Minnesota’s window tint law lets you tint side and rear windows as long as at least 50% of visible light passes through and no more than 20% reflects back, with a 3% measurement tolerance on both figures. Aftermarket tint on the windshield is banned outright. Pickups, vans, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police vehicles get relaxed limits on certain windows, and drivers with a qualifying medical condition can apply darker film with a physician’s statement.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield
The Numbers That Matter
Minnesota measures tint by Visible Light Transmittance, the percentage of light the glass and film together let through. A higher VLT means a lighter window.
On any side or rear window, VLT cannot drop below 50%, and reflectivity cannot rise above 20%. Both figures carry a plus-or-minus 3% tolerance, so film measured at 47% VLT during a roadside check still falls inside the legal range.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield The tolerance exists because handheld meters and environmental conditions produce small variations. It is not permission to install 47% film and call it legal.
The windshield rule is stricter and simpler: no material may be applied that increases reflectivity or reduces light transmittance at all. There is no threshold, no tolerance, and no shade of aftermarket film that complies.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield
Which Vehicles Get More Room
The 50% VLT rule does not apply to every window on every vehicle. Minnesota carves out specific exceptions:
- Pickup trucks: rear windows are exempt from the 50% VLT limit.
- Vans: rear windows and the side windows behind the driver’s seat are exempt.
- Limousines: side and rear windows are exempt.
- Funeral vehicles: side and rear windows are exempt.
- Police vehicles: side and rear windows are exempt.
These exemptions turn on the vehicle’s classification under Minnesota statute, not what the dealer called it. A standard SUV is not on the list and has to meet the 50% VLT standard on every window.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield
Original factory glass that has not been modified is also exempt, as long as it met Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205 when it left the factory. Tinted glazing that came from the manufacturer is fine on its own.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield
Why the Math on Factory Glass Trips People Up
Most cars leave the factory with glass that already blocks some light. A typical front side window transmits around 70 to 80% before any film goes on. When you add aftermarket film, the final VLT is the product of the two layers, not the sum. That surprises a lot of buyers.
Multiply factory glass VLT by film VLT as decimals. Factory glass at 75% with a 70% film gives you 0.75 × 0.70 = 0.525, or about 53%. That clears the 50% line. Drop to a 60% film on the same glass and you land at 45%, which is illegal. Have your installer measure the factory glass before you pick a shade.
Film Must Be Marked
Any tint applied to a Minnesota vehicle after August 1, 1985 must carry a permanent marking on the film showing the VLT and reflectance percentages. The marking has to be readable while installed and placed so it does not obstruct the driver’s view.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield If there is no marking, or the marking has worn away, the film violates the statute regardless of how much light it actually transmits.
Reflectivity and the Mirrored-Look Rule
Two separate reflectivity rules apply. Measured reflectivity on any side or rear window is capped at 20%, with the same 3% tolerance. Separately, no window on the vehicle, windshield included, can be treated with material that gives it a highly reflective or mirrored appearance.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield Metallic-finish films are the usual problem. If the film reads as chrome or mirror-like by eye, an officer does not need a meter to write a citation.
Medical Exemptions
Drivers with a medical condition that causes severe light sensitivity can run darker tint than the 50% standard, and the exemption reaches the windshield as well. Qualifying requires a prescription or written statement from a licensed physician, and the document has to travel with the vehicle.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield
The physician’s statement must include:
- Whether the medical need is temporary or permanent.
- The specific minimum VLT the driver’s windows may go down to.
- An expiration date no more than two years from issue, unless the physician indicates the condition is permanent and no expiration is appropriate.
A driver can also rely on a prescription issued to someone else, but only when that person is a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or spouse of the driver, or someone the driver serves as a personal care attendant for. In that case, the statement must list the make, model, and license plate of one or two specific vehicles, and the driver has to have the document on hand.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield A 2024 change added the option for physicians to designate a condition as permanent, so patients with lasting sensitivity no longer need to renew every two years.2State of Minnesota. Office of Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan – Governor Walz Signs Bill into Law
What Happens If You Get Pulled Over
Officers can stop you for a tint violation spotted during normal patrol, and many carry portable meters that read VLT and reflectivity on the roadside. Illegal tint is treated as a standard traffic offense. Fines vary by jurisdiction and tend to be modest, but the practical cost is having to remove or replace the film, and you can be cited again if you keep driving with the same tint.
Selling or installing non-compliant film is a separate and more serious matter. Anyone who sells such material or applies it as part of a business transaction commits a misdemeanor under Minnesota law.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.71 – Windshield A shop that knows the law should refuse to apply film that would put your vehicle out of compliance.
Commercial Vehicles
Drivers of commercial motor vehicles face a federal layer on top of state law. Federal regulations require at least 70% VLT on the windshield and on the windows immediately to the right and left of the driver, with no transmittance restriction on windows further back.3eCFR. 49 CFR 393.60 – Glazing in Specified Openings Because Minnesota bans aftermarket windshield film entirely, the state rule controls whether you can apply anything to the windshield at all, while the federal 70% standard sets the transmittance floor for the front side windows on a commercial vehicle in Minnesota.