Virginia ordinarily uses 50% total transmission on front side windows and 35% at the rear of passenger cars. Its current code also includes a 2026 clear-windshield-film allowance that older charts may omit.
Read the official sources ↓Rules by window
| Window | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Ordinary darkening is limited to replacing the manufacturer’s upper sunshield. Current §46.2-1052(F) separately permits clear film maintained consistently with FMVSS 205. Inspection implementation remains unresolved; confirm it before relying on the clear-film allowance. |
| Front side | At least 50% total light transmission unless a valid medical authorization applies. |
| Rear side | Passenger-car baseline: at least 35%. Pickup trucks and statutory multipurpose passenger vehicles may have lower rear transmission. |
| Rear window | Passenger-car baseline: at least 35%, with the same pickup/multipurpose exception. |
Reflection, effects and mirrors
Tint film must not exceed 20% reflectance or create holographic or prism effects. The ordinary tint allowance requires an exterior mirror on each side showing at least 200 feet behind.
Do I need DMV approval before installing medical tint?
Apply with MED-20 and the required medical certification. An approved registration card bears a sun-shading notation. The authorization ends when the condition ends or the vehicle is sold.
Does a medical waiver let me use any tint darkness?
Authorized side/rear transmission is at least 35%. For the windshield, at least 70% is required except the upper five inches or AS-1 boundary, whichever is closer to the top, where the 35% allowance applies. The authorization is not permission for any darkness.
Clear film is a separate allowance
2026 Chapter 894 added the clear-film provision to the current code. It requires consistency with the federal glazing standard; an installer calling a product clear does not establish compliance.
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 DMV summary still says no ordinary windshield sun-shading. The current code separately allows qualifying clear film; rely on that narrow wording rather than reading it as permission for dark windshield tint.
- No ordinary installer compliance sticker requirement was verified in the cited sections.
- The clear-film statute does not by itself establish an inspection pass. Confirm implementation under the inspection rules before relying on the allowance.
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
- Virginia Code: §46.2-1052 ↗
Current ordinary limits, mirrors, effects, measurement tolerance and clear-film exception.
- Virginia Code: §46.2-1053 ↗
Medical authorization and windshield boundary.
- Virginia DMV: Vehicle Sun-Shading Medical Authorization ↗
Application, registration notation and approval-before-installation guidance.
- Virginia 2026 Chapter 894 ↗
Enacted clear-windshield-film amendment, approved April 13, 2026.
- Virginia inspection rule 19VAC30-70-210 ↗
Windshield inspection language compared with the statutory clear-film allowance; implementation remains unresolved.