Some current-source details could not be fully reconciled. Read the limitations below before relying on this summary.
Delaware changed its tint statute effective August 17, 2026. The current code permits front-side tint material with at least 50% visible light transmission and tint of any transmission behind the driver. The posted inspection regulation still contains the previous 70% combined-glass standard, so an installation-specific DMV check remains important.
Read the official sources ↓Rules by window
| Window | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Transparent material along the top edge without encroaching on the AS-1 portion. Posted regulation 2277 also specifies a maximum five-inch strip on older windshields without an AS-1 mark. Section 4313(a) refers to FMVSS 205 as in effect when the vehicle was manufactured, subject to the exceptions in subsections (b) through (f). |
| Front side | Tint or other material on windows immediately right and left of the driver, including forward side wings, must have VLT of 50% or greater under §4313(c)(1). |
| Rear side | Section 4313(c)(2) permits tint or other material with VLT of 0% or greater behind the driver, without a separate passenger-car/SUV percentage. Keep the posted regulation’s rear-glass mirror condition in mind. |
| Rear window | Section 4313(c)(2) permits tint or other material with VLT of 0% or greater. Posted regulation 2277 requires outside mirrors on both sides for rear tint and keeps rear-window-mounted brake lights on 1986-and-newer vehicles clear of tint. Certain factory-tinted vans and recreational vehicles receive separate treatment in the older DMV manual; see the caveat below. |
The 2026 law and older inspection wording
SS1 for SB255, enacted as 85 Delaware Laws chapter 425, was signed and became effective August 17, 2026. Current §4313(c)(1) expressly specifies at least 50% VLT for the tint or other material on the immediate front-side windows and forward side wings.
Regulation 2277 still publishes the older 70% glass-plus-film standard and a ±3% normal manufacturer’s tolerance. Section 302(a) says regulations may not modify or conflict with state law. The amended §4313 sets the statutory threshold; the older regulation does not create a second current statutory limit. The new law describes the tint material, so a 50% material rating should not be assumed to mean a 50% finished-window reading. This review also did not verify that the older manufacturer’s tolerance applies to testing or enforcement under the new law.
Official sponsor guidance issued in August 2026 confirms that front tint meeting the new limit does not require a medical waiver. DMV’s posted medical FAQ, equipment-inspection webpage, and February 2020 inspection manual still contain older front-tint restrictions. The forms index continues to link that manual. No accessible post-amendment DMV instruction resolving the measurement method or tolerance was found in this review, so confirm how a proposed installation will be inspected.
Mirrors and medical documentation
The posted regulation adds two outside mirrors for rear tint and clearance around rear-window-mounted brake lights on vehicles from 1986 onward. The February 2020 DMV manual separately notes an exception for certain vans and recreational vehicles whose factory-tinted glass covers a rear brake light that meets federal standards. That older factory-glass guidance does not establish a new allowance for aftermarket film. Section 4308 separately requires a mirror that lets the driver see overtaking traffic. The 2026 statute did not supply a new tint-specific reflectance or color table.
Section 4313(d) recognizes a signed statement from a licensed practitioner of medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine or optometry verifying necessity for the owner or usual operator. DMV’s published process begins online, then requires the printed application and physician certification to be signed and uploaded. An approved waiver is entered on the vehicle record and mailed with an updated registration. Confirm applicability with DMV when seeking relief beyond the new ordinary limits.
Before you rely on this guide
This is general information, not legal advice, a vehicle inspection, or permission to install a particular film. Exceptions and enforcement procedures can depend on your circumstances.
- The amended statute and its August 17, 2026 effective date are supported by official sources. Verification remains limited: no accessible current instruction found in this review resolves material VLT versus installed-window measurements or the tolerance used when applying the new threshold.
- Regulation 2277 describes ±3% as a normal manufacturer’s tolerance. Do not transfer it to the new 50% material threshold or present it as a verified inspection or enforcement allowance.
- Research checked October 14, 2026; the statutory change took effect August 17, 2026. No current tint-specific color or reflectance requirement was established.
- This guide addresses ordinary aftermarket tint. A complete vehicle-class and manufacture-date analysis of the incorporated federal glazing requirements has not been established. Medical, qualifying anodized-glass, and law-enforcement exceptions need their own applicability checks; factory-tinted glazing is a separate question.
The research date shows when the sources were checked. It is not the date the law took effect, and it does not mean this page is monitored continuously. This research preview still awaits human editorial review; we do not claim attorney review.
Official sources
- Delaware Code, Title 21 §§4308–4313A ↗
Current official code; §4313(c) states 50% material VLT in front and 0% or greater behind the driver.
- SS1 for SB255, official bill record ↗
Signed and effective August 17, 2026; 85 Delaware Laws chapter 425.
- 2 DE Admin. Code 2277, official regulation PDF ↗
Retrieved in full. Sections 3.1.1–3.1.5 include the older 70% combined standard, unmarked-windshield strip, dual mirrors and brake-light clearance; published text is not reconciled to the 2026 statute.
- Delaware DMV medical tint waiver FAQ ↗
Current application workflow is available; the page’s quoted statute and blanket no-tint statement predate the August 2026 amendment.
- Delaware Code, Title 21 §302: rulemaking limits ↗
Section 302(a) prohibits administrative regulations from modifying or conflicting with state law; regulation 2277 invokes this section.
- Delaware Senate: new tint law signed ↗
August 25, 2026 official sponsor release confirms the new front tint allowance without a medical waiver; no inspection methodology supplied.
- Delaware DMV: posted vehicle inspection manual ↗
Revision 2/20, printed pages 44–45 retain older tint wording. This is evidence of outdated posted guidance, not a post-amendment testing rule.
- Delaware DMV: vehicle equipment inspection requirements ↗
Retrieved October 14, 2026. The Tinted Windows paragraph still prohibits front-side tint and supplies no post-amendment measurement procedure; do not treat that older wording as replacing amended §4313.
- Delaware DMV: current forms and manuals index ↗
Retrieved October 14, 2026. Vehicle Manuals still links the inspection PDF marked Revised 2/20; that manual is not a newly issued testing instruction.