Ohio Window Tint Exemption and BMV 2942: Which Form You Need

If you’re looking for the Ohio BMV 2942 window tint exemption, there is no such form. BMV 2942 is Ohio’s Occupant Restraining Device Exemption Request, which is a seatbelt exemption. Ohio’s window tint medical exemption uses no numbered BMV form at all. It requires a signed affidavit from an Ohio-licensed physician or optometrist, kept in the vehicle, under Ohio Administrative Code 4501-41-05.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4501-41 – Transparent, Nontransparent, Translucent, and Reflectorized Materials on Windows of Vehicles The two exemptions get confused often because both involve a medical condition and the BMV, but they are separate processes with separate rules.

How the Window Tint Medical Exemption Works

You do not file anything with the BMV, and there is no fee. You obtain an affidavit from either a physician licensed under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4731 or an optometrist licensed under Chapter 4725, stating that you have a physical condition making it necessary to equip your vehicle with sunscreening material darker than the state’s standard limits allow.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4501-41 – Transparent, Nontransparent, Translucent, and Reflectorized Materials on Windows of Vehicles

The affidavit is the exemption. Ohio does not issue a decal or certificate, and there is no waiting period. Once the document is signed, you or the driver must keep it in the vehicle at all times while operating it. During a traffic stop, that piece of paper is the only thing standing between you and a citation for illegal tint.

What the Affidavit Must Say

The administrative code doesn’t publish a template, but it does set the substance. The affidavit must be signed by the physician or optometrist and must state that the patient has a physical condition making darker sunscreening material necessary. The practitioner has to be licensed in Ohio. An affidavit from an out-of-state doctor won’t satisfy the rule.

Conditions such as photophobia, lupus, and certain ocular disorders commonly support these affidavits, though the code does not restrict eligibility to a specific list of diagnoses. Ask your provider to include your full name, a description of the condition, their Ohio license information, and their signed date. The code only strictly requires a statement that the condition necessitates sunscreening material, but adding these details helps an officer verify the document quickly at the roadside.

Whose Vehicle Is Covered

The exemption follows a vehicle registered in Ohio in the name of the person with the medical condition. It also covers a vehicle registered to that person’s parent, legal guardian, or spouse.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4501-41 – Transparent, Nontransparent, Translucent, and Reflectorized Materials on Windows of Vehicles A teenager with a light-sensitivity condition can therefore ride in a parent’s tinted car as long as the affidavit is present.

The exemption does not travel with the person into any car they happen to be in. A borrowed vehicle or a rental is not automatically covered, because the registration has to be in a qualifying name.

Ohio’s Standard Tint Limits and What the Exemption Changes

Knowing the baseline rules helps when you talk to an installer about what the affidavit lets you do. Ohio measures tint by visible light transmittance (VLT):

The medical exemption lets you go darker than those VLT percentages. It does not lift the other restrictions. No reflectorized (mirror-like) material is allowed on any window, and tint cannot be red or yellow, regardless of any affidavit.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4501-41-03 – Manufacturer’s Certification

Penalties Without a Valid Affidavit

Driving with tint below Ohio’s limits and no valid affidavit is a minor misdemeanor under Ohio Revised Code 4513.241, which carries a fine but no jail time. Shops and dealers face steeper exposure. Knowingly installing nonconforming material is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and the installer can also owe the vehicle owner civil damages and attorney fees. A repeat offender who holds a motor vehicle repair registration or dealer license can have that license suspended for up to 180 days.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4513.241 – Using Tinted Glass and Other Vision Obscuring Materials

If You Actually Need the Seatbelt Form BMV 2942

BMV 2942 is a separate form for people whose physical impairment makes wearing a seatbelt impossible or impractical. It’s authorized by Ohio Revised Code 4513.263 and completed by a physician or chiropractor, not an optometrist.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4513.263 – Occupant Restraining Devices The form is available at publicsafety.ohio.gov and at deputy registrar offices.5Ohio Department of Public Safety. Occupant Restraining Device Exemption Request

The practitioner certifies whether the impairment is permanent, expected to be permanent, or temporary. A permanent exemption gets mailed to the BMV so it can be entered into the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS), after which law enforcement can verify it electronically at a stop. A temporary exemption stays with the person and expires on the date the physician wrote on the form.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 4501 1-1-03 – Occupant Restraining Device Exemption

Choosing the Right Process

The two exemptions differ on almost every point, so it’s worth confirming which one you actually need before you request paperwork from a doctor.

If a single medical condition gives you reason to seek both darker windows and relief from wearing a seatbelt, you’ll go through each process separately, and the practitioner types who can sign are not the same.