Legal Window Tint in New Mexico: Limits, Exemptions, and Penalties

Legal window tint in New Mexico can go as dark as 20% visible light transmission (VLT) on the front side windows, rear side windows, and rear window of a passenger vehicle. The windshield can only carry a non-reflective strip along the top. These rules come from New Mexico Statutes Section 66-3-846.1, which also covers reflectivity, labeling, and medical exemptions.¹ VLT measures how much outside light passes through the glass and film together, so a lower number means a darker window.

How Dark You Can Go by Vehicle Type

For a standard passenger car, the same 20% VLT minimum applies to every window other than the windshield. Your tint has to let at least a fifth of ambient light through.¹

Larger vehicles get more room. The 20% limit does not apply to windows behind the driver on truck tractors, buses, recreational vehicles, multipurpose passenger vehicles (a category that covers most SUVs and vans), or motor homes.¹ On those vehicles, the rear side windows and back glass can be any darkness you want. The front side windows next to the driver still have to meet the 20% minimum.

If you drive an SUV or van and your installer quotes you the same film for every window, ask about darker rear options. The law allows them.

Windshield Rules

Non-reflective tint on the windshield is limited to a strip along the top. It cannot extend below the manufacturer’s AS-1 line (marked on the glass near the top edge) or more than five inches from the top, whichever point sits closer to the top of the windshield.¹ Any film below that line is a violation regardless of darkness.

The statute also bans red, yellow, and amber film on the windshield.¹ The color restriction in the statute addresses only the windshield; the side and rear window provisions deal with reflectivity and VLT. Most shops stock neutral smoke or charcoal film that avoids the issue entirely.

Reflectivity and Mirror Requirements

All tint film must be non-reflective. The statute does not set a specific reflectivity percentage; it simply prohibits reflective film on every window, including the windshield strip.¹ Mirror-finish and chrome films are out. Standard dyed, carbon, and ceramic films typically qualify.

Any vehicle with tinted side or rear windows must have both a left and a right outside rearview mirror.¹ Modern vehicles come with dual mirrors standard. If you’re tinting an older truck with only one exterior mirror, add the second before the install.

Medical Exemptions

You can go darker than 20% VLT on any window if a medical condition requires extra protection from sunlight. The exemption runs on an affidavit signed by a physician or optometrist licensed in New Mexico, stating that your physical condition makes non-compliant tint medically necessary.¹ Conditions like lupus, severe photosensitivity, and certain skin disorders commonly qualify.

There is no state agency review. The affidavit itself is your authorization, and you (or your legal guardian) must keep the original in the vehicle at all times while riding in it.¹ Without the affidavit on hand during a stop, an officer has no way to verify the exemption and can treat the tint as a violation.

Labels on Each Tinted Window

Every tinted window must carry a small identification label, no larger than one and a half square inches, placed between the film and the glass in the lower left corner when viewed from outside. The label has to show the manufacturer’s name, the manufacturing date, and the VLT percentage.¹ It is illegal for an installer to apply tint without affixing the label. If your install skips this step, both you and the installer can face penalties, so check the corners of each window before you leave the shop.

Film manufacturers selling product in New Mexico must also certify to the Motor Vehicle Division that their tint meets state reflectivity and light transmission standards.¹ A reputable shop will only use film from certified manufacturers.

What Happens If You Get Caught

A tint violation is a penalty assessment misdemeanor in New Mexico.¹ It’s a low-level offense that generally doesn’t add points to your driving record, and the specific fine amount is set in the state’s penalty assessment schedule.²

The statute does not require officers to order immediate removal during a stop. A single citation does not protect you from future ones, though. Each stop with non-compliant film can produce a new ticket, so the clean fix is to have the illegal film stripped or replaced and keep the receipt in the car as proof.

Commercial Vehicles Follow Different Rules

If you drive a commercial motor vehicle, federal rules override state tint law on the windshield and front side windows. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires at least 70% light transmission on those surfaces, far more restrictive than New Mexico’s 20% passenger standard.³ That rules out any meaningful aftermarket tint on the front glass of a commercial truck. Windows behind the driver follow either state rules or carrier policy depending on vehicle classification.