Under Washington state window tint laws, passenger cars must let at least 24% of visible light pass through every window except the windshield, while SUVs, trucks, vans, and other multipurpose vehicles can tint the windows behind the driver as dark as they want so long as the film’s reflectance stays at 35% or less. The rules live in RCW 46.37.430, and breaking them is a traffic infraction that can cost up to $250.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.63.110 – Monetary Penalties
Passenger Car Tint Limits
Sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks have to meet a 24% minimum visible light transmission (VLT) on every window except the windshield. The measurement is a net reading: it captures the factory glass and any aftermarket film together. If the factory glass already filters some light, the film you add has to leave enough room to keep the combined reading above 24%.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
Only one layer of aftermarket film is allowed per window. Stacking two lighter sheets to reach a darker look is not permitted. Any tinted vehicle also needs outside rearview mirrors on both the driver and passenger sides.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
Windshield Rules
The windshield is treated separately. You can run a tint strip along the top edge, but it has to be transparent, it cannot extend more than six inches down from the top, and it cannot cross into the AS-1 line stamped by the manufacturer. Clear film that blocks ultraviolet light without reducing visible light can be applied to the full windshield.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
SUVs, Trucks, Vans, and Other Exempt Vehicles
Vehicles that the manufacturer classifies as trucks, motor homes, or multipurpose passenger vehicles get a real break behind the driver. The front side windows still have to meet the same 24% VLT minimum that applies to sedans. But every window behind the driver has no minimum light transmission requirement at all, provided the film’s reflectance stays at or below 35%.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
The same rear-window flexibility applies to hearses, collector vehicles, limousines, passenger buses used for paid transport, ambulances, and licensed emergency medical vehicles. Whether a specific vehicle qualifies as a multipurpose passenger vehicle depends on the manufacturer’s classification under the federal definition in 49 C.F.R. Section 571.3, not on how the vehicle looks. Misjudging that classification and running near-opaque film on a car that doesn’t qualify is a common route to an equipment violation.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
The one-sheet-per-window limit and the dual outside mirror requirement apply here too.
Banned Colors and Reflectivity Cap
Four film colors are prohibited outright: red, gold, yellow, and black. Mirror-finish film is also banned, along with any liquid tint that gets brushed or sprayed on rather than applied as a sheet.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
Every window on the vehicle is subject to a total reflectance limit of 35% or less. That ceiling applies even to the rear windows on SUVs and trucks that otherwise have no VLT floor. Highly reflective film is what most commonly pushes an installation over the line, and metalized products in particular tend to run high on reflectance readings.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
Medical Exemption for Darker Tint
Drivers or passengers with a medical condition that requires protection from sunlight can run darker tint on any window, including the top six inches of the windshield. You need a written statement from a licensed physician explaining why sun protection is medically necessary. The exemption follows the person, so it covers any vehicle you drive or ride in rather than a single car.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
Keep the physician’s letter in the vehicle. If you’re pulled over on suspicion of a tint violation, that document is your defense at the roadside. Without it in the car, an officer can still write the infraction and you’ll have to contest it later. When you change cars, move the paperwork with you.
Installer Sticker
Anyone who tints windows for profit has to place a certification sticker on the driver’s door post, near the manufacturer’s identification tag. The sticker certifies that the installation meets Washington’s standards for light transmission, reflectance, and placement, and it must show the business name and state tax identification number of the installer. Its dimensions are set between three-quarters of an inch by one and a half inches and two inches by two and a half inches, and the material has to be durable enough for harsh weather.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.37.430 – Safety Glazing Sunscreening or Coloring
A missing sticker doesn’t automatically make your tint illegal, but it does invite a closer look. If a shop tinted your windows and didn’t provide one, go back and ask.
How Officers Measure Tint
Law enforcement uses handheld tint meters at traffic stops. The meter shines a light through the glass and reads the percentage that passes through, capturing the combined VLT of factory glass and any aftermarket film. The devices carry an accuracy tolerance of plus or minus two percentage points.
That tolerance matters if you install film right at the legal edge. A car that reads exactly 24% could come in at 22% on the meter and be written up. Experienced installers aim for 26% to 28% VLT on the film itself so the combined reading has a cushion. Officers may develop probable cause to stop and test a vehicle if they can’t see the driver’s face through the glass or if the tint looks darker than the reference samples that come with the meter.
Fines and Other Costs of Illegal Tint
Illegal tint is a traffic infraction. The maximum monetary penalty for a traffic infraction is $250 per offense, though courts often assess less than the ceiling.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.63.110 – Monetary Penalties You should also expect to be told to remove the non-compliant film. Getting stopped repeatedly with the same tint stacks fines, because each stop is its own infraction.
A tint ticket can affect car insurance rates the way other equipment or moving violations do. Some insurers may decline to cover damage to illegally tinted windows after an accident, even when the rest of the claim is approved. Professional removal and replacement runs roughly $25 to $150 per window depending on the film and the shop, so getting the installation right the first time is almost always the cheaper path.
Crossing State Lines
Washington’s 24% VLT floor is more permissive than many neighboring states. Oregon requires 35% on front side windows. Once you cross a border, that state’s rules apply to your car regardless of where it’s registered. Some states extend informal leniency to passing motorists; others will cite out-of-state drivers without hesitation. California, for example, requires 70% VLT on front side windows, so tint that’s legal in Washington could draw a ticket there. Check the rules along the route before a long trip.