How dark can the tinted windows on your car be in NC? What state law says

Evan Moore
·1 min read

Tinting the windows of your car can keep it cooler and protect your upholstery from discoloration and fading, but there are some drawbacks.

Having a dark tint on your car can impair your visibility, especially at night, according to AAA.

“Tinted windows can also prevent a driver from communicating their intentions to other drivers and pedestrians, and vice versa, making driving inherently less safe,” AAA says.

Due to safety concerns, window tinting is regulated in nearly every state. Here’s what to know about window tinting laws in North Carolina.

What are the laws on window tinting in NC?

State laws prevent drivers from adding extremely dark window tints to their vehicles.

Tinted windows must allow more than 35% of light in, and the tint on a windshield cannot extend more than five inches below the top of the windshield or below the AS1 line of the windshield, whichever is longer, per state law.

According to the law, these requirements do not apply to:

  • Excursion passenger vehicles

  • Motor homes

  • Ambulances

  • Property-hauling vehicles (rear window only)

  • Limousines

  • Law enforcement vehicles

  • Vehicles with a medical exception

If a vehicle has after-factory window tinting, the owner must pay an extra $10 to have them checked during North Carolina safety inspections to ensure they meet requirements set by the state, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Are darker window tints ever allowed in NC?

People with a photosensitivity to light who need darker window tints can apply for a medical exception permit with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ Medical Review Program.

Permits are valid for up to five years and must be carried inside your vehicle, according to NCDMV.