20% Window Tint: What It Looks Like and Where It's Legal
20% tint is the classic dark tint - private in daylight, still driveable at night. What it looks like from both sides, what it is used for, and the states that allow it per window.
What 20% tint looks like
Twenty percent is where most people picture when they say dark tint. From outside in daylight you see shapes and movement and whether the seats are taken, but no faces; from a few feet away in shade, nothing. From inside, day driving is unaffected and night driving is darker but workable for most drivers - it is the darkest film many installers will fit to the front sides in states that allow it.
What it is used for
The rear window and back side windows of sedans, and the whole back half of trucks and SUVs, whose factory privacy glass often sits close to this figure. On the front side windows it is legal only in states with a 20% floor or none at all. It is also the usual match when someone wants the front sides to look like the factory-tinted rear.
Legal on front side windows in 1 state
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 20% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Legal on back side windows in 21 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 20% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Arizona California Delaware Florida Idaho Iowa Kentucky Maine Michigan Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Texas Utah Vermont
Legal on the rear window in 24 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 20% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Arizona Arkansas California Connecticut Delaware Florida Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Michigan Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Texas Utah Vermont
Questions
Is 20% tint legal?
On rear and back side windows in most states. On front side windows only where the minimum VLT is 20% or lower - a minority of states. The state pages list which.
Can you see through 20% tint at night?
From inside, yes, with some loss: unlit streets and dark driveways take more care. From outside the cabin is hidden unless the interior light is on.
Is 20% darker than factory tint?
Usually about the same. Factory privacy glass on trucks and SUVs tends to sit between 15% and 30%, so 20% film on the front sides makes the car look uniform.