
SOUTH DAKOTA TINT LAW 2023 (SD)
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South Dakota Tint Law – Legal Tint Limit For Passenger Vehicles
- Front Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
- Front seat side windows: up to 35% tint darkness allowed
- Back seat side windows: up to 20% tint darkness allowed
- Rear window: up to 20% tint darkness allowed
On this page we have done our best to collect all of the legal information necessary about the 2023 South Dakota tint law, including how dark the tint is allowed to be and how reflective the tint is allowed to be in South Dakota. Aside from the basics, like tint percentages, there are also additional car window tinting rules and regulations in South Dakota that we have made available.
South Dakota window tint law was first put into place in 1989 with South Dakota being the 9th of the 50 states to enact these tinting laws.
What does VLT Mean according to South Dakota State Law
The percentage of light that a window tint film allows to pass through your car windows is called the VLT (Visible Light Transmission), and each state has different legal allowable limits. The amount of light allowed to pass through your film and glass in South Dakota is very specific to the state and is different for Passenger Vehicles and Multi-Purpose Vehicles.
A HIGHER VLT means that more light is allowed to pass through the window tint film.
Example: a 75% tint will allow 75% of the light to pass through whereas a 5% tint will only allow 5% of the light to pass through, making the 5% tint a much darker film.
HOW MUCH DOES CAR WINDOW TINTING COST? The cost of tinting your car windows can be very affordable. If you want to learn how much it costs to tint your car, click here.

South Dakota Tint Law – Legal Tint Limit For Multi-Purpose Vehicles
- Front Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
- Front seat side windows: up to 35% tint darkness allowed
- Back seat side windows: Must allow more than 20% of light in.
- Rear window: up to 20% tint darkness allowed

Want to D-I-Y?
How to tint car windows. To D-I-Y, check out how to tint car windows yourself here.
We have created an article discussing everything you need to know about VLT and Window Tint Percentages for your reference. If you want to learn the difference between the tint levels and preview the tint percentages we recommend you check it out.
Other South Dakota Window Tint law Rules And Regulations:
South Dakota has a few other important things that you will need to consider regarding window tinting and we recommend that you check them out before deciding whether or not you tint your windows:
- Do I have to have side mirrors in South Dakota? Side mirrors are only required in South Dakota if the view from the Windshield mirror is obstructed.
- Is colored tint illegal in South Dakota? All tint colors are allowed in South Dakota.
- What are the Window Tint Certification Rules in South Dakota? Film manufacturers need to certify the film they sell in South Dakota. Check with your dealer if they are using certified film.
- Do I need a certified sticker from the company installing my window tint in South Dakota? The sticker to identify legal tinting is required between the film & glass on each tinted window.
- Are there Medical Exemptions in South Dakota for Window Tint? South Dakota law does not allow any medical exemptions that would allow using special car window tint.
Always remember that South Dakota tint laws can change on a daily basis and these rules and regulations may be interpreted differently on a city-to-city or county-to-county basis. We recommend double-checking the information contained on this website with your local DMV or local law enforcement agencies for accuracy. This information relating to window tint laws in South Dakota was last updated on January 5th, 2023. Tinting laws in South Dakota were enacted in 1989. In case any of our info provided is not up to date or correct be sure to contact us so we can fix it. Thanks!
South Dakota Window Tint Law Medical Exemption References
The State of South Dakota does not currently allow for window tint medical exemptions that would allow you to tint your windows darker for medical purposes. If you would like to file a petition with the State in order to appeal this and request that they change the law we suggest you contact the South Dakota State Representative directly.
Want a complete guide for medical exemptions for tinted windows in all 50 states?
Click this button to be taken to a PDF file that will help you to understand the medical exemptions in all 50 states
State of South Dakota Information
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. South Dakota is the 17th most extensive, but the 5th least populous and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Once the southern portion of the Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889 simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of 159,000, is South Dakota’s largest city.

What is the Capital of South Dakota
The capital of South Dakota is Pierre
What is the population of South Dakota
The population of South Dakota is 882,235 according to Wikipedia as of 2018.
What is the area of South Dakota
The area of South Dakota is 77,116 square miles and ranks as the 17th largest state in the United States!
South Dakota Wikipedia Page
Check out South Dakota’s Wikipedia page to learn all kinds of cool facts about the state!
Official South Dakota state Website
If you want to learn more about the laws in South Dakota check out their official Website Here
What are the main cities located in South Dakota?
Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Deadwood, Brookings, Sturgis, Pierre, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Spearfish, Yankton, Vermillion, Aberdeen, Watertown, Mitchell, Hot Springs, Rosebud Indian Reservation, Dupree, Keystone, Belle Fourche, Custer, Huron, Lead, Hill City, De Smet, Mobridge, Oral, Madison, Milbank, Winner, Brandon, Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, Onida, Dakota Dunes, Box Elder, Corsica, Chamberlain, Sisseton, Tea, Dell Rapids, Wall, Summerset, Canton, Faith, Holabird, Shindler, Interior, Eagle Butte, Flandreau, Murdo, Nemo, Harrisburg
What are the main counties located in South Dakota?
Armstrong, Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Boreman, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Choteau, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison, Day, Delano, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Ewing, Fall River, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jayne, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lugenbeel, Lyman, Marshall, Martin, McCook, McPherson, Meade, Mellette, Meyer, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Nowlin, Pennington, Perkins, Potter, Pratt, Presho, Rinehart, Roberts, Rusk, Sanborn, Schnasse, Scobey, Shannon, Spink, Stanley, Sterling, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Wagner, Walworth, Washabaugh, Washington, Yankton, Ziebach