicle is registered.
Mirrored, one-way, sparkling, red, yellow and amber tint is prohibited on any window or windshield of any vehicle, as is tint that changes to red, yellow or amber. The regulation lists no other colors as prohibited, but the 35% limits and the windshield line still apply. The cited sections state no numeric reflectance limit, but the State Police repair-order page says reflective window tint is prohibited on all vehicles, which is broader than the regulation's wording. Ask the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division about a specific metallic or reflective film before installing it.
The owner keeps a written certification in the vehicle from a physician licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, in the format the State Police require. It exempts the owner from the 35% requirement for the period the physician sets, up to 2 years, or indefinitely if the condition is permanent. It does not allow windshield tint below the AS-1 line or 5 inches from the top, and the prohibited effects and colors still apply. At a State inspection or on a tint repair order, the regulations refer an owner claiming the exemption to the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division, which reviews the paperwork and the vehicle and may then issue an exemption form to the inspection station or certify the repair order.
The officer can issue a citation and a safety equipment repair order. The District Court fine schedule effective October 1, 2025 lists a preset fine of $70 for operating with unauthorized window tint (section 22-406 states no fine amount; under Transp. 27-101 the general cap for a Maryland Vehicle Law misdemeanor is $500, and $70 is the court's preset prepayable amount). The repair order directs the owner to correct the tint within 10 days and send in a repair order certification, and state law directs that the rules provide for suspending the registration if the order is not complied with within 30 days. The State Police say tint repairs must be certified at a licensed inspection station, even if the tint was removed.
The tint limits in the cited statute and regulation apply to tint added after manufacture, and those provisions set no light transmittance figure for glass as the manufacturer built it. For passenger cars, and for the windows immediately right and left of the driver on light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles, the regulation sets 35% light transmittance after the added tint is applied, and inspection stations test each regulated window that carries added tint with a meter approved by the State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division. The cited sections state no measurement tolerance.
Read the full Maryland breakdown
Running a tint shop in Maryland? See shop software for Maryland.
This page summarizes Maryland 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.