Nevada Window Tint Laws: Limits, Exemptions, and Penalties

Under Nevada window tint laws, front side windows must allow at least 35% of light through, the windshield permits only a non-red, non-amber strip above a specific seat-based height, and rear side windows and the back glass can be as dark as you like provided the vehicle has dual outside mirrors. Those rules sit in NRS 484D.440, and a violation is a non-moving offense that does not add points to your license.¹

Front Side Windows: The 35% Rule

The two windows next to the driver and front passenger have to meet two conditions. The film must be nonreflective, and the combined glass-and-film visible light transmission (VLT) must measure at least 35%.¹ VLT is simply the percentage of outside light that reaches the inside of the car. Lower number, darker window.

The statute builds in a 7% tolerance. A front side window reading as low as 28% on an officer’s meter can still be treated as compliant, which accounts for variation in temperature, meter calibration, and the age of the glass itself.¹ Don’t plan around it. A film sold as “35%” layered over factory glass that already filters some light often measures well below 35% once it’s on the car.

The nonreflective rule is a flat ban rather than a percentage. Mirror-finish and metallic-look films are off-limits on the front sides regardless of how much light they transmit.

Rear Side Windows and Back Glass

Nevada sets no VLT minimum for the side windows behind the driver or for the rear window. Full blackout is legal, and the statute makes no distinction between sedans, SUVs, trucks, or vans.¹

The condition: any vehicle with tinted rear windows must carry outside mirrors on both sides, and those mirrors must give the driver a view of at least 200 feet to the rear.¹ Nearly every modern vehicle already meets this. Older trucks with a single driver-side mirror need a passenger-side mirror added before tinting the back glass.

Windshield: The 29-Inch Rule

The windshield is the most restricted surface on the car. You can run a tint strip across the top, but the bottom edge of that strip has to sit at least 29 inches above the driver’s seat. The statute defines the measurement precisely: seat in its lowest and rearmost position, measured from a point five inches in front of the bottom of the backrest, on a level surface.¹

Many tint guides reference the “AS-1 line” printed on some windshields. Nevada’s statute does not mention it. The 29-inch seat measurement controls, and if the AS-1 line sits lower than that, the AS-1 line is not your legal reference.

Red and amber films are banned on the windshield strip because those colors overlap with emergency lighting and signals.¹ Other colors (charcoal, blue, bronze) are fine on the strip. That color restriction appears only in the windshield subsection; the statute does not restrict tint color on the side or rear windows.

Factory Tint and Older Vehicles

Factory tint is treated separately. If your vehicle came from the manufacturer with tinted glass as standard or optional equipment, and that glass complied with federal regulations when the car was sold new, it stays legal in Nevada regardless of its VLT reading.¹ Factory privacy glass on SUVs and minivans often measures 15% to 26% VLT, well below the aftermarket 35% limit for front side windows, and that’s fine.

Where drivers get caught is adding aftermarket film over factory-tinted front side windows. Each layer reduces light transmission, and the combined measurement can easily drop below 35%.

Vehicles from the 1993 model year or earlier have a separate carve-out. If the tint was applied before July 1, 1993, and has stayed in place since, it remains legal even if it would fail current standards.¹

Medical Exemptions for Darker Front Tint

If a medical condition requires extra sun protection, you can apply for a window tint exemption through the Nevada Highway Patrol Division of the Department of Public Safety. A doctor’s note kept in the glovebox is not the exemption; the formal application is.

The form has two parts:²

Section 1 covers the applicant: personal information, driver’s license number, and the make, model, year, VIN, and plate number of each vehicle to be covered.
Section 2 is for the physician: a currently licensed Nevada physician provides a clinical diagnosis, recommends a specific VLT percentage, and indicates whether the permit should run four years (temporary condition) or indefinitely (permanent condition).

Completed forms go to the Nevada Highway Patrol in Carson City. If approved, DPS returns the original document, which acts as your exemption authorization, and you must keep it (or a copy) in the vehicle at all times.³

Two limits matter. Only a physician can complete the medical section; optometrists are not listed as eligible on the application. And the Department of Public Safety will not approve an exemption below 20% VLT, so even with an approved permit your front side windows cannot go darker than 20%.³ The exemption does not transfer when you sell the vehicle, and you must return the letter to DPS.

Penalties for Illegal Tint

A tint violation under NRS 484D.440 is classified as a non-moving violation, so it does not add demerit points to your driving record.¹ The statute itself does not set a dollar fine; the amount depends on the court and jurisdiction. Expect something roughly in the $100 to $250 range, though municipal courts may set their own schedules.

Officers measure VLT with handheld electronic meters on a partially rolled-down window. If the reading falls below the legal threshold after accounting for the 7% tolerance, you get a citation. Many stops also come with a correction order requiring you to remove or replace the film and prove compliance within a set timeframe. Ignoring that order usually produces a larger fine.

Commercial Vehicles Follow a Stricter Rule

If you drive a commercial motor vehicle, federal law overrides Nevada’s more permissive numbers for the front of the cab. Under 49 CFR 393.60, the windshield and the windows immediately to the driver’s left and right must allow at least 70% of light through.⁴ That’s roughly twice as strict as Nevada’s 35% standard for personal vehicles. A commercial driver whose front windows are tinted to the state limit will fail a DOT inspection.

1
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484D.440 – Restrictions on Tinting of Windshield or Side or Rear Window
2
Nevada Department of Public Safety. Nevada Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Division Application for Window Tint Exemption
3
Nevada Department of Public Safety. Nevada Window Tint Exemption Application
4
eCFR. 49 CFR 393.60 – Glazing in Specified Openings