Tools · Window Tint
North Carolina Window Tint Checker (2026)
The legal tint limit for every window position in North Carolina (35% on the front sides), checked against your own film's VLT, with the medical exemption and what a ticket costs.
North Carolina 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 North Carolina window limit, or read the limits as they stand.
A window measuring above 32% on an approved meter is conclusively presumed compliant. Multipurpose vehicles (minivans, pickups) are exempt behind the driver (§20-127(c)).
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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina window tint reference, cited to N.C.G.S. §20-127.
How the North Carolina tint rules work
North Carolina keeps a flat 35% rule with a built-in enforcement cushion, meters reading above 32% conclusively pass, and exempts minivans, pickups, and other multipurpose vehicles behind the driver. Since December 1, 2025, tint is no longer checked at the annual inspection, but roadside enforcement continues, and drivers with tint must now roll down the window when an officer approaches.
This checker applies the North Carolina 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 North Carolina window tint reference, cited to N.C.G.S. §20-127.
Window tint checkers for other states
Same tool, each with its own per-window limits.