What Window Tint Is Legal in Indiana: VLT, AS-1 Line, Penalties

Legal window tint in Indiana has to let at least 30% of visible light through and reflect no more than 25%, and those limits apply to the windshield strip, the small side wing windows, the front door windows, and the rear windshield. Rear side windows, the ones behind the front doors, aren’t restricted at all. Everything else in the state’s tint rule flows from those two numbers and that list of windows.¹

The Two Numbers That Decide Legality

Visible Light Transmission, or VLT, is the percentage of outside light that makes it through the glass and film together. A higher VLT means a lighter tint. Indiana’s floor is 30%, so a reading below that fails.

Total solar reflectance is measured from the outside of the glass and capped at 25%. Reflective film above that threshold creates a mirror effect that can blind other drivers, which is why the cap exists.¹

Officers use handheld meters at the window to measure VLT. Readings can drift a point or two depending on the device and lighting, so most installers recommend aiming a bit above 30% rather than right at it.

Which Windows the Rule Covers

The statute applies the 30% VLT and 25% reflectivity limits to four window positions on every motor vehicle:

The windshield (tint allowed only above the AS-1 line)
The side wing windows near the A-pillar
The side windows that are part of the front doors
The rear back window

The rear side windows, behind the front doors, aren’t on that list. The statute restricts only “a side window that is part of a front door,” which leaves rear side windows unregulated by Indiana’s tint law. You can tint those as dark as you want, on a sedan, SUV, or minivan alike.¹

Windshield Tint and the AS-1 Line

You can tint the windshield, but only the uppermost portion. The tint can’t extend below the AS-1 line, a marking the manufacturer etches or prints into the glass, usually five or six inches from the top. The statute names the AS-1 line as the boundary and gives no fallback measurement for windshields where it isn’t visible, so a reputable installer should locate the line before applying film.¹

The strip above the line still has to meet both the 30% VLT and the 25% reflectivity cap. Indiana doesn’t carve out a separate non-reflective-only rule for windshields; the same 25% applies there as everywhere else.

Factory Glass on SUVs and Trucks

You’ll see online guides claiming SUVs and trucks can tint the rear back window to any darkness. The statute itself doesn’t draw that line for aftermarket film. What it does say is that factory glazing installed by the manufacturer is exempt from Indiana’s rules as long as it meets the federal safety standard, FMVSS 205, and that federal standard allows darker factory glass on the rear windows of trucks and multipurpose vehicles like SUVs.¹

So if your SUV came off the lot with dark rear glass, you’re fine. Adding aftermarket film that pushes the rear windshield below 30% VLT reads differently under the statute’s text.

Paperwork You Have to Carry

Indiana requires proof in the vehicle that your tint complies with FMVSS 205. The proof can come from the manufacturer, the tint supplier, or the installer, and the statute says it “must be carried in the vehicle.”¹ Keep the installer’s receipt or compliance certificate in the glove box. If you get pulled over for a tint check, having it on hand can end the stop quickly.

There’s no requirement for a compliance sticker on the window, and the statute doesn’t ban any particular tint color. Highly reflective colored films will still run into the 25% reflectivity cap.

Medical Exemption

Indiana’s tint limits can be set aside for a vehicle whose owner or habitual passenger has a medical need for protection from direct sunlight. To qualify, you need a certification from a physician or optometrist licensed in Indiana stating that need. That certificate has to be carried in the vehicle and renewed every year.¹

If you’re having the darker tint installed, hand the physician’s statement to the installer before the work. That protects the installer from a violation as well.

Stops and Penalties

Police can stop a vehicle in Indiana specifically to check tint. The statute limits those stops: officers can’t inspect the vehicle’s contents, search the driver or passengers, or detain anyone solely because of a tint violation.¹

For a driver, a tint violation is an infraction, not a criminal charge, so no jail time is involved. Some Indiana jurisdictions treat it as a correctable offense, letting you remove the illegal film and show the car to a court or municipal office rather than pay a fine. The maximum fine for a standard infraction can reach $500, with the actual amount depending on prior moving violations in the county and whether you fix the problem before your court date.

The penalty for the installer is far steeper. Applying tint that violates the chapter is a Class A infraction, which carries a maximum fine of up to $10,000, unless the installer has a valid medical exemption statement from the customer in hand before doing the work.² That gap is worth knowing when you choose a shop: a reputable installer in Indiana has real money on the line for getting your tint wrong.

1
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-19-19-4 – Tinting, Glazing, or Sunscreening Vehicle Windows
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-19-19-8 – Action of Tinting or Applying Sunscreening Material in Violation of Chapter