Legal Tint Percentage in NJ: Front, Rear, and Medical Exemption

The legal tint percentage in New Jersey depends entirely on which window you’re asking about. Aftermarket tint is not allowed at any darkness on the windshield or the front side windows unless you hold a medical exemption, while the rear side windows and rear windshield can be tinted as dark as you want.¹ The rules are the same for sedans, SUVs, and minivans, and they apply to applied film rather than factory-tinted glass.

Front Windows and Windshield

N.J.S.A. 39:3-74 prohibits driving with “any sign, poster, sticker or other non-transparent material” on the front windshield, front side windows, wings, deflectors, or side shields next to the windshield.¹ There is no legal VLT percentage for these windows because the state treats any added film as a violation. The inspection regulation at N.J.A.C. 13:20-33.7 uses the same language: a vehicle with tinted material added to the front windshield or front side windows “shall not be certified,” with exceptions only for police vehicles and holders of an approved medical exemption.²

The Sun-Strip Exception

You are allowed one narrow tinted strip across the top of the windshield. Under N.J.A.C. 13:20-33.7(d), tinted material may be applied to the windshield as long as it extends no lower than six inches from the top, or does not extend below the AS-1 marking stamped into the glass by the manufacturer.² Most factory windshields carry the AS-1 line about five to six inches from the top edge, so the two standards generally line up.

Factory Glass vs. Added Film

Factory-installed tint on the windshield and front side windows is permitted if the manufacturer put it there before the sale and the glass still transmits at least 70% of visible light.³ That matches the federal minimum under FMVSS 205, which requires glazing in the driver’s forward field of vision to transmit at least 70% of light.⁴ Most factory front windows are nearly clear, so this rarely matters in practice. Adding aftermarket film on top of factory glass pushes light transmission below the threshold and violates state law.

Rear Windows: No Darkness Limit

The rules change completely behind the front seats. N.J.A.C. 13:20-33.7(g) allows any rear side window and the rear windshield to be tinted to any darkness level.² You can run 5% VLT (limo-dark) on every rear window and stay legal, as long as the vehicle has an exterior mirror on each side. Those dual mirrors compensate for rearward visibility lost to the film.

Factory privacy glass, the dyed-in darkening common on SUVs, trucks, and minivans, falls under the same rear-window rule. Because New Jersey sets no VLT limit on rear glass, it passes inspection regardless of how dark it looks.

Mirror and Reflective Tint Is Banned on Every Window

The rear-window freedom has one hard limit. N.J.A.C. 13:20-33.7(h) states that a vehicle “shall not be certified” if it carries mirror-type material on any window, including the rear ones where darkness is otherwise unrestricted.² The regulation gives no reflectivity percentage; if the material reads as mirrored or metallic, it fails.

Medical Exemption for Front Window Tint

If an eye or skin condition makes you sensitive to light, N.J.S.A. 39:3-75.1 lets the owner or regular driver apply to the MVC’s Chief Administrator for permission to tint the front side windows and windshield. Qualifying diagnoses include chronic actinic dermatitis, photosensitive eczema, and skin cancers with an associated photosensitivity diagnosis, among others.⁵

How the Application Works

The process runs through the MVC’s Customer Advocacy Office:⁶

Complete form “MVC Sunscreening 1,” available on the MVC website, by email at SUNSCREENING@mvc.nj.gov, or by calling 609-984-2973.
Have your physician fill out the medical portion certifying your photosensitivity diagnosis.
Mail or email the application and a valid prescription to the Customer Advocacy Office, Attn: Sunscreening Exemption, PO Box 403, Trenton, NJ 08666-0403.
If approved, you’ll receive a temporary document (“MVC Sunscreening 2”) valid for 60 days, along with a Sunscreening Installation Confirmation form.
Take both forms to a licensed Sunscreening Material Installation Facility (SMIF). Do not have the film applied before approval.
Return the signed installation confirmation to the Customer Advocacy Office.
The MVC then issues a permanent document (“MVC Sunscreening 4”) valid for 48 months, after which you renew with the same form.

Keep the Certificate in the Vehicle

You must carry the approval document at all times and show it during traffic stops and inspections.⁶ If you’re stopped without it, N.J.S.A. 39:3-75.3 allows a fine of up to $100, though a judge may dismiss the charge if you later produce a certificate that was valid on the date of the stop.⁷

Inspection, Tickets, and Fines

Illegal front-window tint is one of the clearest reasons to fail a New Jersey vehicle inspection. The regulation is explicit that a vehicle with aftermarket film on the windshield or front side windows cannot be certified without a medical exemption on file.² If you fail, the film has to come off before you can re-inspect.

Officers can also cite you during a routine traffic stop, independent of inspection. They don’t need a meter; visible film on a front window is enough. A violation tied to the medical sunscreening rules is capped at $100 under N.J.S.A. 39:3-75.3, plus court costs, and a general tint violation under N.J.S.A. 39:3-74 runs in similar territory.⁷ The larger cost is usually the removal and re-inspection on top of what you already paid to have the film installed.

Commercial Vehicles

If you drive a commercial motor vehicle, federal rules at 49 CFR 393.60 require the windshield and front side windows to transmit at least 70% of visible light.⁸ New Jersey’s ban on front-window film already meets that standard, so a state-compliant vehicle is federally compliant. Commercial vehicles registered in New Jersey and built on a truck chassis may have their rear windows painted, tinted, or otherwise obscured, provided the vehicle has dual side mirrors.²

1
Justia. New Jersey Code 39:3-74 – Windshields Must Be Unobstructed and Equipped With Cleaners
2
Legal Information Institute. NJAC 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection
3
New Jersey Legislature. Assembly No. 3728
4
Federal Register. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards – Glazing Materials
5
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. New Jersey Administrative Code 13:20-1 – Standards and Specifications Governing Sun-Screening Materials
6
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Window Sun-screening For Medical Reasons
7
Justia. New Jersey Code 39:3-75.3
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Tint