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For a vehicle registered or required to be registered in New Mexico, film on the front side, rear side and rearmost windows must be nonreflective with not less than 20% light transmission (no tolerance stated), with outside mirrors on both sides. Some vehicle classes are exempt from the 20% behind the driver. Windshield film may cover only the top, to the ASI line or five inches, whichever is closer to the top.
Source: NMSA 1978, § 66-3-846.1; NMSA 1978, Chapter 66 on NMOneSource (official compilation): § 66-3-846.1, § 66-3-846 (windows must be transparent) and § 66-8-116 (penalty assessment schedule). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Sun screening material must be nonreflective, may not be red, yellow or amber, and may be used only along the top of the windshield, not extending downward beyond the ASI line or more than five inches from the top, whichever is closer to the top ((B)(1)). No light transmission percentage is stated for windshield film. |
| Front side windows | Sun screening material used with the safety glazing of the side wings or the side windows immediately to the right and left of the driver must be nonreflective and have a light transmission of not less than 20% ((B)(2)). Light transmission is defined as the percentage of light that passes through a product or material ((H)(1)); the text does not say whether the glass is counted, and it states no tolerance. Film may be used only on a vehicle equipped with one right and one left outside rearview mirror ((B)(2)). |
| Rear side windows | The same rule applies to the side windows behind the driver: nonreflective, not less than 20% light transmission, and outside rearview mirrors on both sides ((B)(2)). The 20% requirement does not apply to windows behind the driver on truck tractors, buses, recreational vehicles, multipurpose passenger vehicles or motor homes ((F)). The section does not define multipurpose passenger vehicle or name SUVs. |
| Rear window | Sun screening material on the rearmost window must be nonreflective and have a light transmission of not less than 20%, on a vehicle with outside rearview mirrors on both sides ((B)(2)). The same (F) exception for windows behind the driver on truck tractors, buses, recreational vehicles, multipurpose passenger vehicles and motor homes applies to the 20% requirement. |
| Reflectance and color | Sun screening material on the windshield and on every side and rear window must be nonreflective ((B)(1)-(2)), which the section defines as designed to absorb light rather than to reflect it ((H)(3)). No reflectance percentage is stated. The red, yellow or amber color ban is stated for the windshield ((B)(1)). |
| Labels and installers | Each manufacturer must certify to the division that its sun screening material meets the nonreflectivity and light transmission requirements ((C)(1)). It must provide a label of no more than one and one-half square inches, showing the manufacturer's name, the date of manufacture and the percentage of light transmission, installed permanently and legibly between the material and each glazing surface, in the lower left corner as seen from outside the vehicle ((C)(2)). A person may not install sun screening material on a vehicle intended for street or highway use without permanently affixing that label, or offer non-compliant material for sale or use ((D)). |
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).
Section 66-3-846.1 covers motor vehicles registered or required to be registered in New Mexico and operated on a street or highway ((A)). The light transmission requirement does not apply to windows behind the driver on truck tractors, buses, recreational vehicles, multipurpose passenger vehicles or motor homes ((F)); that sentence does not lift the nonreflective or mirror rules. The section does not define multipurpose passenger vehicle or name SUVs, pickups or vans, so whether a given SUV is covered by (F) turns on that term. Motor vehicle glazing that complies with federal motor vehicle standards is outside the section ((F)), and so are vehicles that had sun screening material on the windshield or any window before July 1, 1997 ((G)). Section 66-3-846(A) separately bars nontransparent material on the windshield, the windows immediately right and left of the driver and the rearmost window if used for driving visibility, except as 66-3-846.1 provides; the rearmost window is not necessary for driving visibility where outside rearview mirrors are attached.
Section 66-3-846.1 does not apply to a vehicle registered in New Mexico in the name of a person, or that person's legal guardian, who has an affidavit signed by a physician or an optometrist licensed to practice in New Mexico stating that the person has a physical condition that makes it necessary to equip the vehicle with sun screening material that is in violation of the section ((E)). The affidavit must be in the possession of the person with the condition, or the legal guardian, at all times while that person is being transported in the vehicle. The section states no minimum percentage for an exempt vehicle.
A violation of 66-3-846.1 is a penalty assessment misdemeanor ((I)). The schedule in NMSA 66-8-116(A) sets a $50 penalty assessment for improper equipment under Sections 66-3-801 through 66-3-840 and 66-3-842 through 66-3-851; it does not list 66-3-846.1 by number, but that section falls within the second range. If the person accepts a notice to appear instead, a fine on later conviction may not exceed the penalty assessment (66-8-116(C)). A violation that caused or contributed to an accident resulting in injury or death is not a penalty assessment misdemeanor (66-8-116(B)).
For a vehicle registered or required to be registered in New Mexico, sun screening material on the front side windows, the side windows behind the driver and the rearmost window must be nonreflective and have a light transmission of not less than 20% (NMSA 66-3-846.1(B)(2)). The statute states no tolerance and does not say whether the glass is counted. Film may be used only on a vehicle with one right and one left outside rearview mirror. The 20% does not apply to windows behind the driver on truck tractors, buses, recreational vehicles, multipurpose passenger vehicles or motor homes ((F)).
Under subsection (F), only if it is in one of the classes it names: the 20% light transmission requirement does not apply to windows behind the driver on truck tractors, buses, recreational vehicles, multipurpose passenger vehicles or motor homes. The section does not define multipurpose passenger vehicle or name SUVs, pickups or vans, and film on those windows must still be nonreflective, with outside rearview mirrors on both sides ((B)(2)). Separately, motor vehicle glazing that complies with federal motor vehicle standards is outside the section ((F)).
No. Sun screening material on the windshield and on every side and rear window must be nonreflective (NMSA 66-3-846.1(B)), which the section defines as designed to absorb light rather than to reflect it ((H)(3)). No reflectance percentage is stated.
Sun screening material may be used only along the top of the windshield, not extending downward beyond the ASI line or more than five inches from the top, whichever is closer to the top. It must be nonreflective and not red, yellow or amber (NMSA 66-3-846.1(B)(1)). No percentage is stated for windshield film.
Yes. The film manufacturer must provide a label of no more than one and one-half square inches, with the manufacturer's name, the date of manufacture and the percentage of light transmission, installed permanently and legibly between the film and each glazing surface in the lower left corner as seen from outside ((C)(2)). No one may install sun screening material on a vehicle intended for street or highway use without permanently affixing it ((D)(2)).
Yes. The section does not apply to a vehicle registered in New Mexico in the name of a person, or the person's legal guardian, who has an affidavit from a physician or optometrist licensed in New Mexico stating that a physical condition makes the non-compliant sun screening material necessary. The affidavit must be in the possession of that person or the guardian at all times while the person is being transported in the vehicle (NMSA 66-3-846.1(E)).
A violation is a penalty assessment misdemeanor (NMSA 66-3-846.1(I)). The NMSA 66-8-116(A) schedule sets $50 for improper equipment under Sections 66-3-842 through 66-3-851, the range that includes 66-3-846.1. A violation that caused or contributed to an accident resulting in injury or death is not a penalty assessment misdemeanor (66-8-116(B)).
Running a tint shop in New Mexico? See shop software for New Mexico.
This page summarizes New Mexico 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.