Georgia’s Window Tint Medical Exemption Form: Filing and Renewal

To get darker window tint for a medical reason in Georgia, you complete the Georgia window tint medical exemption form from the Department of Public Safety, attach a letter from your physician or optometrist on their letterhead, and have the doctor’s office mail the whole package with a $10 money order to the Office of Professional Standards. The form itself is the Exemption to the Window Tint Law Application, and mailing it from your own address is the fastest way to have it rejected.

Who Can Apply

Under O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1(d), the Department of Public Safety can issue an exemption to a person who needs to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun for medical reasons.¹ Both vehicle owners and people who regularly ride as passengers in someone else’s car can qualify.²

The statute does not list specific qualifying diagnoses. Photosensitivity conditions like lupus or porphyria are common examples, but the decision turns on your doctor’s attestation that your condition requires protection from direct sunlight. One firm limit: the exemption will not be granted for a condition that can be adequately managed with protective eyewear such as prescription sunglasses or UV-blocking lenses.²

What the Exemption Lets You Do

An approved exemption lowers the minimum visible light transmission on the windows to the right and left of the driver to 23%, plus or minus 3%, compared with the 32% floor that applies to non-exempt vehicles.²³ The windshield is never covered. Windshield tint stays prohibited regardless of medical need. Share these numbers with your installer before any film goes on.

Filling Out the Application

The form is titled Exemption to the Window Tint Law Application and is available as a PDF from the Department of Public Safety website.⁴ The applicant section asks for your full name, date of birth, mailing address, phone number, and Georgia driver’s license number, plus the year, make, VIN, and license plate of the vehicle that will carry the tint.⁵ The exemption is tied to that specific vehicle, so a different car later means a new application.

If the applicant is under 19, a parent or guardian also signs. If you are a habitual passenger and do not own the vehicle, both you and the vehicle’s owner sign the application.² The form also contains a written consent allowing the Department to contact your doctor if the Office of Professional Standards has follow-up questions.

The Doctor’s Attestation and Letter

A licensed physician or optometrist has to complete the attestation section of the form with their printed name, Georgia state license number, phone number, and signature, attesting that they have personally examined you and identifying the medical condition that requires sun shielding.¹

A separate letter on the doctor’s official letterhead must accompany the application. That letter needs to explain why your condition requires a reduction in visible light, not only ultraviolet light. The Department draws that distinction on purpose, so a letter that speaks only to UV sensitivity may not be enough.⁴

Mailing the Package

Here is the step most applicants miss. You do not mail this yourself. The completed application, the letterhead letter, and the payment must all be mailed to the Department of Public Safety directly from the medical office.⁴ A package that arrives from the patient’s home address is likely to be flagged or rejected.

Payment is a $10 nonrefundable fee, one application per household.² Pay by money order, certified check, or cashier’s check made out to the Department of Public Safety. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.⁵

Send the package to:

Georgia Department of Public Safety
Office of Professional Standards
959 United Avenue SE
Atlanta, GA 30316⁶

After You Apply

The Commissioner or a designee at the Office of Professional Standards reviews the application and the attestation. Approval is not automatic. The Commissioner has discretion to grant or deny.² No official processing timeline is published; expect several weeks.

If approved, you receive a copy of the approved application by mail.⁵ That approved copy is your exemption notice, and it needs to stay in the vehicle. Present it to any officer who asks during a stop.² Leaving it at home defeats the purpose.

Renewal Every Four Years

Georgia medical tint exemptions expire after four years. You reapply with a fresh application, a current physician’s letter, and another $10 fee before it lapses.⁵ Driving on expired paperwork is treated the same as having none.

Changing Vehicles

The exemption is linked to the VIN and plate on the application. Buying a new car or moving the tint to a different vehicle means filing a new application. The old one does not transfer.

Penalties

Driving with window tint below the legal limit without a valid exemption notice is a misdemeanor under O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1(h).¹ Officers typically measure your window with a tint meter at the stop.

Falsifying the application is a much bigger problem. The Department of Public Safety states that knowingly submitting false or fictitious information on the application or its supporting documents is a felony, subject to criminal prosecution under Georgia law.⁴ That covers fabricating a diagnosis or forging a physician’s signature.

A Note on Driving Out of State

Georgia’s exemption is issued under Georgia law. Other states are not obligated to honor it, and no formal interstate reciprocity agreement exists for medical window tint permits. If you drive regularly into a neighboring state, check that state’s tint limits and exemption process before you rely on your Georgia paperwork there.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-8-73.1 – Tinting of Windows or Windshields
2
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 570-22 – Safety Glazing Material and Window Tinting Manufacturer and Installer Requirements – Section: Rule 570-22-.06 Limited Exemptions
3
Georgia Department of Public Safety. Georgia Window Tint Law
4
Georgia Department of Public Safety. Medical Exemption to Window Tint Law
5
Georgia.gov. Get an Exemption for Window Tinting
6
Georgia Department of Public Safety. Office of Professional Standards