Window Tint Laws in Florida
Bill Allen | October 25, 2023 | Florida Law
The hot, bright Florida sun can be a blessing and a curse for residents and visitors. While the warm sun draws tourists and leads to long, enjoyable days at the beach, it can be a distraction and nuisance when you are driving. The sun not only creates a glare inside your vehicle, making it difficult to see, but it can quickly heat up your car’s interior.
Window tint seems to be an ideal solution. This after-market film is placed on your car’s windshield and windows, helping block the sun’s rays from causing a glare or reaching the interior of the car. Window tint is a relatively inexpensive and effective means for drivers to mitigate the more unpleasant characteristics of the sun.
Florida Window Tinting Laws Explained
Window tint comes in varying strengths, expressed in terms of visible light transmission (VLT). This number, expressed as a percentage, tells you how much light travels through the window tint and reaches the interior of the vehicle.
The higher the percentage is, the more sunlight reaches your car’s interior. For example, a window tint film with 50 percent VLT lets more light pass through than a tint with 25 percent VLT.
Florida tint laws restrict how much tint you can have on your vehicle’s windows. The amount of VLT depends on what type of vehicle you are driving and the windows on which the tint is applied.
Sedans and Passenger Cars
For passenger vehicles like coupes and sedans, the legal tint in Florida you may have includes a tint on your front passenger and driver window that allows at least 28 percent of light to pass through. This equates to a tint with a VLT no lower than 28 percent.
Florida window tinting laws permit you to apply a window tint with a VLT of no less than 15 percent for your rear window. You are permitted to put a non-reflective tint on your front windshield so long as the tint is placed above the windshield’s AS-1 line. This is the line near the top of the windshield where the color of the glass turns from one shade to another.
Vans and SUVs
If you have an SUV or a van, the same restrictions applicable to the windshield and front side windows of passenger cars also apply to your vehicles. Non-reflective tint is permitted on your vehicle’s windshield so long as it is above the AS-1 line. Additionally, your front side windows must let in no less than 28 percent VLT.
Any tint you apply must let in at least 6 percent VLT for your rear and rear side windows to be a legal tint in Florida. This is a significantly darker tint than what is permitted for passenger cars and can help keep any passengers you have cooler.
Reflective Tint Laws
In addition to tint that darkens a car’s window, some tint is reflective. Instead of filtering sunlight and preventing it from passing through the window, the reflective tint bounces the rays away from the car.
For all types of vehicles, the front side windows may have reflective tint so long as it reflects no more than 25 percent of light. Rear side windows may also have reflective tint so long as the tint reflects no more than 35 percent of light. This keeps your tint from creating a distraction that can lead to a car accident.
Follow Florida Window Tinting Laws To Avoid a Ticket or Crash
Tint that violates Florida’s laws can pose a danger to you and others on the road. Florida periodically updates the Florida window tinting laws, so it is a good idea to check the current regulations before placing any tint on your windows. Thankfully, the restrictions for all types of vehicles are not too different and can be easily remembered.
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