The story of TintLaws

The tintlaws.com domain was registered on August 25, 2005. That registration date is a matter of public WHOIS/RDAP record and is one of the reasons the domain carries disproportionate topical authority in search results for window tint legal questions.

Archived snapshots in the Internet Archive Wayback Machine show the site serving a complete state-by-state directory of U.S. window tint laws as early as 2010, with individual pages for all 50 states. For most of the 2010s, TintLaws ran as a lean reference site covering the same territory it covers today: VLT limits, reflectivity caps, windshield rules, medical exemptions, and the state statutes behind them.

In late 2025 we began a complete editorial and technical rebuild. The result is this site: every one of the 51 state pages was re-read against its current statute, every medical exemption process was re-verified with the issuing agency, every law enacted year was re-checked, and every citation now links to a primary source. The rebuild went live in early 2026 and is the version of TintLaws you are reading now.

Most other U.S. tint-law websites are affiliate-funded lead magnets. They list VLT percentages without citations, copy each other’s numbers for years at a time, and recommend whichever tint shop pays for placement. That model is why drivers routinely install film based on rules that have not been law for years — and then get ticketed.

TintLaws exists to fix that. Three non-negotiables:

1. Every claim traces to a primary source. If we publish a VLT percentage, you can click through to the state statute or DMV publication that defines it. See our sources & methodology for the source hierarchy we follow.
2. We don’t sell window film. We have no tint shops on retainer, no affiliate deals with film manufacturers, and no "sponsored" state pages. The only outbound CTA on the site is a clearly-labeled medical-exemption referral (see medical disclaimer).
3. Every state is re-verified for 2026. Any state that cannot be verified against a live primary source is flagged in editorial notes — we do not guess. See editorial policy for the review cadence.

Every state page is compiled from primary legal and administrative sources, in order of authority:

1. State statute — the actual legislated code, usually in the state’s vehicle or transportation title. Example: California Vehicle Code § 26708.
2. State administrative code — the regulations that implement the statute. Example: New York DMV Title 15 NYCRR.
3. DMV / DPS publications — official driver manuals, inspection guides, and consumer alerts.
4. State police / enforcement agency guidance — field inspection manuals and press releases.
5. State Attorney General opinions — where the statute is ambiguous.
6. Federal reference standards — for example FMVSS 205 (glazing) and ANSI/SAE Z26.1 (the safety-glass standard that defines the AS-1 line).

We intentionally do not use secondary sources (other tint websites, Wikipedia, blog posts, tint-shop marketing) as primary evidence. If a secondary source conflicts with a primary source, the primary source wins and we note the conflict.

Each state page covers the same eight fields in the same order:

• VLT minimums for sedan and SUV / van / truck across front, back, and rear windows.
• Reflectivity caps for front and back side windows.
• Windshield rule (AS-1 line, top-inches strip, or no-tint).
• Side-mirror requirement when rear visibility is reduced.
• Restricted colors (red, amber, yellow, blue — varies by state).
• Compliance sticker or label requirement.
• Film certification / manufacturer label requirement.
• Penalties and enforcement practice.

Plus the medical exemption process — qualifying conditions, application form link, issuing agency, renewal cadence — on a companion medical exemptions page for each state.

Our editorial cycle is 6-month for routine re-verification and ad-hoc after any legislative session or reader-reported correction.

Legislative sessions vary by state, so we maintain a per-state calendar and re-check whichever states are actively amending their tint statutes in a given quarter. Any statutory change flagged by our editorial system triggers a same-week update to the affected state and medical-exemption pages.

TintLaws is not a law firm. We are editorial researchers, not attorneys. When we refer to a statute we link directly to it so you can read it yourself. If you are facing an actual legal dispute, a local traffic attorney — not a website — is who you should call.

TintLaws is not a medical provider. We document the medical exemption process for each state. Whether you qualify for one is a conversation with your physician, not a line in a table on this site. See our medical disclaimer for the full version.

TintLaws is not infallible. Statutes change, agency websites move, and we sometimes miss a correction. If you see something that is wrong, please tell our editors — every correction we receive is reviewed within one business week.

• Look up your state — all 50 states + D.C.
• Medical window tint exemptions by state
• Our plain-English guides & explainers
• Our editorial policy (review cadence, corrections, conflicts)
• Our sources & methodology (source hierarchy)
• Contact our editors & report an error