Darkest legal tint for Cars in Mississippi
- Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
- Front Side windows: Must allow more than 28% of light in.
- Back Side windows: Must allow more than 28% of light in.
- Rear window: Must allow more than 28% of light in.
Darkest legal tint for SUV and Vans in Mississippi
- Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
- Front Side windows: Must allow more than 28% of light in.
- Back Side windows: Any darkness can be used
- Rear window: Any darkness can be used
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Mississippi window tint laws for vehicles were first enacted back in 1988 and were revised heavily in 2006, so by in large, Mississippi tint laws account for newer window tint technologies and products such as nanoceramic car window film (originally created for the air and space industries), window tints with wide varieties of colors and reflectivity, and window film that can reject ultraviolet and infrared solar energy with or without changing the way windows look= and more.
To stay on the right side Mississippi tint laws, it’s critical you understand the basics of vehicle window tint metrics. You need to know reflectivity, colors, and more than anything else, about visible light transmission, or VLT. VLT refers to the amount of visible sunlight that can pass through the glass (and window film there applied), effectively meaning how light or dark (how transparent or private, e,g.) the window is. The darker the car window, the lower the VLT number, so a 5% VLT, also often called limo tint, is quite dark and private. 100% VLT is completely clear.
Understanding VLT numbers is so important because in Mississippi window tint tickets for illegally dark window film can up to $1,000 and can even lead to up to three months of jail time, or in the worst case scenario, a fine and a jail sentence.
Vehicle Tint Laws in Mississippi Differ by Vehicle Type
As you find in many states, cars are covered by different tint regulations than larger vehicles in the state of Mississippi. To keep things clear, we’ll first cover Mississippi car tint laws in one section, then will go over the window tint regulations for SUVs, trucks, and vans in another. Keep in mind that various window tint exemptions are allowed in the state and can be granted for medical, commercial, or other needs, so always inquire with a specialist from the DMV or other state office or speak to a window tint expert if you feel you need and qualify for a window tint exemption allowing for darker or specialty window tint for your car or other vehicle type.
One thing to note is that unlike in many states, all colors of window film are currently legal in Mississippi, so you can have red, amber, yellow, silver, gold, and other commonly banned window tint colors.
Mississippi Car Tint Laws
In Mississippi as in most states, windshield window tint is allowed down to the manufacturer AS-1 line, a strip marked with small lettering on the windshield glass itself. This windshield tint must be non-reflective. If the AS-1 line cannot be located, than to keep within the law, it’s a good idea not to tint down below five inches of the top of the windshield glass.
Car side and rear windows (meaning the rear windshield) are all governed by the same tint rules in Mississippi: car windows can be tinted down to 28% VLT, a darker tint than allowed in most states and more than enough to add privacy and to enhance the solar energy reduction of the window tint. Keep in mind that even much lighter window film – indeed even clear-looking tint – can reduce infrared heat and keep the car cooler and can block 99% of the sun’s UV light, stopping cabin sun damage like faded upholstery and cracked dashboards, so you need not get dark tint if you are more concerned about solar energy and damage reduction than the privacy or style of your car.
Note that all car tint in Mississippi must be not more than 20% reflective.
Van, SUV, and Truck Window Tint Laws in Mississippi
Under Mississippi window film laws, the same rules apply to the windshields and front side windows of larger vehicles as they do to cars, namely non-reflective tint down to the AS-1 line on windshields and 20% maximum reflective tint of 28% VLT or more on forward side windows. However, rear windows (of any rows behind the driver row) and the back windshield of a truck, van, or SUV may be of any darkness of tint including full privacy limo-style tint. This tint can’t be more than 20% reflective. And note that while of course a common sense necessity, dual side mirrors are actually not required even when rear window tint is applied in Mississippi.
Other Auto Window Tint Rules and Exemptions in Mississippi
As noted, much of Mississippi window tint law is quite permissive in that you can use any color of tint, 20% reflectivity is allowed, and there are no side view mirror requirements. You can also apply for medical exemptions to Mississippi tint laws if you feel you need darker tint than allowed (such as for eye or skin health issues).
Manufacturers and vendors of window tint in Mississippi must certify the tint they offer in the state as compliant with laws, so be sure your installer or retailer has done so. You must also have stickers applied to the front windshield of any car with tint that confirms the 28% or greater VLT of all window for cars and for forward side windows for larger vehicles, and this sticker must be plainly visible from outside of the car.
Mississippi Window Tint Violation Penalties
Even as most window tint laws for cars in Mississippi are relatively permissive, window tint violations can come with surprisingly harsh penalties if authorities choose to enforce maximums. A window tint violation ticket can cost up to $1,000 for an infraction (usually for a second or third violation, granted) and can lead to a sentence of up to three months in jail, or even a jail sentence and a monetary fine.
It is simply not worth the risk of a harsh window tint penalty in Mississippi, especially because of how dark tint can legally be and the range of tints permitted. Check with a window tint professional if you worry your tint may not be legal so you don’t run afoul of Mississippi tint law and risk a very unpleasant series of repercussions because of it.
