British Columbia's Motor Vehicle Act Regulations section 7.05(8) restricts added material that reduces light through vehicle glazing. Its windshield exception extends only to material no more than 75 mm below the top of the windshield. There is no corresponding front-side-window exception in that subsection.
This guide is limited to the windshield and front side windows of ordinary passenger cars. It does not supply a rear-window tint recommendation or assess medical, visiting-driver, specialty-vehicle or right-hand-drive situations.
Added film and manufactured-in tint
The Mission RCMP's guidance describes the front-side film restriction as applying even to light tint. A product's high advertised light-transmission percentage does not by itself establish permission to install it there.
Manufactured-in tint is addressed separately. Section 7.05(9) requires tint contained within manufactured glass to meet the applicable Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This guide does not assign a single percentage to every original pane or treat factory glazing as authorization to add film.
Sections 7.05(1)–(2) also protect the driver's vision and view of the highway. Meeting the windshield-strip dimension alone does not establish that a particular installation is acceptable.
Safety-inspection criteria
The 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual, Section 8 items 12(e) and 13(d), addresses aftermarket tint on the windshield and side windows forward of the driver's seat back. It includes the 75 mm windshield limit and rejects aftermarket tint on those side windows. Its tint criteria also address reflective treatments, the referenced glazing standard and materially impaired vision.
The manual took effect September 2, 2025. Its relevant inspection entries include Class 1 light motor vehicles with licensed gross vehicle weight of 5,500 kg or less. These are inspection classes, not driver's licence classes.
Check the actual installation
- Identify whether the tint is within the manufactured glass or has been added as film, coating or another material.
- Identify all side glazing forward of the driver's seat back, including small fixed panes.
- Measure a proposed windshield strip from the top of the windshield.
- If an inspection is required, ask a designated inspection facility to assess the actual glazing and visibility. A photograph or film label cannot certify an inspection result.
Sources checked October 17, 2026. The regulations were consolidated to October 13, 2026. The RCMP page displays May 21, 2026 as its modification date. No measurement tolerance or automatic pass result is supplied here.