Alaska window tint laws require at least 70% visible light transmittance (VLT) on front side windows and at least 40% on rear side windows and the back glass of a standard passenger car. The windshield must stay clear except for a tint strip no more than five inches down from the top. Mirrored film is banned on every window, and film color is limited to green, gray, bronze, neutral smoke, or sun-reflective auto film. A violation is a correctable infraction with a $150 bail amount.1Cornell Law Institute. Alaska Administrative Code 13 AAC 04.223 – Tinted Vehicle Windows
Legal VLT Limits by Window
For an ordinary sedan, coupe, or passenger car, the numbers you need to know are 70 and 40. Front driver and front passenger windows have to transmit at least 70% of light through the combined glass and film. Rear door windows, quarter-glass, and the back window have to transmit at least 40%.1Cornell Law Institute. Alaska Administrative Code 13 AAC 04.223 – Tinted Vehicle Windows
The windshield is almost entirely off limits. Only the top five inches may carry aftermarket film, a strip the industry calls an eyebrow. Nothing darker goes on the rest of the windshield.
When police test tint, the regulation includes a plus-or-minus 3% tolerance for manufacturing variance, and the meter itself has to be certified for accuracy by its manufacturer. A rear window reading of 38% would still fall within acceptable range of the 40% minimum. There is less cushion on the front side windows, because factory glass alone often sits in the low-to-mid 70s before any film is added.
Approved Colors and the Mirror Ban
Only five film categories are allowed: green, gray, bronze, neutral smoke, and sun-reflective auto film.1Cornell Law Institute. Alaska Administrative Code 13 AAC 04.223 – Tinted Vehicle Windows Red, amber, blue, and yellow are out. The restriction keeps tinted glass from being confused with emergency lighting or distorting the color of traffic signals.
Mirrored film is prohibited on every window, including the windshield eyebrow. The regulation does not set a reflectivity percentage; any film that produces a mirrored appearance is non-compliant. Metalized films use metal particles that can create exactly that look, while ceramic films reject heat without the reflective sheen.
Rules for SUVs, Limos, Motor Homes, and Commercial Vehicles
Limousines, passenger buses used for hire, motor homes, and vehicles the manufacturer classifies as multipurpose do not have to meet the 40% rear-window rule. They follow the federal glazing standard in 49 CFR 571.205 (FMVSS 205) instead.1Cornell Law Institute. Alaska Administrative Code 13 AAC 04.223 – Tinted Vehicle Windows Windshields and front side windows still need 70% VLT, but windows behind the driver can go much darker. That is why many SUVs and vans leave the factory with very dark rear glass.
Commercial motor vehicles that cross state lines face a separate layer of rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which also requires at least 70% light transmittance on windshields and side windows.2Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Tinting of Windshields and Side Windows A state medical waiver authorizing darker front tint does not override those federal commercial rules, so CDL holders running interstate should assume FMCSA limits apply.
Medical Exemption for Darker Tint
If you or someone who regularly rides with you has a medical condition requiring extra sun protection, you can legally go below the standard VLT limits. Two things are required: a licensed Alaska physician must certify the medical necessity, and the certification must be renewed every year.1Cornell Law Institute. Alaska Administrative Code 13 AAC 04.223 – Tinted Vehicle Windows Keep the current certification inside the vehicle so you can produce it during a traffic stop.
Qualifying conditions commonly include lupus, photosensitivity disorders, a history of melanoma, and post-surgical light sensitivity after procedures such as cataract removal. The physician’s letter should name the condition and, ideally, specify the darkest VLT the doctor recommends. That letter is the only defense if an officer measures your tint below the standard limit. Going darker than the letter authorizes, or letting it lapse past the one-year renewal, puts you back in violation.
Penalties and How to Clear the Citation
A tint violation under 13 AAC 04.223 is a correctable infraction with a $150 bail amount and zero demerit points. The maximum fine for infractions defined in Title 13 regulations is $300.3Alaska Court System. Vehicle and Traffic Offenses Booklet Because it is correctable under 13 AAC 04.008, you can avoid the fine by fixing the problem and showing proof. That option applies to non-commercial vehicles only.
The process is straightforward if you move quickly. Remove or replace the non-compliant film, then bring the vehicle and your copy of the citation to the issuing agency for a re-test with a tint meter. If the windows now measure within the legal VLT range, the citation is voided. Ignore the ticket and keep driving on illegal tint, and you lose the correction option and owe the full bail amount plus any surcharges.
Quick Reference by Window Position
- Windshield: aftermarket tint only on the top five inches; no mirrored film; the rest of the glass stays clear.
- Front side windows: at least 70% VLT; no mirrored film.
- Rear side windows and back glass on passenger cars: at least 40% VLT; no mirrored film.
- Rear windows on multipurpose vehicles, limos, motor homes, and buses for hire: must meet FMVSS 205 rather than the 40% state minimum.
- All windows: film must be green, gray, bronze, neutral smoke, or sun-reflective. No red, amber, blue, or other colors.