South Carolina window tint checker

Window tint · South Carolina

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.

South Carolina legal tint limit, window by window

Front side windows

27% VLT min

Combined light transmission of at least 27% on the front side wings and side windows; the film must be nonreflective.

Back side windows

27% min

Combined light transmission of at least 27% on side windows behind the driver; film must be nonreflective.

Rear window

27% min

Combined light transmission of at least 27% on the rear-most window (the pre-1993 20% floor no longer applies to new film); nonreflective, and one right and one left outside mirror required whenever the rear window is tinted.

Windshield

AS-1 strip only

A sunscreening device may be used only along the top of the windshield and may not extend below the AS-1 line; if the AS-1 line is not visible, no film may be applied to the windshield. The film must be nonreflective and not red, yellow, or amber..

Medical exemption

A vehicle registered to a person (or their legal guardian) who holds an affidavit signed by a South Carolina-licensed physician or optometrist stating a physical condition requires darker tint is exempt. The affidavit must stay in the vehicle at all times, be shown on request, and be updated every two years. No state permit or sticker is issued.

Penalty

Owner or operator: misdemeanor, fine up to $200 or up to 30 days in jail (§56-5-5015(K)). Consumer who skips the certificate of compliance: misdemeanor, fine of at least $200 or up to 30 days. Professional tinter who violates the certificate or sale rules: misdemeanor, fine of at least $1,000 or up to 30 days, or both, per offense.

Tint-meter tolerance

Not specified in statute; §56-5-5015 sets the 27% and 20% standards with no metering variance

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

Any film on the rear-most window requires one right and one left outside rearview mirror (§56-5-5015(D)). Every tinted window must carry a certificate of compliance in its lower right corner (§56-5-5015(E)).

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 South 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 South Carolina window tint reference, cited to S.C. Code §56-5-5015.

How the South Carolina tint rules work

South Carolina keeps one number for every window that can carry film: 27%. Front sides, rear sides, and the rear glass all have to let at least 27% of light through, and the windshield gets only a nonreflective strip above the AS-1 line. Two things trip people up here. Tint the rear window and you must run outside mirrors on both sides, and every tinted window has to wear a certificate of compliance in its lower right corner, or the installer and the owner both face charges.

This checker applies the South 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 South Carolina window tint reference, cited to S.C. Code §56-5-5015.

Related vehicle tools

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Window tint checkers for other states

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