Can you have any tinted windows on your car in California? Here’s what the law says

Angela Rodriguez
·2 min read
102

California has strict requirements when it comes to how dark your car windows can be — with few exceptions.

A reader asked The Sacramento Bee’s service journalism team, which focuses on helping the community navigate daily life: What are the current tinted car window laws in California?

Here’s what California Highway Patrol said is the current state law on window tint:

Is there a state law prohibiting window tint?

Officer Ricardo Ortiz, a CHP spokesman, said California Vehicle Code 26708 prohibits a person from driving with anything placed, displayed, or installed on the windshield. These objects can reduce the driver’s view.

This vehicle code does not apply to any of the following:

  • Rearview mirrors

  • Sunvisors mounted on the side windows and not attached to the glass

  • Signs or stickers in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest from the driver

  • Side windows that are behind the driver

  • GPS or video devices that are properly mounted in lower corners of the windshield, not blocking a driver’s view

“Window tint is only permitted on the rear passenger windows and the back window,” Ortiz said in an email to The Bee.

That doesn’t prohibit you from having glazing on front, side windows, as long as it meets a 70% transparency requirement, the law states. Exceptions are a bit trickier for the windshield. Generally, UV protection in the top four inches should be OK, Fox5 in San Diego reported in April.

Can you get a ticket?

“We stop people all the time for it,” Ortiz said. “It is a violation of CVC 26708.”

Unless the tint is removable, Ortiz said there are no medical exemptions for window tint.

According to Rosenthal Law, a Sacramento-based personal injury law firm, a person can receive a $25 fine and be ordered to remove the window tint. A person can also be charged with an infraction resulting in a $197 fine.

No points will go against a person’s driving record for window tint violations in California, according to the law firm’s website.

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