North Carolina ended routine tint checks at safety inspections on December 1, 2025. The tint limits still apply on the road, including vehicle-specific exceptions and medical permits.
Read the official sources ↓Rules by window
| Window | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Top strip may extend to five inches below the top or the AS-1 line, whichever reaches farther down. Untinted, non-obstructing clear UV-reducing film is separately allowed. |
| Front side | At least 35% total light transmission under the ordinary rule. |
| Rear side | At least 35% ordinarily. Windows behind the driver of a qualifying multipurpose vehicle are excepted from the numerical transmission and reflection limits. |
| Rear window | At least 35% ordinarily; listed exceptions include qualifying multipurpose rear windows and the rear window of a property-hauling vehicle. |
Material and vehicle class
Regulated windows have a 20% reflection ceiling. Tint material must be nonreflective and not red, yellow or amber. Total transmission includes existing glass. Confirm statutory vehicle classification rather than relying on an SUV label.
Medical permits
Apply to the Drivers Medical Evaluation Program with the required doctor-completed evaluation. The permit specifies vehicle, windows and permitted tint, lasts up to five years, and must travel with the vehicle. Up to four permits may be valid concurrently. A medical-exception sticker belongs at the lower-left rear window between film and glass.
Did ending tint inspections in 2025 make darker tint legal?
The safety-inspection tint check and additional $10 charge were removed. During an officer’s approach, the driver must lower the window on the side from which the officer approaches. Legal tint requirements were not repealed.
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.
- Vehicles subject to federal motor-carrier window rules are governed by the statutory federal-rule provision.
- The agency rounds its meter guidance, but the statute uses the words “greater than 32%” for its measurement presumption. Exactly 32% is not greater than 32%. Use the ordinary 35% requirement when selecting tint; do not treat the measurement provision as a darker installation target.
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
- North Carolina General Assembly: G.S. 20-127 ↗
Current window rules, vehicle exceptions and medical permits, including 2025 amendments.
- NCDMV: Vehicle Emissions and Safety Inspections ↗
Confirms the December 1, 2025 tint-inspection and fee change.
- North Carolina General Assembly: S.L. 2025-47 ↗
Sections 21 and 22 address medical permit count and tint inspection/traffic-stop changes.