Vehicle Law · Window Tint
Window Tint Laws in New Mexico
The exact legal darkness allowed on every window of your vehicle in New Mexico, 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 New Mexico limit.
| Film shade | Front side | Back & rear |
|---|---|---|
| 70% (light) | Legal | Legal |
| 50% | Legal | Legal |
| 35% (factory look) | Legal | Legal |
| 20% | Legal | Legal |
| 5% (limo) | Too dark | Too dark |
Tint on the side windows behind the driver and on the rearmost window is allowed only on a vehicle equipped with one right and one left outside rear-view mirror (§66-3-846.1).
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 New Mexico | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | Sun-screening material must be nonreflective, must not be red, yellow, or amber, and may be used only along the top of the windshield, not extending below the AS-1 line or more than five inches from the top, whichever is closer to the top | §66-3-846.1 |
| Front side | At least 20% light transmittance; the side wings and side windows to the immediate right and left of the driver must also be nonreflective | §66-3-846.1 |
| Back side | At least 20% light transmittance and nonreflective; allowed only with one right and one left outside rear-view mirror | §66-3-846.1 |
| Rear window | At least 20% light transmittance and nonreflective; allowed only with one right and one left outside rear-view mirror | §66-3-846.1 |
| SUV / van rear | Not specified in statute. | §66-3-846.1 |
| Reflection | All permitted sun-screening material must be nonreflective (flat requirement, no percentage stated) | §66-3-846.1 |
| Banned colors | Red, yellow, and amber (windshield sun-screening material) | §66-3-846.1 |
| Medical exemption | AllowedAvailable (details in the medical exemption section below). | §66-3-846.1 |
| Meter tolerance | Not specified in statute. | §66-3-846.1 |
Penalties & how it's enforced
What happens if your tint is too dark.
NMSA §66-3-846.1 (current): No recent change to the darkness limits. NMSA §66-3-846.1 keeps the flat 20% floor on the front side, back side, and rearmost windows, the nonreflective requirement, and the windshield AS-1/5-inch strip rule.
The medical exemption: how to qualify
For drivers with a documented light-sensitivity condition.
What New Mexico drivers get wrong
New Mexico keeps it simple: one number, 20%, applies to the front side windows, the back side windows, and the rear glass alike, and every panel of film has to be nonreflective. The windshield takes only a strip along the top, down to the AS-1 line or five inches, whichever is closer, and it cannot be red, yellow, or amber. Tint anything behind the driver and the car needs a mirror on each side.
Common questions
What is the legal tint limit in New Mexico?
Twenty percent. NMSA §66-3-846.1 sets a 20% light-transmittance floor on the front side windows, the back side windows, and the rearmost window, and all of it must be nonreflective.
Can SUVs run darker rear tint in New Mexico?
No. Despite some online charts, the statute applies the same 20% floor to the windows behind the driver on every vehicle. There is no darker allowance for SUVs, vans, or pickups in §66-3-846.1.
Is windshield tint legal in New Mexico?
Only a nonreflective strip along the top of the windshield, no lower than the AS-1 line or five inches from the top (whichever is closer), and it may not be red, yellow, or amber.
Does New Mexico allow a medical tint exemption?
Yes. A licensed physician or optometrist can certify a physical condition that requires non-compliant sun-screening material, which exempts the vehicle from the standard limits.
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.