30% Window Tint: What It Looks Like and Where It's Legal
30% tint lets 30% of light through - a medium-dark film that hides the cabin by day without hurting night vision. See how it looks and which states allow it on each window.
What 30% tint looks like
In daylight the cabin is shaded and faces are hard to pick out from more than a couple of feet away; at night the interior is hidden unless lit. From inside it is close to 35% - the two are hard to tell apart without a meter - so night visibility is good. On dark paint it looks darker than the number suggests because there is less light behind the glass.
What it is used for
Front side windows in states with a 30% floor, and as the whole-car choice for people who find 20% too dark at night but want more than 35% gives. Because it lands near many factory rear-glass figures it is also picked to match the front sides to the back on trucks and SUVs.
Legal on front side windows in 13 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 30% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Arkansas Colorado Florida Indiana Louisiana Mississippi Montana New Mexico Oklahoma South Carolina Texas Washington Wyoming
Legal on back side windows in 30 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 30% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Delaware Florida Idaho Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Michigan Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Texas Utah Vermont Washington Wyoming
Legal on the rear window in 31 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 30% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Michigan Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Texas Utah Vermont Washington Wyoming
Questions
Is 30% tint legal?
On front side windows it is legal in states with a 30% minimum or lower. On rear and back side windows it is legal in nearly every state.
What is the difference between 30% and 35% tint?
Very little to the eye - 30% is one shade darker. Choose by your state's floor: pick 30% where the minimum is 30% or lower and 35% where the floor is 35%.