Tools · Window Tint
New York Window Tint Checker (2026)
The legal tint limit for every window position in New York (70% on the front sides), checked against your own film's VLT, with the medical exemption and what a ticket costs.
New York 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 New York window limit, or read the limits as they stand.
The rear window may be darker than 70% only when the vehicle has side mirrors on both sides giving a clear view behind (§375(12-a)).
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 New York 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 New York window tint reference, cited to NY Veh. & Traf. Law §375(12-a).
How the New York tint rules work
New York holds nearly every window to 70%, among the strictest fronts in the country, and, unusually, checks tint at the annual safety inspection, so illegal film is caught even without a traffic stop. The rear window is the one place darkness is allowed, and only when the car has both side mirrors.
This checker applies the New York 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 New York window tint reference, cited to NY Veh. & Traf. Law §375(12-a).
Window tint checkers for other states
Same tool, each with its own per-window limits.