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Tennessee bars window tint material with visible light transmittance below 35% on any window, and bars material that reduces windshield light transmittance below 70%, except the manufacturer's standard installed shade band. The section states no tolerance, sets no separate rear-window figure and has no reflectance rule. Vehicle models federally permitted to have certain darker-tinted windows are exempt for those windows, but never for the front door windows.
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-107; 49 CFR 571.205 (FMVSS 205, eCFR). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Material may not reduce the visible light transmittance in the windshield below 70%, with the exception of the manufacturer's standard installed shade band (subsection (a)(1)(B)). The 70% is the windshield's transmittance with the material applied, not the film's own rating. The section states no inch figure for that band and does not say whether film may be added over it; the federal glazing standard places a windshield shade band by SAE Recommended Practice J100 or an inclined-plane method, not by inches (49 CFR 571.205 S5.3). The 35% material limit in (a)(1)(A) applies to any window, including the windshield. |
| Front side windows | Material affixed, applied or installed on the window may not have a visible light transmittance of less than 35% (subsection (a)(1)(A)); the section states no tolerance. The rule covers a window whose visible light transmittance is equal to, but not less than, that specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 CFR 571.205) ((a)(1)). None of the exemptions in (a)(6) exempts the front door windows of any motor vehicle from the 35% rule ((a)(6)(B)); the medical process in (b) is separate. |
| Rear side windows | The same 35% material limit (subsection (a)(1)(A)); the section sets no separate figure for rear windows or for any body style. It does not apply to a vehicle model that federal regulations permit to be equipped with certain windows tinted below that specification, with respect to those windows ((a)(6)(A)(i)). It also does not apply to windows rearward of the front doors of a vehicle bearing commercial or government service license plates used for law enforcement ((a)(6)(A)(ii)), or to the out-of-state and private-investigator vehicles described under scope ((a)(6)(A)(iii)-(iv)). |
| Rear window | The same 35% material limit and the same exemptions as the rear side windows (subsections (a)(1)(A) and (a)(6)). The section names no mirror requirement or other condition for a tinted rear window. |
| Reflectance and color | Section 55-9-107 contains no reflectance, mirror or color provision; its limits are stated only as visible light transmittance. This page has not checked other Tennessee sections for reflectance rules. |
| Installers | Anyone who installs window tinting materials in Tennessee for profit, barter, wages or commissions is a professional installer, and may not apply tint that puts a vehicle in violation of the section ((a)(2)). Professional installers must affix an adhesive label to the lower right corner of the driver's window showing the installer's business name and the legend "Complies with Tennessee Code Annotated, § 55-9-107."; the commissioner of safety sets its size and style ((a)(3)). They must also give each customer a signed receipt with the installation date, the vehicle's make, model, paint color and license plate number and state, and legends saying the tint complied at installation and that the receipt is to be kept with the registration documents ((a)(4)). |
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 (a)(1) makes it unlawful to operate any motor vehicle on a public highway, street or road when a window whose visible light transmittance is equal to, but not less than, that specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 has been altered, treated or replaced by affixing, applying or installing material that breaks the 35% or windshield 70% rule. Its restrictions do not apply to a vehicle model federally permitted to have certain windows tinted below the 35% specification (for those windows); to vehicles bearing commercial or government service plates used for law enforcement (windows rearward of the front doors); to a vehicle registered in another state that meets that state's requirements; or to a vehicle owned or leased by a licensed private investigator or investigations company ((a)(6)(A)). None of these exempts the front door windows of any vehicle from the 35% rule ((a)(6)(B)). The section does not mention SUVs, and the owner has the burden of proving compliance ((a)(5)).
A person with a medical condition adversely affected by ultraviolet light may submit a statement from the person's physician to the commissioner, certifying that the condition requires light transmission in the vehicle's windows below the standards in subsection (a) ((b)(1)). The commissioner sends the statement to the department's medical review board. If the board finds the exemption warranted, it recommends that the commissioner authorize it and the degree of tinting that is appropriate. The commissioner then supplies a certificate or decal showing the degree of exemption, which the applicant must display in the vehicle. An applicant aggrieved by the board's or commissioner's decision may appeal under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, and may choose the chancery court of the county where the applicant resides ((b)(2)).
Violating any provision of the section is a Class C misdemeanor, and so is an operator's refusal to submit to a field comparison test when a POST-certified law enforcement officer directs it ((d)). A POST-certified Tennessee law enforcement officer's reasonable belief that a vehicle violates (a)(1) is probable cause to detain it for a field comparison test ((c)), and the commissioner of safety sets the test method ((e)). Fine amounts are not covered here.
Material applied to any window may not have a visible light transmittance of less than 35%, and material may not reduce the windshield's visible light transmittance below 70%, except the manufacturer's standard installed shade band (Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-107(a)(1)). The section states no tolerance and uses the same 35% figure for front side, rear side and rear windows.
The general rule is that material may not reduce the windshield's visible light transmittance below 70%, measured on the windshield with the material applied; the manufacturer's standard installed shade band is the stated exception ((a)(1)(B)). The section gives no inch figure for the band and does not say whether film may be added over it. The vehicle exemptions in (a)(6)(A) and the medical process in (b) can also apply.
The section does not name SUVs or trucks. Its restrictions do not apply to a vehicle model that federal regulations permit to be equipped with certain windows tinted below the 35% specification, with respect to those windows ((a)(6)(A)(i)). The section does not list which models those are, and the federal glazing standard defers to ANSI/SAE Z26.1-1996 (49 CFR 571.205 S5.1, S5.1.1), which this page has not read. None of the (a)(6) exemptions reaches the front door windows ((a)(6)(B)).
Section 55-9-107 does not address reflectance, mirrored film or color; its limits are stated only as visible light transmittance. This page has not checked other Tennessee sections for reflectance rules.
Yes. Professional installers must affix an adhesive label to the lower right corner of the driver's window with the installer's business name and the legend "Complies with Tennessee Code Annotated, § 55-9-107." ((a)(3)). They must also give a signed receipt that says it is to be kept with the vehicle's registration documents ((a)(4)).
Yes. A person with a medical condition adversely affected by ultraviolet light may send the commissioner a physician's statement; the department's medical review board evaluates it, and if the exemption is authorized the commissioner supplies a certificate or decal showing the degree of exemption, which must be displayed in the vehicle ((b)(1)).
The restrictions in subsection (a) do not apply to a vehicle registered in another state that meets the requirements of its state of registration ((a)(6)(A)(iii)). Subdivision (a)(6)(B) says that exemption does not reach the front door windows, which remain subject to the 35% rule.
Running a tint shop in Tennessee? See shop software for Tennessee.
This page summarizes Tennessee 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.