The tint law in Texas requires your windshield strip and front side windows to let at least 25% of visible light through, with reflectance no higher than 25%, measured as the glass and the film together. Rear side windows have no darkness limit, and the rear windshield is unrestricted if the vehicle has dual side mirrors that show at least 200 feet behind. The rules sit in Texas Transportation Code Section 547.613 and 37 Texas Administrative Code Rule 21.3, and they are enforced at the annual safety inspection and on traffic stops.
Windshield Rules
Tinted film on the windshield is only allowed above the AS-1 line marked by the manufacturer, or within the top five inches of the glass if there is no AS-1 line. Whichever mark sits closer to the top of the windshield controls, so the more generous measurement is not an option.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows Any film in that strip has to hold at least 25% light transmission and no more than 25% reflectance when measured with the glass.2Cornell Law School. 37 Texas Admin Code 21.3 – Standards for Sunscreening and Privacy Window Devices
Clear, untinted UV-blocking film is treated differently. The Department of Public Safety allows it across the entire windshield, with no medical paperwork required, as long as the film adds no tint.3Department of Public Safety. Texas Department of Public Safety – Window Tinting Standards
Red, blue, and amber tint on the windshield is prohibited because those colors are associated with emergency vehicle lighting.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows
Front Side Windows
The windows immediately to the driver’s left and right have to allow at least 25% light transmission and reflect no more than 25%, measured across the entire surface of the glass. Driver-side wing vents follow the same limits.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows
This is the measurement that fails the most vehicles. If a front side window drops below 25%, the car fails the state inspection regardless of model year.3Department of Public Safety. Texas Department of Public Safety – Window Tinting Standards
Rear Side Windows and the Back Glass
Side windows behind the driver have no darkness restriction. You can go as dark as you want, including on SUVs and other multipurpose vehicles.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows
The rear windshield depends on your mirrors. If the vehicle has outside mirrors on both sides giving a view of at least 200 feet behind, the back glass has no tint limit.2Cornell Law School. 37 Texas Admin Code 21.3 – Standards for Sunscreening and Privacy Window Devices Without those mirrors, the rear windshield has to meet the same 25% light transmission threshold as the front side windows.3Department of Public Safety. Texas Department of Public Safety – Window Tinting Standards
How the 25% Is Actually Measured
The 25% figure applies to the glass and the film together, not the film by itself. Factory automotive glass already blocks some light on its own, typically transmitting somewhere between 70% and 85%. When you add aftermarket film, the glass transmission multiplies by the film transmission to give you the net VLT the inspector will read.
Run the numbers before you buy. Factory glass at 74% paired with a film rated 35% comes out to 0.74 × 0.35, or about 26%. That barely clears the legal minimum. Drop to a 30% film on the same glass and you land near 22%, which fails. Ask your installer to measure the finished number on the car rather than quoting you the film’s standalone rating.
Reflectance
No window on the vehicle can reflect more than 25% of light. Mirror-finish or highly reflective films create glare for oncoming drivers and will fail inspection even when the darkness is otherwise legal.2Cornell Law School. 37 Texas Admin Code 21.3 – Standards for Sunscreening and Privacy Window Devices
Medical Exemption
If you or a regular passenger needs extra protection from sunlight for a medical reason, Texas provides an affirmative defense to prosecution for running darker tint than the standard limits allow.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows
To use it, you need a signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist that identifies the person with reasonable specificity and states that darker tint is medically necessary. Keep the statement in the vehicle, because you have to show it at traffic stops and at the annual inspection.3Department of Public Safety. Texas Department of Public Safety – Window Tinting Standards DPS no longer issues the formal Window Tint Exemption Certificates it used before 2019; the physician’s statement is now the only documentation needed.2Cornell Law School. 37 Texas Admin Code 21.3 – Standards for Sunscreening and Privacy Window Devices
Neither the statute nor DPS sets an expiration date on the letter, but a current letter from a doctor you still see is more persuasive to a judge than an old note from a retired physician.
Vehicles and Glass That Are Exempt
Several categories sit outside the standard rules under Section 547.613(b):
- Factory-tinted glass that complies with federal safety standards, including manufacturer-installed tint and replacement glass meeting manufacturer specs.
- Vehicles maintained by a law enforcement agency and used for law enforcement purposes.
- Vehicles regularly used to transport passengers for a fee under a local license or permit.
- Commercial motor vehicles as defined under Texas Transportation Code Section 644.001.
- Vehicles not registered in Texas.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows
Separately, every aftermarket tint installation has to carry a compliance label placed between the film and the glass, showing the transmission and reflectance data DPS requires.4State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.609 – Required Label for Sunscreening Devices The penalty for a missing label falls on the installer, not you, but inspectors look for it, so confirm it is in place after the job.
Penalties and Fixing a Ticket
Window tint is checked at the annual safety inspection using a tint meter. Any regulated window below 25% transmission or above 25% reflectance fails the vehicle.3Department of Public Safety. Texas Department of Public Safety – Window Tinting Standards Operating a vehicle with non-compliant tint is a misdemeanor under Section 547.613(a). The statute does not set a specific maximum fine for the vehicle operator, so the offense falls under the general misdemeanor fine provisions in the Transportation Code.1State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.613 – Restrictions on Windows Base fines usually land in the low hundreds, with court costs and administrative fees added on top.
Many Texas municipal courts will dismiss a tint ticket if you bring the vehicle into compliance before your court date. Remove or replace the non-compliant film, then bring proof: a receipt from the shop or photos of the stripped glass. Courts that grant a compliance dismissal usually charge a small administrative fee around $10 rather than the full fine. Timing is the catch. Show up on your court date with the old tint still on the car and you pay the full amount. Professional removal runs roughly $25 to $400 depending on how many windows need work and how stubborn the adhesive is, plus whatever you spend on compliant film to replace it.