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Pennsylvania requires at least 70% visible light transmission (VLT) on the windshield and front side windows of every vehicle. Passenger cars need 70% VLT on the back side windows and rear window too (pre-1998 cars use a VESC-20 label instead of a flat percentage). Trucks, buses, and multi-purpose passenger vehicles (an SUV or van only if it meets that definition) have no VLT floor behind the front doors.
Source: 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524; 67 Pa. Code §§ 175.261–175.265 (Table X); Pennsylvania Bulletin, Vol. 26, No. 39 (Sept. 28, 1996) — official rulemaking adopting 67 Pa. Code §§ 175.261–175.265 and Table X, full text; 67 Pa. Code § 175.263 — Sun screening location; 67 Pa. Code § 175.264 — Mirrors; 67 Pa. Code § 175.265 — Exemption provisions; 67 Pa. Code § 175.67 — Glazing (Passenger Cars and Light Trucks); Commonwealth v. Castaneira, 2024 PA Super 178 (Pa. Super. Ct. Aug. 12, 2024). Summary last checked against these sources on September 23, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Must transmit at least 70% of light (Table X, 67 Pa. Code § 175.67(d)(4)), matching factory AS-1 safety glass under FMVSS No. 205. A transparent product or material is allowed along the top edge only if it does not encroach on the AS-1 portion and extends no more than 3 inches down from the top of the windshield (75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(e); 67 Pa. Code § 175.263(a)). |
| Front side windows | At least 70% VLT for every vehicle type — passenger cars, trucks, multi-purpose passenger vehicles (SUVs/vans), and medium/heavy trucks and buses alike (Table X, 67 Pa. Code § 175.67(d)(4); § 175.97(d)(3); § 175.263(a)). |
| Rear side windows — passenger cars | At least 70% VLT for model-year-1998-and-newer passenger cars. Pre-1998 passenger cars are instead held to the VESC-20 standard, which requires a permanent label between the film and the glass stating the manufacturer's name (or a registration number) and 'Complies with VESC-20' (Table X, 67 Pa. Code § 175.67(d)(4)). |
| Rear side windows — trucks, multi-purpose passenger vehicles, medium/heavy trucks & buses | No department-set VLT minimum — Table X lists 'No Requirement,' because 67 Pa. Code § 175.80(a)(2)(i)(B) confirms FMVSS No. 205 does not restrict windows behind the driver on these vehicle types. |
| Rear window (back glass) — passenger cars | At least 70% VLT for 1998-and-newer cars; pre-1998 cars again fall under the VESC-20 labeling standard rather than a flat percentage (Table X). |
| Rear window (back glass) — trucks, MPVs, buses | No department-set VLT minimum (Table X: 'No Requirement'). |
| Reflectance / mirrored finish | Not addressed. Neither 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524 nor 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175 Subch. O and Table X set a reflectance percentage cap or ban a mirrored/metallic finish — Pennsylvania's test is light transmittance (VLT) only. |
| Mirrors | Right and left outside rearview mirrors (minimum 19.5 sq. in. reflective surface each; 50 sq. in. if GVW exceeds 10,000 lb.) are required whenever a sun screening device is used, unless the material is applied only above the AS-1 portion of the windshield in the exempt top strip (67 Pa. Code §§ 175.68(a), 175.98(c)(1), 175.264). |
| Rear-window louvers | Permitted only on a vehicle already equipped with two outside mirrors (one per side, 19.5 sq. in. each — 67 Pa. Code §§ 175.68(a)(2), 175.98(c)(2)) and may not reduce the driver's field of view below 50%, measured on a horizontal plane (67 Pa. Code § 175.263(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).
Applies to any motor vehicle subject to Pennsylvania's periodic safety inspection (67 Pa. Code § 175.262), except vehicles inspected under the alternate § 175.130 procedure. Parallel, largely identical glazing rules exist by vehicle class: passenger cars and light trucks (Subch. E, § 175.67), medium/heavy trucks and buses (Subch. F, § 175.97), motorcycles (Subch. H, § 175.147), and motor-driven cycles/pedalcycles (Subch. J, § 175.176). Factory tinted glass of the type and specification the manufacturer installed, hearses, ambulances, government vehicles, and police mobile video recording equipment are excluded from the underlying prohibition in 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(e).
PennDOT issues a 'certificate of exemption' that must be carried in the vehicle and shown to police or an inspection station on request (67 Pa. Code § 175.265): (1) a vehicle registered in Pennsylvania as of September 8, 1984 that already carried a prohibited sun screening device before September 9, 1984 — a grandfather clause now effectively obsolete 40+ years later; and (2) a medical exemption for a person with a photosensitivity condition, or a household member with one who regularly rides in the vehicle, certified by a licensed physician or optometrist and reviewed by PennDOT against Medical Advisory Board criteria. Medically exempted vehicles are limited to a colorless, UV-filtering sun screening material rather than standard dark tint, and — if not originally equipped with mirrors on both sides — may use a single left-side outside mirror only. The exemption is void on sale; the seller must remove the noncompliant material and give the buyer a notarized statement documenting the make/model, VIN, and removal process (67 Pa. Code § 175.265(e)).
Noncompliant tint is generally prosecuted as an equipment violation under 75 Pa.C.S. § 4107(b)(2) (operating with equipment that doesn't conform to PennDOT regulations), not under § 4524 directly, which sets no fine of its own. Because no specific fine is set, the Vehicle Code's general penalty provision, 75 Pa.C.S. § 6502(b), applies: $25. This was confirmed on appeal in Commonwealth v. Castaneira, 2024 PA Super 178 (filed Aug. 12, 2024), where a driver's front-side tint tested at 31% VLT (below the 70% requirement) and he was fined $25 plus costs of prosecution.
At least 70% VLT, whether the vehicle is a passenger car, pickup, SUV, van, or bus — Table X under 67 Pa. Code § 175.67(d)(4) applies the same 70% floor to every vehicle type's front side windows.
Yes, on windows behind the front doors. Table X lists 'No Requirement' for the rear side windows and rear window of trucks, multi-purpose passenger vehicles (a passenger car built on a truck chassis or with special off-road features, 175.2; an SUV or van qualifies only if it meets that definition), and medium/heavy trucks and buses — only the windshield and front side windows carry a 70% floor for those vehicles.
The statute and regulations we reviewed (75 Pa.C.S. § 4524; 67 Pa. Code Ch. 175, Subch. O and Table X) don't set a reflectance limit or ban a mirrored/metallic finish — Pennsylvania measures compliance only by visible light transmission (VLT) percentage.
Not for a standard 1998-or-newer vehicle. The only label requirement in Table X applies to pre-1998 passenger-car rear windows tinted to the VESC-20 standard, which must carry a permanent label stating the film's manufacturer (or a registration number) and 'Complies with VESC-20.' A medical exemption instead requires carrying a PennDOT-issued certificate in the vehicle, not a window sticker.
Noncompliant tint is typically charged as an equipment violation under 75 Pa.C.S. § 4107(b)(2) and, since § 4524 itself sets no fine, carries the $25 fine set by the Vehicle Code's general penalty provision, § 6502(b) — as the Superior Court confirmed in a 2024 case where a driver was fined $25 after his front-side tint tested at 31% VLT against the 70% requirement.
Read the full Pennsylvania breakdown
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This page summarizes Pennsylvania 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.