New Jersey sets no legal window tint percentage for the front of a passenger vehicle because aftermarket tint on the windshield and front side windows is not allowed at all. Behind the driver, the rules flip: rear side windows and the back glass can be tinted to any darkness, with no minimum visible light transmission (VLT) requirement.1Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection: Glazing A medical exemption is the only way to legally tint the front glass.
Front Windshield and Front Side Windows
No aftermarket tint film of any darkness is permitted on the windshield or on the driver’s and front passenger’s side windows. The administrative code treats any added tinting material on these surfaces as an automatic inspection failure because it changes the light transmission properties in areas where visibility cannot be reduced.1Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection: Glazing
One narrow exception applies to the windshield. A tint strip is allowed across the top, extending no lower than six inches from the top edge or staying above the AS-1 line stamped into the glass by the manufacturer, whichever is higher. Police vehicles and cars carrying a valid medical exemption certificate are the only vehicles permitted to go beyond that strip on front glass.1Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection: Glazing
New Jersey does not distinguish between sedans, SUVs, and vans for these front-window rules. If you’ve seen dark front windows on a car with New Jersey plates, that driver either holds a medical permit or is risking a citation on every trip.
Rear Side Windows and Back Window
Behind the driver’s seat, there is no darkness limit. Any motor vehicle may have its rear side windows and rear window tinted to any VLT level you want, including limo-dark film at roughly 5 percent. There is one practical condition attached: if the rear window tint reduces your view through the inside rearview mirror, the vehicle must be equipped with outside mirrors on both the driver and passenger sides.1Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection: Glazing Most modern cars already have dual side mirrors, so this rarely becomes an issue in practice.
Reflectivity and Color Restrictions
Darkness is not the only thing inspectors check. Mirror-type film is prohibited on any window of the vehicle, front or rear.1Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection: Glazing Metallic or chrome-finish films that create a reflective surface are banned because they throw glare at oncoming drivers. Even on the rear glass, where darkness is unrestricted, film cannot have a mirrored appearance.
The state also prohibits any glazing material that causes “undue or unsafe distortion of visibility,” which reaches colored films that alter the way you perceive traffic signals and emergency lights.2Justia. New Jersey Code 39:3-75 – Safety Glass Neutral shades like charcoal, gray, or ceramic films stay well inside this rule.
What Happens If Your Tint Is Illegal
New Jersey requires periodic safety inspections, and illegal window tint is one of the more common reasons for failure. A vehicle with aftermarket tint on the windshield or front side windows will not receive an inspection sticker until the non-compliant film is removed.1Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 13:20-33.7 – Commercial Vehicle Inspection: Glazing The Motor Vehicle Commission also has authority to revoke the registration of any vehicle equipped with glazing material that causes unsafe distortion of visibility.2Justia. New Jersey Code 39:3-75 – Safety Glass
A traffic stop for illegal tint carries a fine, and repeat violations escalate. Professional film removal typically runs $50 to $400 depending on how many windows need stripping and the condition of the old film, so the real cost of ignoring the rule combines the ticket, the removal bill, and the delay in passing inspection.
Medical Exemption for Front-Window Tint
If a medical condition involving eye or skin sensitivity to light makes standard glass inadequate, the owner or regular driver of a vehicle can apply to tint the windshield and front side windows.3Justia. New Jersey Code 39:3-75.1 – Certain Tinting Materials on Windshields, Windows of Motor Vehicles, Permitted for Medical Reasons The statute names these qualifying conditions:
- Polymorphous light eruption, a rash triggered by sun exposure
- Persistent light reactivity, a chronic skin reaction to ultraviolet light
- Actinic reticuloid, a severe chronic photosensitivity
- Porphyrins, metabolic disorders causing extreme sun sensitivity
- Solar urticaria, hives caused by sun exposure
- Lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune condition worsened by sunlight
The MVC director can also approve exemptions for other photosensitive disorders not specifically named in the statute, including chronic actinic dermatitis, photosensitive eczema, and skin cancers accompanied by chronic actinic dermatitis.4New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Application for Sunscreening Certification must come from a certified ophthalmologist or a physician with a full license to practice medicine and surgery in New Jersey or a bordering state.3Justia. New Jersey Code 39:3-75.1 – Certain Tinting Materials on Windshields, Windows of Motor Vehicles, Permitted for Medical Reasons
How the Application Works
The process moves through a fixed sequence, and skipping a step stalls the application.5New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Window Sun-screening For Medical Reasons
- Complete the MVC Sunscreening 1 form. Your physician fills in the medical certification section with their license number and contact information, and provides a valid prescription.
- Email the completed form and prescription to SUNSCREENING@mvc.nj.gov or mail it to Customer Advocacy Office, Attn: Sunscreening Exemption, PO Box 403, Trenton, NJ 08666-0403.
- If approved, you receive a temporary authorization valid for 60 days along with an installation confirmation form.
- Take the temporary approval to a licensed sunscreening facility from the MVC’s approved list. You cannot install the film yourself. The installer signs the confirmation form.
- Return the signed installation confirmation to the Customer Advocacy Office.
- The MVC issues a permanent approval document valid for 48 months. Keep it in the vehicle at all times.
The 48-month validity is the detail most applicants overlook. The approval is not lifetime, even if the condition is, and renewal requires resubmitting the Sunscreening 1 form before the four-year window closes.5New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Window Sun-screening For Medical Reasons The exemption is also tied to the specific vehicle on the application. Selling the car or changing the registration means filing a new application for the replacement vehicle.4New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Application for Sunscreening An officer who stops you is likely to issue a citation if you can’t produce the permit on the spot, so the glove box is where it belongs.
Out-of-State Vehicles in New Jersey
New Jersey has no statutory carve-out for out-of-state vehicles. A car registered in a state that permits front-window tint can be stopped and ticketed under New Jersey law while traveling through. Whether a citation sticks often depends on the officer’s discretion, but the legal authority is there. If you commute into New Jersey from a state with more permissive rules, that is worth weighing before you tint the front glass.