Vehicle Law · Window Tint
Window Tint Laws in Alaska
The exact legal darkness allowed on every window of your vehicle in Alaska, plus reflection limits, the medical exemption, and what a ticket costs.
How dark you can legally go
Visible-light transmission (VLT) allowed for each window.
Common tint shades, and whether they're legal here
What the shop sells, mapped to the Alaska limit.
| Film shade | Front side | Back & rear |
|---|---|---|
| 70% (light) | Legal | Legal |
| 50% | Too dark | Legal |
| 35% (factory look) | Too dark | Too dark |
| 20% | Too dark | Too dark |
| 5% (limo) | Too dark | Too dark |
The 40% floor covers the rear door windows, quarter glass, and back glass. Limousines, buses for hire, motor homes, and manufacturer-designated multipurpose vehicles instead follow federal glazing Standard No. 205 (13 AAC 04.223).
Film is sold by its own VLT, but police measure the installed darkness: the film combined with your factory glass. Ask the shop for the net, as-installed VLT before you buy.
The full rules, with the statute
Every limit and where it comes from in the code.
| Rule / window | Legal limit in Alaska | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | Tinting on the windshield is limited to a strip along the top edge that does not extend down more than 5 inches. | 13 AAC 04.223(a) |
| Front side | At least 70% light transmittance (±3% manufacturing variance) | 13 AAC 04.223(a) |
| Back side | At least 40% on rear door windows and quarter glass (±3%) | 13 AAC 04.223(a) |
| Rear window | At least 40% on the back glass (±3%) | 13 AAC 04.223(a) |
| SUV / van rear | Vehicles the manufacturer identifies as multipurpose, plus limousines, passenger buses for hire, and motor homes, may instead carry glazing that meets federal Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205) rather than the 40% floor. | 13 AAC 04.223(b) |
| Reflection | Mirrored tinting material is prohibited on any window | 13 AAC 04.223 |
| Banned colors | ProhibitedFilm must be green, gray, bronze, neutral smoke, or a sun-reflective automotive film; other colors are not allowed | 13 AAC 04.223 |
| Medical exemption | AllowedAvailable (details in the medical exemption section below). | 13 AAC 04.223 |
| Meter tolerance | ±3% manufacturing variance, measured with a certified light-transmittance device | 13 AAC 04.223 |
Penalties & how it's enforced
What happens if your tint is too dark.
The medical exemption: how to qualify
For drivers with a documented light-sensitivity condition.
What Alaska drivers get wrong
Alaska runs one of the tighter front-window rules in the country: the driver and front passenger windows must let at least 70% of light through, so most aftermarket film simply will not pass up front. Behind the driver the floor drops to 40% on the side and back glass. The windshield gets only a top strip no more than 5 inches deep, mirrored film is banned outright, and the film color has to be a neutral shade like gray, bronze, or smoke.
Common questions
How dark can front window tint be in Alaska?
The driver and front passenger windows must allow at least 70% of light through, with a 3% variance. That is close to clear, so most darkening film is not legal on the front side windows.
What tint is legal behind the driver in Alaska?
Rear door windows, quarter glass, and the back glass must allow at least 40% of light through. Multipurpose vehicles, limousines, buses for hire, and motor homes may instead meet federal glazing Standard No. 205.
What tint colors are allowed in Alaska?
Film must be green, gray, bronze, neutral smoke, or a sun-reflective automotive film. Mirrored tinting is prohibited on every window.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.