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Michigan bans all aftermarket tint on the windshield and front side windows except a strip in the top 4 inches (or above the factory shade band). Rear side and rear windows can be tinted to any darkness—no VLT minimum—if the vehicle keeps two outside rearview mirrors. Total solar reflectance on rear windows must stay under 35%. No compliance sticker is required.
Source: MCL 257.709 (Michigan Vehicle Code, Act 300 of 1949, § 709, as amended through 2010 PA 258). Summary last checked against these sources on September 23, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | No sign, poster, nontransparent material, window application, reflective film, or nonreflective film is permitted on the windshield, except that a tinted film may be used along the top edge — limited to the top 4 inches of the windshield or to the factory shade band, whichever line is closer to the top. The statute does not define 'shade band'; it is commonly understood to mean the manufacturer-installed tinted strip at the top of factory windshield glass. MCL 257.709(1)(a). |
| Front side windows (and sidewings adjacent to and forward of the driver/front passenger) | Same outright prohibition as the windshield — no reflective, nonreflective, or nontransparent material/film — except a tinted film in the top 4 inches or above the shade band, whichever is closer to the top. The statute states no VLT percentage for the strip or for the glass below it: any film below the strip is non-compliant regardless of how light it is. A medical-necessity letter can authorize treatment beyond the strip (see Exemptions). MCL 257.709(1)(a), (3)(e). |
| Rear side windows (to the rear of the driver) | No VLT minimum is stated. Nonreflective, smoked, or tinted glass, nonreflective film, perforated window screen, or other decorative window application is exempted from the front-window restrictions outright — darkness is unrestricted by percentage. The only limits are the 35% total-solar-reflectance cap and the requirement to carry two outside rearview mirrors if the tint obstructs the driver's rear view. The statute applies this identically to sedans, SUVs, trucks, and other multipurpose vehicles — it does not set a separate rule by vehicle body style. MCL 257.709(1)(b), (3)(a)-(b). |
| Rear window | Same as rear side windows: no VLT floor, reflectance capped under 35%. A driver may not operate the vehicle if rear-window visibility is obstructed (including by dark tint) unless the vehicle is equipped with 2 rearview mirrors, one on each side, adjusted to give a clear view of the highway behind — required both generally under (2) and specifically for 'special window treatments' under (3)(a). MCL 257.709(1)(b), (2), (3)(a). |
| Reflectance | A rear window or side window to the rear of the driver may not be composed of, covered by, or treated with material producing total solar reflectance of 35% or more in the visible light range — the statute expressly names silver or gold reflective film as an example of what is banned once it crosses that threshold. Reflective film under 35% reflectance is legal there. No separate reflectance percentage is set for the windshield or front side windows because film is banned outright there (below the strip), including reflective film — the strip exception names only 'tinted film.' MCL 257.709(1)(b). |
| Sticker / certification requirement | The statute contains no requirement to affix an installer sticker, label, or certificate documenting tint compliance. Subsection (3)(c) exempts only 'the placement of a necessary certificate or sticker that does not obstruct the driver's clear view of the roadway or an intersecting roadway' (e.g., registration/inspection stickers) from the general obstruction prohibition — it is not a tint-specific compliance mandate. MCL 257.709(3)(c). |
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).
This rule applies to motor vehicles operated on Michigan roads under MCL 257.709 of the Michigan Vehicle Code; the statute does not create separate front-side, rear-side, or rear-window VLT tiers for sedans versus SUVs, trucks, or other multipurpose vehicles — the same rules apply to every vehicle body style. It exempts vehicles registered in another state, territory, U.S. commonwealth, or another country/province, and includes a documented medical-necessity exception for photosensitivity.
MCL 257.709(3)(e) allows a 'special window treatment or application' — including on the front side windows, where tint is otherwise banned below the 4-inch strip — if a physician or optometrist has determined it necessary because the person is light-sensitive or photosensitive, and the vehicle's owner or operator carries a letter signed by that physician or optometrist attesting to the medical necessity; the treatment still may not interfere with or obstruct the driver's clear vision of the highway or an intersecting highway. Separately, (3)(d) exempts vehicles registered in another state, territory, U.S. commonwealth, or another country/province, and (3)(a)-(b) exempt draperies, louvers, decorative films, and similar rear-window/rear-side treatments outright, subject to the mirror and reflectance rules above. The statute states no pre-approval, registration, or renewal process for the medical exemption beyond possessing the physician/optometrist letter, and it does not address penalties, enforcement procedure, or fine amounts within §709 itself — those were not found in this section and are not asserted here.
This page does not cover penalties for a violation. Confirm with the state.
Only in the top 4 inches of the window (or above the factory shade band, whichever line is closer to the top). MCL 257.709(1)(a) bans reflective, nonreflective, and other window film on the front side windows and windshield everywhere else — no VLT percentage makes tint below the strip legal, unless you qualify for the medical exemption in (3)(e).
No. MCL 257.709(3)(a)-(b) exempts tinted glass, nonreflective film, and similar treatments on the rear window and side windows behind the driver from the front-window darkness restrictions entirely — there is no percentage floor. The only limits are the 35% total-solar-reflectance cap in (1)(b) and the requirement to keep two outside rearview mirrors if the tint obstructs your rear view.
No. MCL 257.709 does not define separate rules by vehicle body style — the same windshield/front-side ban and unrestricted rear-window/rear-side-window rule apply to sedans, SUVs, trucks, and other multipurpose vehicles alike.
No. The statute has no tint-compliance sticker or labeling requirement. MCL 257.709(3)(c) only exempts 'a necessary certificate or sticker that does not obstruct the driver's clear view' — like a registration or inspection sticker — from the general obstruction ban; it does not require one for tint.
Not on the windshield or front side windows — those ban reflective film outright, even within the top-4-inch strip, since that exception's text names only 'tinted' film. On the rear window and rear side windows, reflective film is allowed as long as it keeps total solar reflectance under 35%; MCL 257.709(1)(b) specifically calls out silver or gold reflective film as an example of what is banned once it crosses that threshold.
MCL 257.709(3)(e) lets you apply a special window treatment to the front side windows if a physician or optometrist determines it medically necessary for light sensitivity/photosensitivity and you carry their signed letter in the vehicle; the treatment still cannot interfere with or obstruct your clear view of the highway or an intersecting highway.
Read the full Michigan breakdown
Running a tint shop in Michigan? See shop software for Michigan.
This page summarizes Michigan 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.