What Percent Tint Is Legal in Florida? Limits by Window Type

The legal tint percentage in Florida depends on which window you are talking about. Front side windows on every vehicle must allow at least 28% of visible light through. Rear side windows and the rear windshield can go darker: down to 15% on a standard sedan, or as dark as 6% on a truck, SUV, or other multipurpose passenger vehicle. The windshield itself cannot be tinted below the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.¹²

Front Side Windows: 28% on Every Vehicle

The front side windows are the ones next to and forward of the driver. The rule is the same whether you drive a compact car, a pickup, or a large SUV: the tint must let at least 28% of visible light through, and it cannot reflect more than 25% of light as measured from outside the vehicle.¹ The statute also bars any film that changes the glass color or makes it nontransparent beyond those limits.

Rear Windows: The Numbers Depend on Your Vehicle Type

Once you move behind the driver, Florida splits vehicles into two groups.

Sedans and Standard Passenger Cars

On a standard sedan or passenger car, the rear side windows and the rear windshield must allow at least 15% of visible light through. Reflectivity on those rear windows is capped at 35%, which is more generous than the 25% limit up front.²

Trucks, SUVs, and Other Multipurpose Vehicles

If your vehicle qualifies as a multipurpose passenger vehicle, the rear windows can go all the way down to 6% visible light transmission. At 6% the glass is nearly opaque. The 35% reflectivity cap still applies.²

Florida Statute 316.2951 defines a multipurpose passenger vehicle as a motor vehicle designed to carry ten or fewer people that is built on a truck chassis or has special features for occasional off-road operation.³ That covers most SUVs, pickups, and many vans, but not every taller vehicle qualifies. A minivan built on a car chassis, for example, may not. Check the manufacturer’s classification on your registration or door sticker if you are unsure, because the wrong assumption drops your rear tint allowance from 6% to 15%.

The Windshield Rule

Florida does not let you tint the main viewing area of the windshield at all. The only place film is allowed is the narrow strip above the AS-1 line, which the manufacturer marks on the glass a few inches below the roofline. That strip is meant to cut sun glare and must stay transparent. Everything below the AS-1 line has to remain factory-clear.⁴

The 3% Measurement Tolerance

Florida law builds a 3% tolerance into every tint reading. On the front side windows, that means a meter reading of 25% or higher during a traffic stop is still within legal bounds, even though the stated minimum is 28%.⁵ The tolerance accounts for equipment variation, film aging, and differences in factory glass. It is not an invitation to install darker film on purpose. A shop that cuts it close leaves you one bad reading away from a ticket.

Medical Exemption

If a medical condition requires you to limit sun exposure, Florida allows an exemption that overrides the normal tint limits on every window, including the windshield. Qualifying conditions listed in the statute include lupus, dermatomyositis, albinism, vitiligo, xeroderma pigmentosum, and other autoimmune diseases or conditions requiring reduced light exposure.⁶

You apply by submitting Form HSMV 83390, with a physician’s certification of your diagnosis, to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.⁷ One detail catches people out: the certificate is tied to a specific vehicle by make, model, year, and VIN. It becomes void if you sell or transfer that vehicle, so a new car requires a new application.⁶

What a Tint Ticket Costs

A window tint violation in Florida is classified as a noncriminal, nonmoving traffic infraction.¹ The base statutory fine is $30, but after county court costs, surcharges, and processing fees the total usually runs well over $100 depending on the county.⁸ Because it is a nonmoving violation, points do not go on your driving record, but repeat citations stack up in fines.

Officers use state-approved tint meters to check windows on the roadside. The Florida Highway Patrol maintains the list of approved devices, and any officer who suspects your tint is too dark can test it during the stop.⁹ Telling the officer your installer said it was legal will not change what the meter shows.

Quick Reference: Florida Tint Limits

Windshield: tint allowed only on the transparent strip above the AS-1 line
Front side windows, all vehicles: 28% minimum light transmission, 25% maximum reflectivity
Rear windows on sedans: 15% minimum light transmission, 35% maximum reflectivity
Rear windows on trucks, SUVs, and multipurpose vehicles: 6% minimum light transmission, 35% maximum reflectivity
Measurement tolerance: plus or minus 3% on all readings

1
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.2953 – Side Windows; Restrictions on Sunscreening Material
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.2954 – Windows Behind the Driver; Restrictions on Sunscreening Material
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.2951 – Sunscreening Material; Definitions
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.2952 – Windshields; Requirements; Restrictions
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 316.2955 – Window Sunscreening Material; Compliance Labeling; Tolerances
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.29545 – Window Sunscreening Exclusions; Medical Exemption
7
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Sunscreening Medical Exemptions
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 318.18 – Amount of Penalties
9
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Approved Window Tint Meters