Tools · Window Tint
California Window Tint Checker (2026)
The legal tint limit for every window position in California (No film on the front sides), checked against your own film's VLT, with the medical exemption and what a ticket costs.
California window tint checker
VLT (visible light transmission) is the share of light the film lets through; a lower number is darker. It is printed on the film packaging or your installation receipt. Leave it blank to just read the limits.
Enter your film's VLT above to check it against each California window limit, or read the limits as they stand.
California permits no darkening film on front side windows, only clear, colorless film of at least 88% VLT (§26708(d)).
Film is sold by its own VLT, but police measure the installed darkness: the film combined with your factory glass, which reads darker than the film alone. These are the California figures stated as information, not a determination about any stop or ticket.
Informational only, not legal advice. Reflectivity limits, color bans, and vehicle-class exceptions can change the answer for a specific car. See the full rules, the exemption steps, and the citations on the California window tint reference, cited to Cal. Veh. Code §§26708, 26708.2, 26708.5.
How the California tint rules work
California is stricter than almost everyone on the front doors: no darkening film at all is allowed there, only clear, colorless film of at least 88% VLT, which keeps the glass at the federal 70% standard. Everything behind the driver is unrestricted. The windshield rule is also unusual: it is measured 29 inches above the driver’s seat, not as a "top X inches" strip.
This checker applies the California figures to the VLT you enter. It is informational only and not legal advice: reflectivity limits, color bans, and vehicle-class exceptions can change the answer for a specific car. For the full rules, the shades table, and the citations, see the California window tint reference, cited to Cal. Veh. Code §§26708, 26708.2, 26708.5.
Window tint checkers for other states
Same tool, each with its own per-window limits.