Vehicle Law · Window Tint
Window Tint Laws in Minnesota
The exact legal darkness allowed on every window of your vehicle in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota limit.
| Film shade | Front side | Back & rear |
|---|---|---|
| 70% (light) | Legal | Legal |
| 50% | Legal | Legal |
| 35% (factory look) | Too dark | Too dark |
| 20% | Too dark | Too dark |
| 5% (limo) | Too dark | Too dark |
The 50% (±3%) floor covers every side and rear window, not just the front. Rear windows of pickups, and the side and rear windows behind the driver on vans, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police vehicles are exempt (§169.71, subd. 4a).
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 Minnesota | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | No film that makes the windshield more reflective or reduces its light transmittance in any way; there is no percentage strip allowance for the windshield in the statute | §169.71, subd. 4(1) |
| Front side | At least 50% (±3%) light transmittance | §169.71, subd. 4(3) |
| Back side | At least 50% (±3%); no separate darker allowance behind the driver on ordinary cars | §169.71, subd. 4(3) |
| Rear window | At least 50% (±3%) on a passenger car; exempt on the rear window of pickups and on the side and rear windows behind the driver of vans, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police vehicles | §169.71, subd. 4(3), 4a |
| SUV / van rear | Vans get a class exemption: the side and rear windows behind the driver may be any darkness. | §169.71, subd. 4a |
| Reflection | No highly reflective or mirrored appearance on any window; side and rear windows are also capped at 20% (±3%) luminous reflectance | §169.71, subd. 4(2), 4(3) |
| Banned colors | The statute sets no color restriction; it regulates reflectance and light transmittance instead | §169.71, subd. 4 |
| Medical exemption | AllowedAvailable (details in the medical exemption section below). | §169.71, subd. 4a(a)(2) |
| Meter tolerance | ±3% written into both the 50% transmittance and 20% reflectance figures | §169.71, subd. 4(3) |
Penalties & how it's enforced
What happens if your tint is too dark.
-: No 2025–2026 change to the tint limits. The 50% (±3%) transmittance and 20% (±3%) reflectance figures in subd. 4 have stood for years; the permanent-marking requirement dates to material applied after August 1, 1985.
The medical exemption: how to qualify
For drivers with a documented light-sensitivity condition.
What Minnesota drivers get wrong
Minnesota is one of the strictest states for tint because it uses a single number almost everywhere: 50% (±3%) on the front doors and on every window behind the driver on an ordinary car. Only vans, pickups, limousines, funeral vehicles, and police cars get to go darker behind the driver. The windshield is stricter still, no film that cuts light transmittance is allowed at all.
Common questions
Can I put 20% tint on my back windows in Minnesota?
On an ordinary car or SUV, no. Minnesota applies the 50% (±3%) minimum to every side and rear window, not just the front. The exceptions are vans (side and rear windows behind the driver) and pickups (rear window only), plus limousines, funeral vehicles, and police vehicles.
Why is Minnesota tint law considered so strict?
Because the same 50% (±3%) floor covers the rear side and back windows that most states leave unrestricted. A tint shop in a neighboring state that installs 5% or 20% "limo" film behind the driver would be illegal here unless the vehicle is a van, pickup, limousine, funeral, or police vehicle.
Does Minnesota allow a medical exemption for darker tint?
Yes. The driver or a passenger must carry a prescription or a physician’s statement that names the person and the minimum reduction in light transmittance the condition requires. It expires within two years unless the condition is permanent (§169.71, subd. 4a).
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.