Texas generally requires at least 25% visible-light transmission through the front side glass and film together. Rear side windows have a broader exemption. The rear window has a separate mirror-conditioned exemption and a rule distinguishing its driver-visibility area from a topmost shade band.
Read the official sources ↓Rules by window
| Window | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Windshield | A tinted sunscreen strip must stay above the AS-1 line or within five inches of the top, whichever boundary is closer to the top. Combined transmission must be at least 25%, reflectance no more than 25%, and the strip cannot be red, blue or amber. DPS separately allows clear, untinted UV film. |
| Front side | At least 25% transmission and no more than 25% luminous reflectance through the film and glass together, including wing vents immediately beside the driver. |
| Rear side | Section 547.613(b)(2-a) exempts side windows behind the driver from this section's tint restriction. This is not limited to SUVs or multipurpose vehicles. |
| Rear window | The rear-window transmission exception requires both outside mirrors to provide a rearward highway view of at least 200 feet. Without those mirrors, 37 TAC §21.3(c)(4)(B) specifies 25% transmission for the area used for driver visibility, permits a darker topmost shade band, and limits device reflectance to 25%. |
Measurement, labels and vehicle categories
The manufacturer must certify compliance to DPS for the film-and-window combination. Section 547.609 requires a permanent compliance label between film and glass; DPS says one label at the lower rear corner of the driver's side window satisfies its interpretation.
The statute authorizes a limited three-percentage-point departmental variance for front-side measurements. Use 25% as the minimum installation specification rather than treating that provision as a darker target.
Specific exemptions cover federally compliant factory glazing, qualifying licensed paid-passenger vehicles, law-enforcement vehicles and commercial vehicles defined in §644.001. A business-owned pickup is not automatically within a statutory commercial category; federal commercial-glazing standards can also apply.
Medical documentation
DPS instructs a driver needing darker front-side tint for medical reasons to obtain a signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist identifying the driver or occupant and explaining the health necessity. Keep it in the vehicle. DPS stopped issuing its own exemption certificates on January 1, 2019.
Section 547.613(e) provides a defense to prosecution when the defendant or an occupant present at the time needs protection from direct sunlight for a medical reason. It is not a guarantee against citation. DPS medical guidance does not authorize dark tint over the full windshield.
Reconciliation with older inspection guidance
The statute uses the closer-to-the-top boundary for the windshield strip. The older DPS tint page abbreviates this to AS-1, or five inches when unmarked; use the tighter statutory boundary.
Did ending safety inspections make darker tint legal?
DPS's March 19, 2026 inspection guidance confirms that non-commercial safety inspections ended January 1, 2025. Applicable emissions tests and commercial inspections remain. An older tint page that mentions an annual safety inspection is describing the former process for non-commercial vehicles. The equipment law still applies.
Common installation questions
Is 25% tint legal on front windows in Texas?
Ask for transmission and reflectance readings for the glass and film together. Texas’s ordinary front-side limits are at least 25% visible-light transmission and no more than 25% luminous reflectance, including wing vents immediately beside the driver. The film’s advertised percentage alone cannot show the completed result. Use the 25% minimum as the installation specification; the statute’s limited three-percentage-point measurement variance is not a darker tint target.
Official sources: Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547 ↗ · Texas DPS window tinting standards ↗
How do the rules differ for a windshield strip and the rear windows?
A tinted windshield strip must stay above the AS-1 line or within five inches of the top, using whichever boundary is closer to the top. It needs at least 25% combined transmission, no more than 25% reflectance, and cannot be red, blue or amber. Rear side windows are exempt from this statutory tint restriction for cars as well as SUVs. The rear window has a separate exemption when both outside mirrors provide a rearward highway view of at least 200 feet.
Official sources: Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547 ↗
What medical paperwork should I keep in the vehicle?
DPS directs motorists needing darker front-side tint for medical reasons to carry a signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist identifying the driver or occupant and explaining the health need. DPS stopped issuing its own exemption certificates in 2019. The statute provides a medical defense to prosecution involving the defendant or an occupant present at the time, so the paperwork is not a guarantee against a citation. This route does not authorize dark film across the full windshield.
Official sources: Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547 ↗ · Texas DPS window tinting standards ↗ · Texas DPS medical-exemption notice ↗
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.
- Research checked October 14, 2026. The statutory source-check date is distinct from the 2025 inspection-program change and the 2019 medical-documentation change.
- The current 37 TAC §21.3 was reviewed from the Secretary of State’s October 14, 2026 display. Its windshield wording uses AS-1, or five inches when unmarked; the statute’s closer-to-the-top boundary is retained here. The rule also distinguishes rear-window driver-visibility area from its topmost shade band.
- Commercial and federally regulated vehicles require a separate class-specific review; the ordinary passenger-vehicle figures are not a complete commercial compliance guide.
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
- Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547 ↗
Official legislative full text retrieved: §§547.609 and 547.613, including current numerical limits, mirrors, certification, variance and medical defense.
- Texas current statute portal, §547.613 ↗
The official portal identifies its compilation as current through the 89th Legislature's second called session, 2025. The chapter text was read on the Legislature's alternative official host.
- Texas DPS window tinting standards ↗
Agency page dated September 4, 2020 supports combined measurements, rear mirrors, clear UV film, medical statement and label placement; its inspection/strip shorthand is reconciled above.
- Texas DPS medical-exemption notice ↗
Effective January 1, 2019 notice distinguishes medical documentation from immunity and does not allow a full dark windshield.
- Texas DPS inspection items, updated March 19, 2026 ↗
Current agency guidance confirms the 2025 end of non-commercial safety inspections and continuing applicable emissions/commercial inspections.
- Texas Secretary of State: 37 TAC §21.3 ↗
Current official rule display reviewed October 14, 2026; source note ends with the November 17, 2022 amendment. Supports combined front-side measurement, rear visibility-area/shade-band scope, medical documentation and labels. The chapter review date is not a tint-rule effective date.