Legal Tint in Louisiana: Limits, Exemptions, and Fines

Legal tint in Louisiana comes down to a minimum amount of visible light each window must let through: at least 25% VLT on the front side windows of every vehicle, at least 25% on the rear side windows and 12% on the rear window of a passenger car, and no darkness limit at all behind the driver on SUVs, vans, and trucks. The windshield can only carry a clear, non-red, non-amber strip across the top five inches. Driving outside those limits can cost up to $350.¹

What Passenger Cars Can Have

Sedans, coupes, and other standard passenger cars face the tightest rules. The windshield gets only that five-inch transparent strip at the top. Everything else has a minimum VLT:

Front side windows: 25% VLT minimum
Rear side windows: 25% VLT minimum
Rear window: 12% VLT minimum

VLT measures how much light passes through the glass and film together. The 12% allowance on the rear window gives back-seat passengers real privacy, while the 25% figure on the sides still reads as a noticeably dark look.¹

What SUVs, Vans, and Trucks Can Have

Multi-purpose vehicles follow the same front-window rules as cars: the five-inch windshield strip and 25% VLT on the front side windows. Behind the driver, though, Louisiana sets no light transmission requirement at all. Rear side windows and the back glass on an SUV, van, or truck can be as dark as you want.¹

That is the single biggest practical difference in state tint law. If maximum privacy or heat rejection in the back of the vehicle matters to you, the vehicle class decides what is possible.

Reflectivity and Color Rules That Apply to Every Vehicle

Darkness is not the only limit. All window film must stay at or below 20% luminous reflectance, which rules out mirror-finish products that throw glare at oncoming drivers. Red and amber film are prohibited on every window, including the windshield strip, because those colors read too much like emergency vehicle lighting.¹

If You Need Darker Tint Than the Law Allows

Two exemptions let drivers go below the standard VLT limits: a medical exemption and a security exemption.

Medical Exemption

Under R.S. 32:361.2, the Louisiana State Police administers a Window Tint Medical Exemption Affidavit. A licensed physician, optometrist, ophthalmologist, or dermatologist completes the form, identifying a qualifying condition from the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases or describing one not on the pre-printed list.²

The completed affidavit goes to the State Police for authorization, and the form is not valid without it. The State Police may consult their Medical Advisory Board, and applicants must consent to a criminal history check.³ Once approved, the original certificate has to stay in the vehicle. A spouse or family member authorized to drive the registered vehicle is covered by the same exemption.²

Security Exemption

R.S. 32:361.3 provides a separate affidavit through the Department of Public Safety and Corrections for drivers with valid personal security concerns. A criminal background check is required, and anyone convicted of a violent crime or drug offense will not qualify. Government and law enforcement vehicles get the security exemption automatically. Even an approved security exemption does not let you tint the windshield below the top six inches.⁴

Fines for Illegal Tint

Penalties for a driver under R.S. 32:361.1(E) climb with each offense:

First offense: up to $150
Second offense: up to $250
Third or subsequent offense: up to $350

Those are maximum fines, so a court may impose less depending on the circumstances.⁵ Officers typically measure VLT with a handheld meter during the stop.

How to Confirm a Shop’s Installation Is Legal

Every professional installation must include a label, no larger than one and a half square inches, placed permanently between the film and the glass on each tinted window. The label has to show the installer’s name and the city where the business is located, and it serves as a compliance record for law enforcement. If a shop finishes your car without those labels, ask for them before you leave.¹

Shops face far steeper penalties than drivers. A business that installs non-compliant film faces a $1,000 fine for a first offense and $2,000 for a second. A third conviction bars the business from selling or installing window film at all.⁵

Commercial Vehicles Follow a Stricter Federal Rule

If you drive a commercial motor vehicle, federal law overrides Louisiana’s limits on the windshield and the two windows next to the driver. Under 49 CFR 393.60, those windows must allow at least 70% light transmission, which effectively means minimal tint.⁶ The federal rule does not reach other windows, so rear and cargo-area glass can still follow state law. For CDL holders, the 70% minimum applies regardless of any Louisiana exemption on file.

Insurance After an Accident

Illegal tint can complicate a claim. An insurer may refuse to cover damage to windows tinted beyond the legal limit, and if the aftermarket modification was never disclosed, some carriers use that to limit payouts more broadly. Staying within the legal VLT and telling your insurer about the installation keeps both problems off the table.

1
Justia Law. Louisiana Code 32:361.1 – View Outward or Inward Through Windshield or Windows; Obscuring Prohibited
2
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32:361.2 – Medical Exemption
3
Louisiana State Police. Window Tint Medical Exemption Affidavit
4
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32:361.3 – Security Exemption
5
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32:361.1 – View Outward or Inward Through Windshield or Windows; Obscuring Prohibited
6
eCFR. 49 CFR 393.60 – Glazing in Specified Openings