Virginia Window Tint Laws

Darkest legal tint for Cars in Virginia

 

  • Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line (or top 5 inches).
  • Front Side windows: Must allow more than 50% of light in.
  • Back Side windows: Must allow more than 35% of light in.
  • Rear window: Must allow more than 35% of light in.

 

Darkest legal tint for SUV and Vans in Virginia

 

  • Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
  • Front Side windows: Must allow more than 50% of light in.
  • Back Side windows: Any darkness tint can be used.
  • Rear window: Any darkness tint 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
 

Virginia car window tint laws were first passed in the year 1999 and are always subject to change, especially as new window film products and technologies come out, so it’s a good idea to check in on current Virginia window tint laws for cars any time you are considering getting window tint for a car, truck, van, or SUV that is registered in Virginia or if you are planning to transfer the title of a car with tint to a VA registration.
 
Most important of all for making sure your vehicle tint is legal in Virginia is making sure its visible light transmission rating, or VLT, meets the rules for the given vehicle type’s window. VLT ratings relate to how light or dark (see-through or opaque) and window is, and the lower the number, the darker and more private the tint, so 25% VLT is darker than 50% VLT which is darker than 75% VLT.
 
Vehicle window tinting is critical for keeping the interior of your car cooler and for rejecting the damaging UV sunlight that causes fade and cracking damage to the inside of the car, ruining the appearance of upholstery, the dashboard, and other surfaces and reducing the value of the vehicle.
 
Car tinting is a smart investment that can pay for itself over time because of to reduced energy consumption by the AC system and by preserving the re-sale value thanks to the maintained interior.
 
However as illegal car window tint in Virginia can be a pricey violation, you need to make sure you only get legal window tint for your vehicle.
 
Below, we’ll go through all the current car window tinting rules laws in Virginia. To ensure your car window film is allowed under current Virginia law, you must know the visible light transmission of your tint. But note that even lighter, clearer, and effectively transparent window tinting can still block dangerous UV light and warming IR light; you don’t need dark privacy tint to get benefits from window film.
 

Windshield Tint Rules in Virginia

 
As in most states, a strip of windshield tint along the top of the glass is legal in Virginia. Cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans can all have non-reflective window tint applied above the windshield’s AS-1 line, or if that line can’t be identified, down to five inches below the top of the glass. This strip of window film makes driving safer by reducing sun glare in your eyes, so if there was no tint pre-installed at the factory, you should get it applied.
 

Car Window Tint Laws in Virginia

 
In Virginia, cars (meaning passenger cars like sedans and coupes) can have window tint rated at 50% VLT or lighter on the front side windows, meaning those beside the driver and shotgun seat, and can have tint rated as dark as 35% VLT on rear side windows as well as on the rear windshield.
 
This window tint may be as much as 20% reflective (or mirrored) in appearance, and note that reflective tint does mean somewhat more effective solar energy rejection.
 

MPV Window Tint Laws in Virginia

 
Virginia tint laws for MPVs (the abbreviation for multi-purpose vehicles which referrs to trucks, SUVs vans, RVs and so on) may have 50% or lighter VLT tinting on the front side windows and are allowed to have window tint of any darkness (this includes blackout privacy tint), on rear side windows and on the rear windshield.
 
As with car window tint in Virginia, window film applied to larger vehicles may be up to 20% reflective in appearance.
 

Other Window Tint Rules in Virginia

 
A number of rules beyond VLT and reflectivity percent restrictions apply to car tint in Virginia, so read through the below carefully.
 
Window tint on vehicles in Virginia is allowed a variance of up to 7%, meaning a car with 43% VLT on front side windows or 28% VLT tint on rear windows can usually avoid an illegal tint citation.
 
Any vehicle that has any window tint on any windows must have dual side view mirrors in good working order.
 
Virginia tint laws prohibit tint that is red, amber, or yellow in color.
 
Manufacturers, retailers, and installers of window tint for cars in Virginia do not need to certify the tint they sell meets state law, but stickers identifying legal window tint are required in Virginia, so make sure your tint installer applies the proper stickers showing your tint is legal in the state.
 
Virginia window tint laws do allow for medical exemptions to the state’s tinting rules, so if you need a darker window film on front side windows for any vehicle or for the rear windows of a car, talk to a doctor about getting an exemption that will clear you for darker window tint that can then be installed if you proffer proof of your a medical tint exemption needed to protect your eyes, skin, or for another reason. Make sure you keep the proof of exemption in the car at all times to avoid window tint citations if you are stopped by the police.
 

Window Tint Violations in Virginia

 
In Virginia, your first illegal car window tint violation counts as Class 3 misdemeanor, while you will be hit with a Class 2 misdemeanor for subsequent offenses for illegal tint on the same vehicle. A Class 3 misdemeanor cannot come with jail time but it can come with monetary fines of up to $500.
 
A Class 2 misdemeanor can be a much more serious offense, with you sentenced to up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1000, or in the most serious cases, both. Illegal window tint is not ever worth such serious penalties, so don’t let yourself get cited for a second window tint violation in Virginia.