§PlainStatute

Tools · Window Tint

Oregon Window Tint Checker (2026)

The legal tint limit for every window position in Oregon (35% 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 ORS 815.221

Oregon window tint checker

Window tint · Oregon

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.

Oregon legal tint limit, window by window
Front side windows
35% VLT min
Total light through the window (film plus glass) must be at least 35%; the film alone must transmit at least 50% and reflect no more than 13%.
Back side windows
35% min
Total light through the window at least 35% (same rule as the front side).
Rear window
35% min
Total light through the window at least 35%, unless it is a multipurpose passenger vehicle, where windows behind the driver may be darker.
Windshield
Top 6 in only
Tint darker than the side-window limit is allowed only on the top 6 inches of the windshield; no tinting material may be applied to any other part of the windshield.
Medical exemption
A physician or optometrist may give you a prescription, a letter on letterhead, or a notarized affidavit stating a physical condition needs darker tint. Keep that document and the installer certificate in the vehicle. DMV issues no permit.
Penalty
Operating a vehicle that does not comply is a traffic violation; ODOT states a driver may face a fine of up to $360.
Tint-meter tolerance
No plus-or-minus tolerance is stated. The built-in slack is structural: the film rating is 50% while the metered total floor is 35%, leaving room for factory glass.

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

Oregon measures the total light through the window, film and factory glass combined, not the film in isolation. Factory glass already blocks roughly ten to fifteen percent, so film sold as "35%" can meter below the 35% total limit once it is on the glass (ORS 815.221(2)).

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 Oregon 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 Oregon window tint reference, cited to ORS 815.221.

How the Oregon tint rules work

Oregon writes its tint rule with two numbers, and the mismatch trips people up. The film you buy has to be rated 50% or lighter, but the number an officer actually meters is the total light through the window with the film on it, and that has to stay at 35% or more. Factory glass eats the difference. So a roll labeled "35%" can read below 35% once it is on your door and earn you a ticket. Pickups and SUVs get a break behind the driver, and the windshield takes tint only on its top 6 inches.

This checker applies the Oregon 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 Oregon window tint reference, cited to ORS 815.221.

Window tint checkers for other states

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