Pennsylvania Window Tint Laws

Darkest legal tint for Cars in Pennsylvania

 

  • Windshield: Must allow more than 70% of light in, any darkness on top 3 inches.
  • Front Side windows: Must allow more than 70% of light in.
  • Back Side windows: Must allow more than 70% of light in.
  • Rear window: Must allow more than 70% of light in.

 

Darkest legal tint for SUV and Vans in Pennsylvania

 

  • Windshield: Must allow more than 70% of light in, any darkness on top 3 inches.
  • Front Side windows: Must allow more than 70% of light in.
  • Back Side windows: Any darkness can be used.
  • Rear window: Any darkness can be used.

 

Please note: The accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the content is not warranted or guaranteed. We are not lawyers or a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We recommend you consult a lawyer or other appropriate professional if you want legal advice.

 
Window Tint Shades Chart – Window Tint Percentage Examples
 

Pennsylvania has long, hot summers and long, cold winters, the reality of being an eastern mid-Atlantic state. That means cars that are sweltering and hard to cool in summer and frost and slow to warm in winter. With window film for cars in Pennsylvania, you can enjoy rejected solar heat in summer, which keeps your car cooler, and better insulation in winter, which keeps warm air pumped in from the vents inside the car. And of course auto tint also adds privacy and style.
 
In PA, window tint is a wise investment that pays for itself over the years in reduced fuel consumption due to less use of AC and heat, and pays off big when you go to re-sell the car and enjoy a much better value thanks to the new looking interior.
 
However not all car window tint is legal in Pennsylvania, so benefits aside, you need to be careful what tint you get for your car.
 
Below, we will look through all the current window rules laws in Pennsylvania, which were enacted in 1999 and get periodically updated to meet new window tint product offerings. To be sure your car’s tint is allowed under Pennsylvania law, you need to know the visible light transmission (or VLT) percent of the tint.
 
VLT refers to how much visible light a window tint allows to pass through the glass, meaning how dark and private or how light and clear the tint is; very dark tint may rate a VLT of 5%, while light and see-through tint may rate a 90% VLT. Note that even clear, transparent window films can still block plenty of damaging UV light and reject lots of hot IR light; you don’t need dark privacy tint to enjoy the benefits of window tinting for cars.
 
That said, if you want more privacy and you like the looks of dark privacy window tinting on a vehicle, Pennsylvania does allow for very dark tint on most windows of most vehicles, but you can’t apply dark tinting on cars unless you get an exemption, so be careful not to get illegal window tint in PA.
 

Windshield Tint Rules in Pennsylvania

 
Pennsylvania is among those few states where you can have window tint on the whole of the front windshield of your vehicle. Cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs alike may all have nonreflective window tint rated at 70% VLT or higher on the whole of the front glass, and can have tint of any darkness on the top three inches of the windshield.
 

Car Window Tint Laws in Pennsylvania

 
In Pennsylvania, cars (meaning sedans and coupes, not larger vehicles) can have window tint rated at 70% VLT or lighter on all side windows of the car and on the rear windshield. This window tint cannot be reflective or mirrored in appearance.
 
70% VLT is much lighter than is allowed in many states, so if you feel you want or need darker tint, you can seek a window tint law exemption.
 

MPV Window Tint Laws in Pennsylvania

 
Pennsylvania tint laws for MPVs (which refers to multi-purpose vehicles like a sport utility vehicle, truck, passenger van, motor coach, and so on) may have 70% of lighter VLT on the front side windows beside the driver and shotgun seat and are allowed window tint of any darkness, including full privacy blackout tint, on the rear side windows and on the rear windshield of the vehicle. As with car window film in Pennsylvania, tinting for larger vehicles cannot be metallic or reflective in appearance.
 

Other Window Tint Rules in Pennsylvania

 
A number of stipulations beyond VLT ratings and reflectivity limits dictate window tint regulations in Pennsylvania, so go through this section carefully, as window tint tickets in Pennsylvania can add up quickly.
 
Any automobile, regardless of type, that has side or rear window tint is required to use dual side view mirrors that are fully functional≥
 
Pennsylvania tint laws do not expressly ban any color of window tinting, but as metallic and mirrored tints are banned, you may be de facto prohibited from using gold, silver, copper, or other metallic finish tints.
 
Manufacturers, retailers, and installers of window tint film in Pennsylvania are not required to officially certify their tint products as meeting state law, but stickers identifying legal window tint are required to be pasted visibly on cars with window tint. Thus it is on you, the vehicle owner, rather than the tint shop, to make sure your car complies with PA tint laws. Talk to your installer about getting window tint stickers that will help you avoid an illegal tint ticket.
 
Pennsylvania tint law allows for window film medical exemptions for some rules, so if you feel you need darker tint on front side windows of any vehicle or for any windows of a car, talk to a medical professional about getting a dispensation for dark window tint that suits your medical needs.
 

Window Tint Violations in Pennsylvania

 
Window tint tickets in Pennsylvania are not thar serious matter legally speaking, but the cost of tickets can add up, especially if you are cited multiple times for the same illegal tint without getting your offending tint removed. A window tint ticket in Pennsylvania costs up to $110 for a single offense, though a judge or other court official may have grounds to issue even larger fines for certain tint offenses or for repeated breaches of PA tint law.