Answer a few questions about the vehicle and the window. Each answer names the section of Texas law or the DPS rule it rests on.
Not legal advice: this checks the published rules, and officers and courts decide each case.
The checker needs JavaScript. The rules it uses are in the table below.
The rules the checker uses
| Window | Texas rule and source |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Tint only above the AS-1 line, or within the top 5 inches if there is no AS-1 line. With the glass, it must let through 25% of light or more and reflect 25% or less, and it may not be red, blue or amber. Clear, untinted UV film is allowed anywhere on the windshield.Transp. Code §547.613(b)(1); 37 Tex. Admin. Code §21.3(c)(2); Texas DPS, Window Tinting Standards |
| Front side windows (left and right of the driver) | With the glass, 25% light or more and 25% reflectance or less. The statute lets DPS allow up to 3 percent either way; DPS's rule sets no such tolerance.Transp. Code §547.613(b)(2); Transp. Code §547.613(d); 37 Tex. Admin. Code §21.3(c)(3) |
| Side windows behind the driver | No limit, on every vehicle (cars, SUVs, pickups and vans alike).Transp. Code §547.613(b)(2-a); Transp. Code §547.613(b)(10); 37 Tex. Admin. Code §21.3(c)(3) |
| Rear window | No limit if the vehicle has an outside mirror on each side showing the road at least 200 feet behind. Without both mirrors: 25% light or more and 25% reflectance or less, except a shade band at the very top.Transp. Code §547.613(b)(3); 37 Tex. Admin. Code §21.3(c)(4) |
| Factory tint | Glass tinted by the vehicle maker, or a replacement window made to the maker's specification, is exempt.Transp. Code §547.613(b)(13); 37 Tex. Admin. Code §21.3(a)(1) |
| Medical need | Darker than 25% is allowed on every window except the windshield while the driver or a passenger carries a signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist. In the statute, a medical need is a defense to prosecution. DPS no longer issues exemption certificates.37 Tex. Admin. Code §21.3(e); Transp. Code §547.613(e); Texas DPS, Window Tinting Standards |
| Vehicles outside these limits | Vehicles not registered in Texas; taxis and other vehicles licensed locally to carry passengers for a fee; law enforcement vehicles; commercial motor vehicles, which have their own inspection limit (70% on the windshield and front side windows).Transp. Code §547.613(b)(12); Transp. Code §547.613(b)(14); Transp. Code §547.613(b)(15); Transp. Code §547.613(b)(16); Texas DPS inspection manual ch. 6, §15.28 |
Light and reflectance are measured with the film and the glass together. Texas ended yearly safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025 (H.B. 3297 (2023)); these limits still apply on the road. Rules checked November 14, 2026.
Window tint shops
See all 78 window tint shops listed in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, Texas. By city: Houston (35), Spring (8), Katy (6), Pasadena (5), Conroe (4), Tomball (4), Cypress (2).