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West Virginia requires front side window film to be a nonreflective type with at least 35% light transmission and no more than 20% reflectivity. Film behind the driver must meet the same 35% and 20% figures, with right and left outside mirrors; the 35% figure does not apply behind the driver on trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles. Windshield film is limited to a top strip. No tolerance is stated.
Source: W. Va. Code § 17C-15-36a. Summary last checked against these sources on September 28, 2026.
| Window | Rule |
|---|---|
| Windshield | A sun-screening device used with the windshield must be nonreflective and may not be red, yellow or amber. It may be used only along the top of the windshield and may not extend downward beyond the ASI line or more than 5 inches from the top, whichever is closer to the top (subsection (b)). No light transmission percentage is stated for the strip. |
| Front side windows | Film on the side wings or side windows at the driver's immediate right and left must be a nonreflective type with reflectivity of not more than 20% and light transmission of not less than 35% (subsection (c)). No tolerance is stated. Light transmission is defined as the ratio of total light passing through a product or material to the total light falling on it (subsection (h)(2)); the section does not say whether the reading is of the film alone or of the finished window. The statute gives one front-side figure for every vehicle type. |
| Rear side windows | Side windows behind the driver may have film designed for automotive safety glazing with light transmission of not less than 35% and reflectivity of not more than 20% (subsection (c)). If film is used on glazing behind the driver, the vehicle must have one right and one left outside rearview mirror. The light transmittance requirement does not apply to windows behind the driver on trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles (subsection (g)); the 20% reflectivity limit is not part of that carve-out. |
| Rear window | The rearmost windows carry the same figures: light transmission of not less than 35% and reflectivity of not more than 20%, with right and left outside rearview mirrors when film is used behind the driver (subsection (c)). The subsection (g) carve-out from the light transmittance requirement covers windows behind the driver on trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles. |
| Reflectance and color | Front side film must be a nonreflective type, defined as designed to absorb light rather than to reflect it (subsection (h)(7)), with reflectivity of not more than 20%. Film behind the driver may have reflectivity of not more than 20% (subsection (c)). Windshield film must be nonreflective and not red, yellow or amber (subsection (b)). |
| Film label and installation | Each film manufacturer must certify to the West Virginia State Police and Division of Motor Vehicles that its film meets the reflectivity and transmittance requirements, and must provide a label of no more than one and one-half square inches, for permanent and legible installation between the film and each glazing surface, showing the manufacturer's name and the film's light transmission percentage (subsection (d)). The label goes in the left lower corner of each glazing surface when facing the vehicle from outside. No one may install film on vehicles intended for public roads without permanently affixing that label, or offer noncompliant film for sale or use (subsection (e)). |
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 motor vehicles registered or required to be registered in West Virginia and operated on a public highway, road or street (subsection (a)). Exempt: law-enforcement K-9 and other emergency vehicles designed to haul animals, unmarked law-enforcement vehicles primarily used for covert or undercover enforcement (which may not make routine traffic stops), and automobiles with sun-screening devices installed at the factory by the manufacturer (subsection (a)). Behind the driver, the statute separates trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles from other vehicles rather than cars from SUVs (subsection (g)). A multipurpose passenger vehicle is one designed to carry ten persons or less that is built on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation (subsection (h)(6)), so body style alone does not decide whether an SUV qualifies.
The section does not apply to a motor vehicle registered in West Virginia in the name of a person, or the person's legal guardian, who has an affidavit signed by a physician or optometrist licensed to practice in West Virginia stating that the person has a physical condition that makes it necessary to equip the vehicle with film whose light transmittance or luminous reflectance would otherwise violate the section (subsection (f)). The affidavit must be in the possession of that person, or the legal guardian, at all times while the person is being transported in the vehicle. The section describes no agency application or window decal for this exemption.
A person who violates the section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is fined not more than $200 (subsection (i)).
On the front side windows, film must be a nonreflective type with light transmission of not less than 35% and reflectivity of not more than 20% (W. Va. Code § 17C-15-36a(c)). The side windows behind the driver and the rearmost windows may have film with the same 35% and 20% figures, and the vehicle then needs one right and one left outside rearview mirror. The 35% light transmittance requirement does not apply to windows behind the driver on trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles (subsection (g)). Windshield film is limited to a nonreflective, non-red, non-yellow, non-amber strip along the top (subsection (b)). The statute states no tolerance.
Only if the vehicle is a truck, bus, trailer, mobile home or multipurpose passenger vehicle, and only behind the driver: the light transmittance requirement does not apply to those windows (subsection (g)). A multipurpose passenger vehicle is one designed to carry ten persons or less and built on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation (subsection (h)(6)); the statute does not name SUVs. The 20% reflectivity limit and the outside-mirror rule are not part of that carve-out, and the front side windows keep the 35% minimum on these vehicles too.
Reflectance is limited, not banned outright. Front side film must be a nonreflective type, meaning designed to absorb light rather than to reflect it, with reflectivity of not more than 20%, and film behind the driver may have reflectivity of not more than 20% (subsections (c), (h)(7)). Windshield film must be nonreflective (subsection (b)).
Yes. The film manufacturer must provide a label of no more than one and one-half square inches showing its name and the film's light transmission percentage, to be installed between the film and each glazing surface in the left lower corner when facing the vehicle from outside (subsection (d)). No one may install film on vehicles intended for public roads without permanently affixing that label (subsection (e)(2)).
Only along the top. Film may not extend downward beyond the ASI line or more than 5 inches from the top of the windshield, whichever is closer to the top, and it must be nonreflective and not red, yellow or amber (subsection (b)). No light transmission percentage is stated for the strip.
Yes. The section does not apply to a vehicle registered in West Virginia to a person, or the person's legal guardian, who has an affidavit signed by a West Virginia-licensed physician or optometrist stating that a physical condition makes darker or more reflective film necessary. The affidavit must be in that person's or guardian's possession at all times while the person is transported in the vehicle (subsection (f)).
Violating the section is a misdemeanor, and on conviction the fine is not more than $200 (subsection (i)).
Running a tint shop in West Virginia? See shop software for West Virginia.
This page summarizes West Virginia 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.