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Tools · Window Tint

Colorado Window Tint Checker (2026)

The legal tint limit for every window position in Colorado (27% on the front sides), checked against your own film's VLT, with the medical exemption and what a ticket costs.

Reviewed by PlainStatute EditorialLast reviewed July 2026Verified against §42-4-227

Colorado window tint checker

Window tint · Colorado

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.

Colorado legal tint limit, window by window
Front side windows
27% VLT min
At least 27% light transmittance.
Back side windows
27% min
At least 27% by default (see the rear exception).
Rear window
27% min (front ≥70%)
Below 27% allowed only if the front side windows and the windshield allow at least 70%; otherwise 27% applies.
Windshield
Top 4 in strip; ≥70%
Windshield must allow at least 70%; nontransparent material only in a top strip of no more than 4 inches, not red or amber, non-glare.
Medical exemption
Colorado offers no medical exemption for window tint. The statute contains no waiver, physician-certification path, or alternative VLT standard, and the CO DMV provides none.
Penalty
Operator: class B traffic infraction. Installer (installs/covers/treats a non-compliant window): class A traffic infraction. With no amount in the section, the statutory default is a $15 fine + $4 surcharge (C.R.S. §42-4-1701(4)(a)(I)).
Tint-meter tolerance
Not specified in statute

Enter your film's VLT above to check it against each Colorado window limit, or read the limits as they stand.

The rear window may be darker than 27% only when the front side windows and windshield allow at least 70% (§42-4-227(1)(a)(II)).

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 Colorado 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 Colorado window tint reference, cited to C.R.S. §42-4-227.

How the Colorado tint rules work

Colorado’s 27% rule comes with a trap and a surprise. The trap: rear windows may only go darker than 27% when the front doors and windshield are essentially untinted (≥70%). The surprise: unlike almost every neighbor, Colorado offers no medical exemption at all; no doctor’s letter changes the limits.

This checker applies the Colorado 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 Colorado window tint reference, cited to C.R.S. §42-4-227.

Window tint checkers for other states

Same tool, each with its own per-window limits.