MN · tint law reference
Minnesota window tint laws
Last verified September 14, 2026 · Minn. Stat. §169.71 (subds. 4, 4a, 5; subd. 4a as amended by 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 89, §1)
Legal tint limits at a glance
VLT is the share of light the window must let through — a lower number is darker film, and the reading includes the factory glass.
| Window | Sedans | SUVs, vans & trucks |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | No aftermarket tint. Subd. 4(1) bars driving when the windshield is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material that makes it more reflective or in any other way reduces light transmittance through the windshield; only unmodified original or original-replacement glazing installed in conformity with FMVSS 205 is excepted | Same as sedan |
| Front side | 50% VLT or lighter | 50% VLT or lighter |
| Back side | 50% VLT or lighter | 50% VLT or lighter |
| Rear | 50% VLT or lighter | 50% VLT or lighter |
Dual side mirrors required if the rear is tinted? No — this state does not tie a mirror requirement to rear tint.
Is my tint legal here?
Film darkness and glass darkness multiply. Enter the film you are considering and the VLT of the bare glass to get the number a meter would read.
70 for tinted OEM glass, 80 for clear
Net VLT 14% 20% film × 70% glass
Pass/fail compares net VLT against the limits on this page only. Some states apply a measurement tolerance — see Measurement tolerance below — and none of this replaces a meter reading on your own glass.
The rest of the rule
Reflectivity
Any side or rear window: luminous reflectance may not exceed 20% (plus or minus 3%). Separately, subd. 4(2) bars any window on the vehicle treated with material having a 'highly reflective or mirrored appearance.'
Colors
None specified in the statute.
Medical exemption
Yes (subd. 4a(a)(2)): a prescription or a physician's OR OPTOMETRIST'S statement of medical need held by the driver or a passenger, which must state whether the condition is temporary or permanent, state the minimum percentage that light transmittance may be reduced, and carry an expiration date no more than two years out unless the physician/optometrist indicates the condition is permanent. The optometrist authority was added by 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 89, §1 (signed May 12, 2026, effective retroactively from July 1, 2025 for prescriptions issued on or after that date). Under subd. 4a(b) a driver may rely on a prescription issued to a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or spouse, or to a person for whom the driver is a personal care attendant, if the prescription names the make, model, and plate of one or two vehicles and the driver has it in possession.
Stickers & certification
No state compliance sticker program, but any material applied to a motor vehicle window after August 1, 1985 must carry an accompanying permanent marking indicating the percent of transmittance and the percent of reflectance, placed so as not to obscure vision and readable when installed (subd. 4(4)).
Measurement tolerance
Plus or minus 3 percentage points, on both the 50% transmittance floor and the 20% reflectance ceiling
Penalties
Subd. 5 makes it a misdemeanor to sell, offer for sale, or use noncompliant windows/windshields on a motor vehicle, or to apply or offer to apply noncompliant material as part of a business transaction. Subd. 4 states no penalty for a driver merely operating a noncompliant vehicle; that falls under Minnesota's general traffic/equipment penalty provisions, which were not independently verified here. Secondary sources describe it as a petty misdemeanor with fines up to roughly $300.
Notes
CORRECTED SUV HANDLING. Passenger cars get one uniform 50% VLT / 20% reflectance standard on all side and rear windows, and the windshield may not be tinted at all beyond unmodified factory glazing. Subd. 4a(a)(3) exempts only specific windows on specifically DEFINED vehicles: (i) 'the rear windows of a pickup truck as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 26' and (ii) 'the rear windows or the side windows on either side behind the driver's seat of a van as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 40.' Those definitions are narrow: a 'pickup truck' is a truck of 3/4-ton nominal capacity or less (or 10,000 lb GVWR or less) commonly known as a pickup, and a 'van' is 'any vehicle of box-like design with no barrier or separation between the operator's area and the remainder of the cargo-carrying area' of 3/4-ton capacity or less. Minnesota statute contains NO definition of 'SUV,' 'sport utility vehicle,' or 'crossover,' and §168.002 subd. 24 treats pickups and vans as subsets of 'passenger automobile.' An SUV or crossover therefore does not plainly fall inside the pickup or van exemption, so the 50% / 20% (plus or minus 3%) standard should be presumed to apply to its rear and rear-side windows. That is why suv_van back/rear are now 50 rather than unrestricted. A true cargo/passenger van meeting the subd. 40 definition, and a pickup's rear window, ARE exempt and may be any darkness. tinting-laws.com, windowtintlaws.us, and cartintlaw.com all flatly publish 'any darkness' for Minnesota SUV/van back and rear windows without the definitional limit; the IWFA chart footnotes the distinction. The exemption list also covers the side and rear windows of funeral-establishment vehicles licensed under §149A.50, limousines as defined in §168.002 subd. 15, and the rear and side windows of police vehicles. No mirror requirement is tied to any tint allowance in this statute.
Minnesota tint questions
What is the darkest legal tint in Minnesota?
For a sedan in Minnesota, front side windows must let at least 50% of light through, back side windows at least 50%, and the rear window at least 50%. Lower VLT means darker glass, so those percentages are floors, not targets, and the meter reads the film and the factory glass together.
Is 20% tint legal in Minnesota?
No, not on the front side windows. Minnesota requires at least 50% VLT there and 20% is darker than that, before you even account for the factory glass, which makes the reading darker still. The back side windows have a 50% floor, so 20% is too dark there too.
Can I tint the windshield in Minnesota?
Minnesota's rule for the windshield: No aftermarket tint. Subd. 4(1) bars driving when the windshield is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material that makes it more reflective or in any other way reduces light transmittance through the windshield; only unmodified original or original-replacement glazing installed in conformity with FMVSS 205 is excepted
Does Minnesota allow a medical exemption for darker tint?
What the source says: Yes (subd. 4a(a)(2)): a prescription or a physician's OR OPTOMETRIST'S statement of medical need held by the driver or a passenger, which must state whether the condition is temporary or permanent, state the minimum percentage that light transmittance may be reduced, and carry an expiration date no more than two years out unless the physician/optometrist indicates the condition is permanent. The optometrist authority was added by 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 89, §1 (signed May 12, 2026, effective retroactively from July 1, 2025 for prescriptions issued on or after that date). Under subd. 4a(b) a driver may rely on a prescription issued to a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or spouse, or to a person for whom the driver is a personal care attendant, if the prescription names the make, model, and plate of one or two vehicles and the driver has it in possession. Confirm the current process with the agency named before you have film installed.
Do I need a tint sticker or certificate in Minnesota?
No state compliance sticker program, but any material applied to a motor vehicle window after August 1, 1985 must carry an accompanying permanent marking indicating the percent of transmittance and the percent of reflectance, placed so as not to obscure vision and readable when installed (subd. 4(4)).
Where this comes from
Statute cited: Minn. Stat. §169.71 (subds. 4, 4a, 5; subd. 4a as amended by 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 89, §1)
- revisor.mn.govhttps://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.71
- revisor.mn.govhttps://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/Session+Law/Chapter/89/
- revisor.mn.govhttps://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/168.002
Checked against the state's own statute or DMV page on September 14, 2026. Laws change; if you find a newer rule, email admin@getpeelboard.com.
Legal disclaimer: general information, not legal advice; verify with your DMV.