Delaware Tint Medical Waiver: When You Need One and How to Apply

You no longer need a Delaware medical tint waiver just to use front-side tint meeting the state’s 50% visible light transmission (VLT) requirement. Delaware lowered the threshold from 70% to 50% through Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 255, signed August 17, 2026. The medical exception remains available for verified medical needs that require tint outside the ordinary rules. Official bill record; Delaware’s current tint statute.

Updated October 27, 2026.

When is a waiver still needed?

VLT describes how much visible light passes through: a lower percentage means darker tint. Delaware’s current rules distinguish the windows rather than setting one limit for the whole vehicle:

Window	Ordinary rule without a medical exception
Front side windows immediately beside the driver, and forward side wings	Tint or other material must have at least 50% VLT
Side windows behind the driver and rear window	No minimum VLT restriction; the statute permits 0% or greater
Windshield	Transparent material may be applied along the top edge without encroaching on the AS-1 portion

These provisions appear in 21 Delaware Code §4313(b)–(c). The 50% change applies to the front side windows and side wings—not ordinary full-windshield tinting.

If you need front-side tint below 50% VLT for medical reasons, use the medical-waiver process before installation. If your chosen tint meets the ordinary rules, no medical justification is required. The Delaware House Republican Caucus’s explanation of the enacted law explicitly confirms that change.

Do not use 35% as Delaware’s current front-side limit. That figure appeared in the original proposal; the signed substitute changed it to 50%.

Who can certify the medical need?

Section 4313(d) provides an exception when a person possesses a statement signed by a licensed practitioner of medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine, or optometry, verifying that tinted windows are medically necessary for the vehicle’s owner or usual operator. Statutory medical exception.

The statute does not give a list of diagnoses that automatically qualify. A preference for privacy or darker-looking windows is not the medical verification it requires. Discuss your actual light-related symptoms and needs with an eligible practitioner rather than treating the waiver as a way around the standard limit.

How to apply through Delaware DMV

Delaware DMV uses an online application followed by medical certification and an upload. You do not start by collecting a secure paper form at a DMV office; that older process ended in 2022. Follow the DMV’s current medical tint waiver instructions:

1. Prepare your vehicle information. Have your registration cards available, make sure the title and registration are in your name, and check that the registration shows your current address. You also need access to a printer.
2. Start the application on the DMV page. Enter your first name, last name and email address, then select Initial/New Tint Waiver Request.
3. Complete the required information and submit it. DMV emails you the completed application and an upload link.
4. Print the application and obtain medical certification. Take it to your eligible practitioner to be signed and certified.
5. Upload the certified application using the link in DMV’s email. Submitting the initial online request alone does not complete the certification step. Before relying on a DMV waiver, confirm that DMV has approved your request.

DMV also provides for requests involving a non-owner usual operator and/or a passenger in your household. Its instructions say you will need that person’s Delaware identification number, driver license number and date of birth. Because the statutory exception names the owner or usual operator, confirm eligibility with DMV if your request depends on a passenger’s medical need.

Adding a vehicle to an existing waiver

Choose Add New/Additional Vehicle(s) to An Existing Approved Tint Waiver in the same online process. DMV says you can add up to four additional vehicles per application without another physician visit, provided it can validate your current medical waiver on file. The vehicles must meet the application’s ownership and registration requirements. DMV vehicle-addition instructions.

Do not assume an existing waiver automatically covers a newly purchased vehicle. Complete the vehicle-addition process and keep the signed medical statement and DMV waiver documentation accessible in the vehicle; the statutory exception depends on possessing the signed statement.

Before booking installation, show the installer your documentation and agree on the windows and tint specification. Ask for the installed windows’ VLT measurements rather than relying only on a film’s shade name. If you want windshield film or especially dark front-side tint, confirm the scope of your medical documentation with DMV first—not just with the tint shop. For the broader legislative changes, see our 2026 tint-law update.