The windows of your vehicle primarily offer protection against wind, noise, and debris. But with proper vehicle window tinting, they can also help keep you and your passengers cooler and more comfortable from the heat and glare of the hot Florida sun. Auto window tint can even enhance the look and style of your vehicle. But of course your car’s windows and windshield are extremely prominent, so you must ensure that your window tinting aligns with 2015 Florida window tinting laws.
Florida auto window tint laws were first established in 1991. They have changed several times over the years and are of course always subject to changes in the future, so it is wise to check your own vehicle tint’s compliance with Florida window tinting laws from time to time. The 2015 Florida auto tinting laws allow for varying degrees of reflectivity (often known as “mirrored” tinting) and Visible Light Transmission, or VLT (which can be thought of simply as the darkness of the window tint for ease of explanation).
Cars, meaning specifically passenger cars and not sport utility vehicles, vans, or trucks, may have the following window tinting in the state of Florida:
Windshield: the windshield may be tinted using a non-reflective/mirrored tint of most any VLT provided the tinting does not extend below the windshield’s AS1 line. AS1 stands for “approved safety glass,” and the AS1 line demarks a strip of glass about six inches in width extending from the top of the windshield down. The area above the AS1 line is most often already treated with factory tint. Vehicle owners may add additional aftermarket tinting to this area.
Side Windows; Front: in Florida, the side windows in the front of the vehicle, meaning beside the driver and the shotgun seat, may have tinting as “dark” as 28% VLT, meaning that at least 28% or more of the spectrum of visible light must be able to pass through. Selecting tint that lets in less light (and less view into the vehicle) may result in fines. The front side windows may also be treated with reflective/mirrored window films, provided the window film is not rated at more than 25% reflectivity.
Side Windows; Rear: passenger car owners in Florida may tint windows on the vehicle’s rear sides down to 15% VLT and up to 35% reflectivity. At this level of darkness and reflection, the back of a sedan can be rendered almost opaque, allowing for maximum privacy for children or for passengers in a taxi or livery vehicle.
Rear Window: according to 2015 Florida auto tint laws, the rear window (sometimes referred to erroneously as “rear windshield,” for reference) may be tinted to but not below 15% VLT. It may also be treated with window films offering up to but not exceeding 35% reflectivity.
Vans, SUVs, certain trucks (crew cabs, for example) and other MPVs (such as Recreational Vehicles) may have the following window tinting in the state of Florida:
Windshield: the windshield of non-sedan type vehicles may be tinted as preferred by the owner above the AS1 line (see above for AS1 explanation). No tinting is permitted below this line. All windshield tint must be non-reflective.
Side Windows; Front: for an MPV, the driver’s side and passenger’s side windows may be tinted down to 28% and with a reflectivity of not more than 25% allowed (note that the laws are the same for SUVs/vans/etc. as for sedans for front windows and windshields).
Side Windows; Rear: the rear windows of vans, SUVs, some trucks, and some MPVs may be tinted down to almost full opacity and up to 35% reflectivity. Provided that at least the uppermost 6 inches of window are tinted only down to 6% VLT (which is in fact near full darkened to the external view) the remainder of the window may be tinted however the owner chooses. This provides total privacy to the passengers within the vehicle.
Rear Window: per 2015 Florida auto tint laws, MPVs may have window tinting of any darkness and up to 35% reflectivity starting 6 inches below the top of the rear window. Above that line, a minimum of 6% VLT must be maintained.
2015’s Florida window tint laws do not expressly prohibit colored tinting.
If the rear window of any vehicle is tinted, both side mirrors must be functional and fully compliant with all regulations relating to them.
Certain medical dispensations can be made for enhanced auto window tinting – check local laws if you feel you may have a condition warranting additional/enhanced window tinting.