Florida Window Tint Limits: 28% Front Sides, 15% Rear Glass

The rules live in a run of seven sections, Fla. Stat. §§ 316.2951 through 316.2957, and the definitions in § 316.2951 decide which number applies to which pane. A "window" for these purposes is any device designed for exterior viewing "except the windshield, any roof-mounted viewing device, and any viewing device having less than 150 square inches in area," so a small fixed quarter-light under 150 square inches falls outside the tint rules entirely. A "multipurpose passenger vehicle" is a vehicle designed to carry 10 persons or fewer that is built either on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation, and that single definition is what gives SUVs, pickups and most vans the more permissive rear figure. Vehicles used in farm husbandry are carved out of "motor vehicle" altogether.

The windshield is governed by § 316.2952(2), which is written as a closed list rather than a percentage. Only four things may be attached to or located in or upon a Florida windshield: a certificate or other paper required to be displayed by law, transparent sunscreening along a strip at the top that does not encroach on the AS/1 portion defined by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205, a toll transponder issued by a governmental entity as defined in s. 334.03, and a GPS or similar satellite receiver device. There is no windshield tint percentage in Florida law because no full-windshield film is authorized in the first place.

Forward side glass is the 28 percent rule in § 316.2953, measured with the film already applied to the specific vehicle rather than as a manufacturer's rating for the film. Behind the driver, § 316.2954 allows four distinct treatments. Film at 15 percent transmittance and 35 percent maximum reflectance is the standard, with 6 percent transmittance permitted on multipurpose passenger vehicles. Perforated sunscreening is allowed at no less than 30 percent transmittance and no more than 35 percent total reflectance, and where the material has uneven reflectance the reading is taken by dividing the area into 16 equal sections and averaging, with no single section allowed to exceed 50 percent. Louvered materials are permitted so long as they do not reduce driver visibility by more than 50 percent, and privacy drapes, curtains and blinds must be open and secure while the vehicle is moving. If the rear window is made nontransparent by any of this, § 316.2954(2) requires side mirrors on both sides meeting s. 316.294.

Enforcement mechanics matter as much as the percentages. Section 316.2955(2) applies a tolerance of plus or minus 3 percent to every measurement in the group, so a front side window metering at 25 percent is still within the 28 percent standard. The installer or seller must supply a pressure-sensitive, self-destructive, nonremovable vinyl-type film label stating that the material complies with §§ 316.2951 to 316.2954, and must affix it to the inside left door jamb along with the trade name of the material and the installer's business name. Factory glazing that complies with FMVSS 205 needs no label, and § 316.2957 exempts the manufacturer's own tinting or glazing from the whole scheme. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles adopts rules approving the light transmittance meters, and a reading from an approved device is presumed accurate and admissible at the hearing.

Three exemptions sit in § 316.29545. FLHSMV issues medical exemption certificates to people afflicted with Lupus, any autoimmune disease, or other conditions requiring limited exposure to light, consulting the Medical Advisory Board established in s. 322.125 on which conditions qualify. Under FLHSMV procedure RS-48, revised May 2025, the application is form HSMV 83390 with a Physician's Statement of Certification completed by a physician or physician assistant licensed under chapters 458, 459 or 460, a dermatologist, or an advanced practice registered nurse practitioner working under a licensed physician's protocol. The certificate itself, form HSMV 83391, issues to the registered owner, costs $6.45 per vehicle and the same for a duplicate, and is mailed from Room A201 MS# 97 at the Neil Kirkman Building, 2900 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee. It is nontransferable and becomes void when the vehicle is sold. Separately, FLHSMV must exempt law enforcement vehicles used in undercover or canine operations, and vehicles owned or leased by process servers certified under s. 48.29 or by private investigators and agencies licensed under chapter 493 are exempt from §§ 316.2953, 316.2954 and 316.2956.

Driving with over-dark glass is a noncriminal traffic infraction punishable as a nonmoving violation under chapter 318, which sets the base penalty at $30 by Fla. 18(2). 2956(2) confirms that replacing or repairing legally installed material is not itself a violation. 2955 commits a second-degree misdemeanor punishable under s. 082 or s. 083. 18(2)(c).