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Where film is applied to any window but the windshield, the net result (factory tint plus film) must pass 24% or more of light and reflect 35% or less, with mirrors on both sides; no tolerance is stated. Manufacturer-identified trucks, motor homes, multipurpose passenger vehicles and some other listed classes may go darker behind the driver. Windshield film: a transparent top strip within six inches, outside the AS-1 portion, plus clear UV film.
Source: Rev. Code Wash. (RCW) § 46.37.430; RCW 46.37.435 (unlawful installation; purchase or sale of installation services); RCW 46.63.110 (traffic infraction monetary penalties); 49 C.F.R. § 571.3 (multipurpose passenger vehicle definition). Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | The 24% and 35% standards in subsection (5)(a) cover every window except the windshield. A greater degree of light reduction is allowed along the top edge of the windshield only if the product is transparent, does not extend into the AS-1 portion and does not extend more than six inches from the top ((5)(e)). Clear film that reduces or eliminates ultraviolet light may be applied to windshields ((5)(e)). |
| Front side windows | The net film sunscreening must have a light transmission of 24% or more and a total reflectance of 35% or less, where the vehicle has outside rearview mirrors on both the right and left ((5)(a)). 'Net' means the manufacturer's material plus any film applied after manufacture ((2)(b)). More than a single sheet of film on any window is prohibited ((5)(a)). The section states no measurement tolerance. |
| Rear side windows | The same 24% light-transmission and 35% reflectance standards apply ((5)(a)). Hearses, collector vehicles, limousines and passenger buses used to transport persons for compensation, ambulances, rescue squad vehicles, emergency medical vehicles licensed under RCW 18.73.130 that transport patients, and any vehicle identified by the manufacturer as a truck, motor home or multipurpose passenger vehicle (as defined in 49 C.F.R. 571.3) may have less than 24% on any window to the rear of the driver, if reflectance is 35% or less and the vehicle has outside mirrors on both sides ((5)(b)). |
| Rear window | The same 24% light-transmission and 35% reflectance standards apply ((5)(a)), with the same (5)(b) allowance for the listed vehicle classes on windows to the rear of the driver. Separately, sunscreening devices may be applied to any window behind the driver if they reduce the driver's area of vision uniformly and by no more than 50%, measured on a horizontal plane; on the rear window this requires outside mirrors on both sides ((6)(c)). |
| Reflectance and color | Total reflectance of 35% or less on every window the standards cover ((5)(a), (5)(b)). Mirror finish products; red, gold, yellow or black material; and film in liquid preapplication form that is brushed or sprayed on are not permitted ((5)(g)). |
| Mirrors | When film is applied to any window except the windshield, outside mirrors on both the left and right must give the driver a view of the roadway at least 200 feet to the rear ((5)(f)). |
| Installer sticker | A person or business tinting windows for profit within restricted areas of the glazing system must supply a sticker to be affixed to the driver's door post, next to the manufacturer's identification tag; installing it certifies that the application meets the light transmission, reflectance and placement standards. The sticker must be between 3/4 in by 1 1/2 in and 2 in by 2 1/2 in, durable in harsh climate conditions, and show the installer's business name and state tax identification number ((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).
Subsection (5) covers any film sunscreening or coloring material that reduces light transmittance and is applied to the safety glazing of a motor vehicle. It does not prohibit shaded or heat-absorbing glazing applied when the glazing was manufactured that meets federal standards, required federal, state or local certificates or decals sized and placed so as not to impair the driver, or qualifying sunscreening devices and recreational items behind the driver ((6)). The side and rear windows of law enforcement vehicles are exempt from subsection (5) ((9)). The darker allowance behind the driver in (5)(b) turns on the listed vehicle class; for trucks, motor homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles it turns on how the manufacturer identifies the vehicle, and the federal definition of a multipurpose passenger vehicle is one designed to carry 10 persons or less, built on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation.
A greater degree of light reduction is permitted on all windows and the top six inches of the windshield of a vehicle operated by, or carrying as a passenger, a person who has a written verification from a licensed physician that the operator or passenger must be protected from exposure to sunlight for physical or medical reasons ((5)(d)). No application or permit process is described in the section read.
Operating a vehicle on Washington public highways with film sunscreening or coloring material that violates the section is a traffic infraction (RCW 46.37.430(7)). RCW 46.63.110(1)(a) says no traffic infraction penalty may exceed $250 per offense unless the chapter or title authorizes it, and the supreme court sets the penalty schedule by rule (46.63.110(3)); that schedule was not read for this page. Knowingly installing film in violation of RCW 46.37.430 is a misdemeanor, and providing or receiving compensation knowing it is for such an installation is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 46.37.435); installation includes fitting windows that already have film applied.
Where film is applied to any window except the windshield, the net film sunscreening (factory material plus the film) must have light transmission of 24% or more and total reflectance of 35% or less, where the vehicle has outside rearview mirrors on both sides (RCW 46.37.430(5)(a)). Only one sheet of film is allowed per window, and the section states no measurement tolerance. The windshield may carry a transparent product along the top edge only, not into the AS-1 portion and no more than six inches from the top, plus clear UV-reducing film ((5)(e)).
It depends on the vehicle's classification. Subsection (5)(b) lets any vehicle identified by the manufacturer as a truck, motor home or multipurpose passenger vehicle (as defined in 49 C.F.R. 571.3) have less than 24% light transmittance on any window to the rear of the driver, if reflectance is 35% or less and it has outside mirrors on both sides. The federal definition covers a vehicle designed to carry 10 persons or less that is built on a truck chassis or has special features for occasional off-road operation. The statute does not name SUVs. Hearses, collector vehicles, for-hire limousines and passenger buses, ambulances, rescue squad vehicles and patient-transport emergency medical vehicles share the same allowance.
Reflectance is capped: net film sunscreening must have a total reflectance of 35% or less ((5)(a)). Mirror finish products are not permitted, and neither is red, gold, yellow or black material or film brushed or sprayed on in liquid form ((5)(g)).
Yes, from the installer. A person or business tinting windows for profit within restricted areas of the glazing system must supply a sticker to be affixed to the driver's door post, next to the manufacturer's identification tag. It must show the installer's business name and state tax identification number, and installing it certifies that the job meets the standards ((5)(c)).
Yes. Darker tint is permitted on all windows and the top six inches of the windshield of a vehicle driven by, or carrying as a passenger, a person with a written verification from a licensed physician that the person must be protected from exposure to sunlight for physical or medical reasons (RCW 46.37.430(5)(d)).
Driving with noncompliant film is a traffic infraction (RCW 46.37.430(7)); RCW 46.63.110(1)(a) caps a traffic infraction penalty at $250 per offense unless the chapter or title authorizes more. For installers, knowingly installing film that violates the section is a misdemeanor, and paying or being paid for such an installation with that knowledge is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 46.37.435).
Running a tint shop in Washington? See shop software for Washington.
This page summarizes Washington 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.