Tools · Window Tint

Kentucky Window Tint Checker (2026)

The legal tint limit for every window position in Kentucky (35% on the front sides), checked against your own film's VLT, with the medical exemption and what a ticket costs.

Draft entry: figures pending statute verificationStatute KRS 189.110Source apps.legislature.ky.gov

Kentucky window tint checker

Window tint · Kentucky

State

Your tint's VLT (optional)

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.

Draft entry: figures pending source verification. Confirm with the official source before relying on this result.

Kentucky legal tint limit, window by window

Front side windows

35% VLT min

At least 35% light transmittance, with total solar reflectance of visible light no more than 25%. A ±3% tolerance applies..

Back side windows

18% min

At least 18% light transmittance for most vehicles; multipurpose passenger vehicles may go to 8%. Reflectance capped at 35%. A ±3% tolerance applies..

Rear window

18% min

At least 18% light transmittance for most vehicles, or 8% for multipurpose passenger vehicles. If the rear window is tinted, the vehicle must have a side mirror on each side..

Windshield

Top strip; full film if ≥70%

Historically only a transparent strip along the top of the windshield was allowed. Senate Bill 46 (2024) added an option: film may cover the windshield if it keeps light transmittance at 70% or more and is not red or yellow..

Medical exemption

KRS 189.110 as read does not set out a physician-certification exemption for darker tint. A first-party read of the full section is needed to confirm whether any medical waiver exists.

Penalty

A violation is a Class B misdemeanor. The statute does not fix a dollar amount; the fine follows the Class B misdemeanor schedule.

Tint-meter tolerance

±3% on every percentage measurement.

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

Multipurpose passenger vehicles (SUVs, vans, and similar) may go as dark as 8% on the windows behind the driver (KRS 189.110(4)).

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky window tint reference, cited to KRS 189.110.

How the Kentucky tint rules work

Kentucky uses a stepped scale: 35% on the front doors, 18% on the windows behind the driver, and a lower 8% floor for multipurpose passenger vehicles such as SUVs and vans. The big recent shift is the windshield. Senate Bill 46 (2024) let drivers cover the whole windshield with film for the first time, as long as it keeps 70% of the light and is not red or yellow. Every percentage carries a ±3% tolerance.

This checker applies the Kentucky 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 Kentucky window tint reference, cited to KRS 189.110.

Window tint checkers for other states

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

Kentucky Window Tint Checker (2026)

Kentucky window tint checker

How the Kentucky tint rules work

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