Is 5%, 20% or 35% Tint Legal in California?

By Calibri Tint & Wrap · Hawthorne, CA · Updated November 2026

The quick answer

• Rear side windows: any shade is allowed — 5%, 20%, 35%, your choice.
• Back window: any shade is allowed, as long as the car has working side mirrors on both sides.
• Front side windows (driver & passenger): the glass and film together must let in at least 70% of light. Regular dark tint is not legal here.
• Windshield: a non-reflective strip across the top (about the top 4 inches, above the AS-1 line) is allowed. Below that, the windshield has to stay clear.

So a full car at 20% or 5% is legal on the back doors and rear glass — and that is exactly why so many SUVs and trucks come from the factory with dark rear "privacy glass" and clear fronts.

What do 5%, 20% and 35% actually mean?

Tint is measured in VLT — visible light transmission. The number is how much light gets through. 5% lets in very little light ("limo tint"), 20% is dark, 35% is a medium look, and 70% and up is nearly clear.

Here is the part most people miss: factory glass is not perfectly clear. It already blocks some light. So on the front doors, the law looks at the glass and the film together. That means even a film labeled "70%" can drop a front window below the legal line. Only very light, nearly clear films can keep the front windows legal.

Why do people still tint the front windows?

Because the front windows are right next to you. On a sunny afternoon on the 405, the sun hits your arm and face through the driver window. Clear ceramic film can reject a lot of heat and UV without making the glass look dark — that is the option we talk through with customers who want to stay within the rules.

Some drivers choose darker front tint anyway. That is their call, but you should know it can get you a "fix-it" ticket. We explain the rules before every job so you can decide.

What about the windshield?

A sun strip across the top of the windshield is allowed and popular — it cuts glare when the sun is low. For the rest of the windshield, the law is strict: it needs to stay clear and non-reflective. Clear heat-rejecting film is the route people take when they want less heat through the windshield.

More on our windshield tint page.

Reflective and colored tint

California also limits how reflective window film can be — no mirror-look tint on the side windows. Red, amber and blue tints are not allowed on the front. The carbon and ceramic films we install are non-reflective with a clean, factory-like black.

Medical exemptions

California allows darker tint on the front side windows for drivers or passengers with certain light-sensitive medical conditions, with documentation from a physician. If this applies to you, talk to your doctor first and keep the paperwork in the car.

What happens if your tint is too dark?

Usually it is a correctable ("fix-it") violation: you remove or replace the tint and get the ticket signed off. Rules and fines can change, so treat this article as general information, not legal advice. If you have darker film on the front that you want gone, we do old tint removal — and if you re-tint with us, you get a special deal.

Quick answers

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