On this page we have done our best to collect all of the legal information necessary about the 2023 Texas tint law, including how dark the tint is allowed to be and how reflective the tint is allowed to be in Texas. Aside from the basics, like tint percentages, there are also additional car window tinting rules and regulations in Texas that we have made available.
Texas window tint law was first put into place in 2009 with Texas being the 49th of the 50 states to enact these tinting laws.
What does VLT Mean according to Texas 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 Texas 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.
What is the legal tint in Texas – Passenger Vehicles
- Front Windshield: 25% VLT tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line or top 5 inches, with less than 25% reflection.
- Front seat side windows: up to 25% tint darkness allowed
- Back seat side windows: Any tint darkness can be used if you have side outside mirrors – 25% tint required without side mirrors
- Rear window: Any tint darkness can be used if you have side outside mirrors – 25% tint required without side mirrors
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.
Texas Tint Law – Legal Tint Limit For Multi-Purpose Vehicles
- Front Windshield: 25% VLT tint is allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line or top 5 inches, with less than 25% reflection.
- Front seat side windows: up to 25% tint darkness allowed
- Back seat side windows: Any tint darkness can be used
- Rear window: Any tint darkness can be used if you have side outside mirrors – 25% tint required without side mirrors
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 Texas Window Tint law Rules And Regulations:
Texas 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 Texas? Dual side mirrors are required only if back window is tinted.
- Is colored tint illegal in Texas? All tint colors are allowed in Texas except for Red, Amber and Blue.
- What are the Window Tint Certification Rules in Texas? Film manufacturers need to certify the film they sell in the state. Check with your dealer if they are using certified film.
- Do I need a certified sticker from the company installing my window tint in Texas? The sticker to identify legal tinting is required between the film & glass on the driver’s side window.
- Are there Medical Exemptions in Texas for Window Tint? Texas allows medical exemptions for special tint. For more details about the specific terms of the exemption, consult Texas tint laws.
Always remember that Texas 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 Texas was last updated on January 5th, 2023. Tinting laws in Texas were enacted in 2009. 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!
Texas Window Tint Law Medical Exemption References
Motorists may request a medical exemption from the Texas Department of Public Safety by submitting an application and a signed statement or prescription from a licensed physician, ophthalmologist, or optometrist. This statement should state that it is his or her opinion that the exemption is necessary to safeguard the motorist’s health.
With medical waivers, light transmission can be under 25% VLT on any windows except the windshield. An untinted UV filter can be applied to the windshield provided it does not reduce light transmission by more than 5%.
For more information regarding window tint medical exemptions in _____ you can check out this resource:
- Texas Department of Public Safety – Window tinting standards
- Texas Department of Public Safety – Application for window tint medical exemption (.pdf file)
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 Texas Information
Texas is the second most populous and the second-largest of the 50 states in the United States of America, and the largest state in the 48 contiguous United States. Geographically located in the South Central part of the country, Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas to the south, and borders the U.S. states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2), and a growing population of 26.1 million residents. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second-largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state.
What is the Capital of Texas
The capital of Texas is Austin
What is the population of Texas
The population of Texas is 28,995,881 according to Wikipedia as of 2019.
What is the area of Texas
The area of Texas is 268,581 square miles and ranks as the 2nd largest state in the United States!
Texas Wikipedia Page
Check out Texas’s Wikipedia page to learn all kinds of cool facts about the state!
Official Texas state Website
If you want to learn more about the laws in Texas check out their official Website Here
What are the main cities located in Texas?
Houston, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Waco, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Plano, Lubbock, Amarillo, West, Arlington, McAllen, Frisco, Grapevine, College Station, Marfa, McKinney, Sugar Land, Fredericksburg, Midland, Laredo, Tyler, New Braunfels, Denton, Killeen, Round Rock, Irving, Grand Prairie, Abilene, South Padre Island, Wichita Falls, Odessa, Brownsville, San Angelo, Katy, Beaumont, San Marcos, Point Blank, Carrollton, Humble, Longview, Richardson, Garland, Lewisville, Garden Ridge, Conroe, Clint, Port Aransas
What are the main counties located in Texas?
Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Baylor, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Buchanan, Buchel, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Camp, Carson, Cass, Castro, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, DeWitt, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Encinal, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Foley, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Greer, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox, La Baca, La Salle, Lamar, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River, Reeves, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Shelby, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wegefarth, Wharton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young, Zapata, Zavala
