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South Dakota bars one-way glass, adhesive film or other glaze that brings the windshield, side wing vents or side windows beside or ahead of the driver below 35% combined light transmittance, and the rear windows behind the driver below 20%. Each figure has an enforcement tolerance of nine percent. Windshield film may not extend below the AS-1 line or the lowest point of the sun visor.
Source: S.D. Codified Laws §§ 32-15-2.4, 32-15-2.5, 32-15-2.9; SDCL 32-15-2.5 (rear windows behind the operator's seat); SDCL 32-15-2.6 (definitions: light transmission, dealer); SDCL 32-15-2.7 (manufacturer certification to the Department of Public Safety); SDCL 32-15-2.9 (windshield film and sunscreening devices); SDCL 32-15-2.10 (enforcement meters); SDCL 32-15-5 (nontransparent material on windows); SDCL 22-6-2 (misdemeanor classes and penalties). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | No sunscreening device may be placed on or affixed to the windshield so as to obstruct or reduce the driver's clear view through it, and no film may be extended downward beyond the AS-1 line or more than the lowest point of the sun visor (SDCL 32-15-2.9). The statute gives no strip depth in inches. Section 32-15-2.4 also names the front windshield in its 35% combined light transmittance limit, with an enforcement tolerance of nine percent. |
| Front side windows | One-way glass, adhesive film or other glaze or application on the side wing vents or the side windows on either side forward of or adjacent to the operator's seat may not reduce the light transmittance of those windows to a combined level below 35%, with an enforcement tolerance of nine percent (SDCL 32-15-2.4). The figure is the combined level of the window, not the film's own rating. The statute states the tolerance but not how it is applied, so do not treat it as room to go darker. |
| Rear side windows | One-way glass, adhesive film or other glaze in the rear windows behind the operator's seat may not reduce light transmission below 20%, with an enforcement tolerance of nine percent (SDCL 32-15-2.5). Light transmission is defined as the ratio of the total light passing through a product or material to the total light falling on the product or material and the glazing (SDCL 32-15-2.6(1)). That wording does not plainly say whether the 20% applies to the film alone or to film and glass together. The section draws no distinction between cars, SUVs, pickups or vans. |
| Rear window | The rear window is behind the operator's seat, so the same 20% minimum and nine percent enforcement tolerance apply (SDCL 32-15-2.5). |
| Reflectance and color | Sections 32-15-2.4 and 32-15-2.5 name one-way glass alongside adhesive film and other glaze in their light transmittance limits. No reflectance percentage and no color rule was found in the sections read. |
| Manufacturer certification | Each manufacturer of film, glaze or other application for a motor vehicle windshield or window must certify to the Department of Public Safety that the film, glaze or application it makes or installs complies with the light transmission specifications of 32-15-2.4 and 32-15-2.5 (SDCL 32-15-2.7). No label or sticker on the vehicle is required by the sections read. |
| Enforcement testing | Testing equipment used to enforce 32-15-2.4 or 32-15-2.5 must be used in compliance with the meter manufacturer's testing procedures, and the officer must note on the citation the serial number of the meter used and the date it was certified (SDCL 32-15-2.10). |
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).
Sections 32-15-2.4 and 32-15-2.5 apply to any motor vehicle required to be registered in South Dakota and operated on its highways. They draw the line by window position, forward of or adjacent to the operator's seat versus behind it, and name no vehicle class, so the same figures apply to cars, SUVs, pickups and vans. Separately, 32-15-5 makes it a petty offense to drive with a sign, poster or other nontransparent material on the front windshield, side wings, side or rear windows, other than a certificate or other paper required by law or the manufacturer's temporary driving instructions, unless it does not obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.
None found in the text read. The section list for chapter 32-15 shows no medical exemption section, and sections 32-15-2.4 to 32-15-2.10 contain no medical exemption process. Section 32-15-2.8 was repealed in 2005.
A violation of SDCL 32-15-2.4, 32-15-2.5 or 32-15-2.9 is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Under SDCL 22-6-2(2), a Class 2 misdemeanor carries up to 30 days in a county jail or a $500 fine, or both. Driving with nontransparent material on the windows that obstructs the driver's clear view is a petty offense (SDCL 32-15-5).
On the side wing vents and side windows forward of or adjacent to the driver's seat, glass and film combined must pass at least 35% of light, with an enforcement tolerance of nine percent (SDCL 32-15-2.4). On the rear windows behind the driver's seat, film or glaze may not reduce light transmission below 20%, with the same nine percent tolerance (SDCL 32-15-2.5). Windshield film may not extend below the AS-1 line or the lowest point of the sun visor (SDCL 32-15-2.9).
Not on the front side windows, where the combined level must be at least 35% (SDCL 32-15-2.4). Behind the driver, 20% is the minimum (SDCL 32-15-2.5). The statute defines light transmission as the ratio of the total light passing through a product or material to the total light falling on the product or material and the glazing (SDCL 32-15-2.6(1)). That wording does not plainly say whether the rear figure applies to the film alone or to film and glass together, so a 20% film leaves no margin. Do not count on the nine percent enforcement tolerance either, since the statute does not say how it is applied.
No separate figure was found. SDCL 32-15-2.4 and 32-15-2.5 apply to any motor vehicle required to be registered in South Dakota and set limits by window position, not vehicle type, so the 20% limit behind the driver and the 35% limit beside and ahead of the driver apply to SUVs, pickups and vans as well as cars.
Only at the top. No film may be extended downward beyond the AS-1 line or more than the lowest point of the sun visor, and no sunscreening device may be placed on the windshield so as to obstruct or reduce the driver's clear view (SDCL 32-15-2.9). The statute gives no strip depth in inches. Section 32-15-2.4 also names the front windshield in its 35% combined light transmittance limit.
No sticker or label requirement was found in the sections read. Instead, each manufacturer of film, glaze or other application for a motor vehicle windshield or window must certify to the Department of Public Safety that its product complies with the light transmission specifications of SDCL 32-15-2.4 and 32-15-2.5 (SDCL 32-15-2.7).
None was found in the text read. The chapter 32-15 section list shows no medical exemption section, and SDCL 32-15-2.4 to 32-15-2.10 contain no medical exemption process.
Running a tint shop in South Dakota? See shop software for South Dakota.
This page summarizes South Dakota 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.