§PlainStatute

Tools · Window Tint

Minnesota Window Tint Checker (2026)

The legal tint limit for every window position in Minnesota (50% 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 §169.71, subd. 4, 4a

Minnesota window tint checker

Window tint · Minnesota

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.

Minnesota legal tint limit, window by window
Front side windows
50% VLT min
At least 50% (±3%) light transmittance.
Back side windows
50% min
At least 50% (±3%); no separate darker allowance behind the driver on ordinary cars.
Rear window
50% min
At least 50% (±3%) on a passenger car; exempt on the rear window of pickups and on the side and rear windows behind the driver of vans, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police vehicles.
Windshield
No light-reducing film
No film that makes the windshield more reflective or reduces its light transmittance in any way; there is no percentage strip allowance for the windshield in the statute.
Medical exemption
Allowed for a documented medical need. The driver or a passenger must carry a prescription or a physician’s statement naming the person and the minimum reduction in transmittance required, with an expiration date of no more than two years (or indefinite if the condition is permanent).
Penalty
Violation is a misdemeanor
Tint-meter tolerance
±3% written into both the 50% transmittance and 20% reflectance figures

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

The 50% (±3%) floor covers every side and rear window, not just the front. Rear windows of pickups, and the side and rear windows behind the driver on vans, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police vehicles are exempt (§169.71, subd. 4a).

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota window tint reference, cited to Minn. Stat. §169.71, subd. 4, 4a.

How the Minnesota tint rules work

Minnesota is one of the strictest states for tint because it uses a single number almost everywhere: 50% (±3%) on the front doors and on every window behind the driver on an ordinary car. Only vans, pickups, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police cars get to go darker behind the driver. The windshield is stricter still, no film that cuts light transmittance is allowed at all.

This checker applies the Minnesota 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 Minnesota window tint reference, cited to Minn. Stat. §169.71, subd. 4, 4a.

Window tint checkers for other states

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

Alabama·Alaska·Arizona·Arkansas·California·Colorado·Connecticut·Delaware·Florida·Georgia·Hawaii·Idaho·Illinois·Indiana·Iowa·Kansas·Kentucky·Louisiana·Maine·Maryland·Massachusetts·Michigan·Mississippi·Missouri·Montana·Nebraska·Nevada·New Hampshire·New Jersey·New Mexico·New York·North Carolina·North Dakota·Ohio·Oklahoma·Oregon·Pennsylvania·Rhode Island·South Carolina·South Dakota·Tennessee·Texas·Utah·Vermont·Virginia·Washington·West Virginia·Wisconsin·Wyoming