Loading
Loading
Minnesota bars driving a vehicle required to be registered there if a side or rear window has light transmittance below 50%, plus or minus 3%, or luminous reflectance above 20%, plus or minus 3%. No window may look highly reflective or mirrored, and nothing may reduce light through the windshield. Pickup rear windows, van windows behind the driver, limousine, funeral and police side and rear windows, and prescribed medical glazing are exempt.
Source: Minn. Stat. § 169.71, subds. 4, 4a and 5; Minn. Laws 2026, ch. 89, § 1 (optometrist statements; amends § 169.71, subd. 4a); Minn. Stat. § 168.002, subds. 15, 26, 40 (limousine, pickup truck, van definitions); Minn. Stat. § 169.89, subds. 1-2 (chapter 169 penalties); Minn. Stat. § 609.02, subd. 3 (misdemeanor definition); Minn. Stat. § 609.03(3) (misdemeanor punishment). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | No material may be on or in the windshield that makes it more reflective or in any other way reduces light transmittance through it (subd. 4(1)). The statute states no top-strip or AS-1 allowance. Glazing that has not been modified since original installation, and original replacement windshields, installed or replaced in conformity with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205 are exempt (subd. 4a(a)(1)). |
| Front side windows | Light transmittance of at least 50%, plus or minus 3%, in the visible light range, and luminous reflectance of no more than 20%, plus or minus 3% (subd. 4(3)). The window also may not be treated so as to obstruct or substantially reduce the driver's clear view. The pickup and van exemptions do not reach these windows. The limousine, funeral-vehicle and police-vehicle exemptions cover their side and rear windows (subd. 4a(a)(3)). |
| Rear side windows | The same 50% (plus or minus 3%) light-transmittance and 20% (plus or minus 3%) reflectance limits (subd. 4(3)). Exempt: the side windows behind the driver's seat of a van, and the side windows of a limousine, a vehicle used by a licensed funeral establishment to transport human remains, or a police vehicle (subd. 4a(a)(3)). The pickup-truck exemption names only the pickup's rear windows; the text does not say whether a crew cab's rear side windows count. |
| Rear window | The same 50% (plus or minus 3%) light-transmittance and 20% (plus or minus 3%) reflectance limits (subd. 4(3)). Exempt: the rear windows of a pickup truck or a van, and the rear windows of a limousine, a vehicle used by a licensed funeral establishment to transport human remains, or a police vehicle (subd. 4a(a)(3)). |
| Reflectance | No window may be composed of, covered by, or treated with material that has a highly reflective or mirrored appearance (subd. 4(2)). Side and rear windows may not exceed 20% luminous reflectance, plus or minus 3% (subd. 4(3)), and nothing may make the windshield more reflective (subd. 4(1)). |
| Film marking and installers | Material applied to any motor vehicle window after August 1, 1985 must have an accompanying permanent marking that shows its percent of transmittance and percent of reflectance, placed so it does not obscure vision and readable when installed (subd. 4(4)). No one may sell, offer for sale or use on a motor vehicle windows or windshields made of, covered by or treated with material that fails subdivision 4. No one may apply or offer to apply such material to vehicle windows or windshields as part of a business transaction. A violation is a misdemeanor (subd. 5(a)-(b)). This does not cover selling a vehicle that already has non-compliant windows (subd. 5(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).
Subdivision 4 applies to driving or operating a motor vehicle required to be registered in Minnesota on a street or highway. It does not apply to glazing not modified since original installation, or original replacement glass, installed in conformity with FMVSS 205. It also does not apply to glazing on the rear windows of a pickup truck; the rear windows and side windows behind the driver's seat of a van; or the side and rear windows of a limousine, a vehicle used by a licensed funeral establishment to transport human remains, or a police vehicle. A pickup truck has a manufacturer's nominal rated carrying capacity of three-fourths ton or less and is commonly known as a pickup (or, if that capacity is unknown, a label gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less). A van is of box-like design with no barrier between the operator's area and the cargo area and a rated capacity of three-fourths ton or less (or a label gross vehicle weight under 10,000 pounds). A limousine is a luxury passenger automobile seating not more than 15 including the driver. The statute does not mention SUVs.
Subdivision 4 does not apply to glazing required to satisfy prescription or medical needs if the driver or a passenger possesses a prescription or a physician's or optometrist's statement of medical need (subd. 4a(a)(2)). The prescription must state whether the medical need is temporary or permanent. The prescription or statement must state the minimum percentage that light transmittance may be reduced to. It must also contain an expiration date no more than two years after issue, unless the prescriber indicates the condition is permanent. A driver may rely on a prescription or statement issued to a person not present in the vehicle if that person is the driver's parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or spouse, or someone for whom the driver is a personal care attendant. The prescription or statement must name the make, model and license plate of one or two vehicles, and the driver must have it in possession (subd. 4a(b)). Optometrists were added by 2026 c. 89, effective retroactively from July 1, 2025 for prescriptions issued on or after that date. The text read describes no state application or permit.
Section 169.71 states a penalty only for subdivision 5. Under chapter 169's general rule, unless otherwise declared, a violation is a petty misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $300 and no imprisonment (§ 169.89, subds. 1-2). It becomes a misdemeanor if committed so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property, or when preceded by two or more petty misdemeanor convictions within the preceding 12 months (§ 169.89, subd. 1). Selling, offering for sale or using windows or windshields treated with non-compliant material, or applying such material as part of a business transaction, is a misdemeanor under § 169.71, subd. 5. That carries up to 90 days, a fine of up to $1,000, or both (§ 609.02, subd. 3; § 609.03(3)). Court costs are not covered here.
Unless an exemption applies, any side window or rear window must have light transmittance of at least 50%, plus or minus 3%, in the visible light range and luminous reflectance of no more than 20%, plus or minus 3% (Minn. Stat. § 169.71, subd. 4(3)). No window may have a highly reflective or mirrored appearance, and no material may reduce light transmittance through the windshield or make it more reflective (subd. 4(1)-(2)).
Pickups and vans: yes, for the windows the statute names. Subdivision 4 does not apply to the rear windows of a pickup truck, or to the rear windows and side windows behind the driver's seat of a van (subd. 4a(a)(3)). Both are defined by a manufacturer's nominal rated carrying capacity of three-fourths ton or less, and a van must be box-like with no barrier between the operator's area and the cargo area (§ 168.002, subds. 26, 40). SUVs are not mentioned, so an SUV gets that exemption only if it meets one of those definitions; otherwise the 50% and 20% limits apply.
The statute bars any material that makes the windshield more reflective or in any other way reduces light transmittance through it (subd. 4(1)), and it states no top-strip allowance. Unmodified factory glass and original replacement windshields installed in conformity with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205 are exempt (subd. 4a(a)(1)).
No window may have a highly reflective or mirrored appearance (subd. 4(2)), and side and rear windows may not exceed 20% luminous reflectance, plus or minus 3% (subd. 4(3)).
Yes. Material applied to a window after August 1, 1985 must have an accompanying permanent marking that shows its percent of transmittance and percent of reflectance, placed so it does not obscure vision and readable when installed on the vehicle (subd. 4(4)).
Yes. Subdivision 4 does not apply to glazing required for prescription or medical needs if the driver or a passenger has a prescription or a physician's or optometrist's statement of medical need (subd. 4a(a)(2)). The prescription must say whether the need is temporary or permanent. The prescription or statement must state the minimum light transmittance allowed and carry an expiration date no more than two years out, unless the condition is marked permanent. Optometrists were added by 2026 c. 89, retroactive for prescriptions issued on or after July 1, 2025.
Running a tint shop in Minnesota? See shop software for Minnesota.
This page summarizes Minnesota 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.