Legal Louisiana Tint Limits for Cars, SUVs, and Trucks

Louisiana requires a finished visible light transmission of at least 25% on front side windows. The change from 40% to 25% took effect August 1, 2025, so sources that still show a 40% statewide minimum are outdated. Louisiana’s Act 143 résumé digest confirms the new percentage and effective date.

Enter the glass and film VLT; the calculator estimates the finished reading against the applicable Louisiana limit.

Louisiana Tint Limits at a Glance

Window or specification	Passenger car	Truck or multipurpose passenger vehicle
Windshield	Non-red or amber strip on top 5 inches only	Same
Front side windows	25% VLT or higher	25% VLT or higher
Side windows behind driver	25% VLT or higher	No statutory VLT minimum
Rearmost window	12% VLT or higher	No statutory VLT minimum
Luminous reflectance	20% maximum	20% maximum

These limits come from Louisiana Revised Statutes §32:361.1. Its rear-window exception matters because the light-transmission requirements do not apply behind the driver on trucks, buses, trailers, motor homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles. A sedan and an SUV therefore do not necessarily have the same rear-glass limits.

The exception removes the VLT minimum from those rear windows. It does not expressly remove every other requirement. The statute caps a sun-screening device’s luminous reflectance at 20%.

Finished VLT Includes the Glass and Film

VLT is the percentage of visible light that passes through the completed window. Louisiana defines light transmission using the sun-screening product and the glazing, not the film by itself.

That makes a package marked “25%” a poor choice for a window that must finish at 25% or higher. Applied to factory glass that transmits 80% of visible light, nominal 25% film would produce an estimated finished VLT of 20%: 0.80 × 0.25 = 0.20.

That result is below the front-side limit. Even nominal 35% film over 70% glass works out to about 24.5%. See the same issue in practical terms in the guides to 35 percent tint and 20 percent tint.

Louisiana says the minimum percentages include all tolerances. Ask the installer to meter the existing glass and specify the expected net VLT after installation, leaving some margin above the legal floor. The shade printed on a film box is not the finished legal reading.

Windshield Tint Is Limited to a Five-Inch Strip

Without an applicable exemption, Louisiana permits transparent sun-screening material only on the topmost portion of the windshield, extending no more than five inches down from the top. That material cannot be red or amber.

The ordinary rule does not authorize a tinted full windshield, even when the film has relatively high light transmission.

Medical and security exemptions use a separate six-inch windshield boundary. A medical exemption does not extend below the top six inches unless a physician or optometrist specifically authorizes it for a patient diagnosed with light-sensitive porphyria. A security exemption does not apply below the top six inches.

Installer Labels and Mirrors Are Also Required

Louisiana requires an installer label no larger than 1.5 square inches. It must be permanently and legibly installed between the film and each glazing surface to which it applies. The label must identify the installer and the city where the business is located.

The statute separately directs the person applying the material to place the label in the lower-right corner of the driver-side window. Confirm that the shop will install the required labeling rather than supplying a loose sticker after the work is finished.

If dark rear glass obstructs the required view through the interior mirror, Louisiana requires an outside mirror on the right side. The vehicle must otherwise have a left outside mirror. The required mirrors must give the driver a view at least 200 feet behind the vehicle under R.S. §32:354.

Tint may also be checked during a vehicle inspection. New Orleans says tinted windows are tested with an approved tint meter. However, the city’s inspection page still lists the former 40% front-side figure. The amended state statute and Act 143 provide the current statewide percentage.

Medical Exemptions Require State Authorization

A physician’s note by itself does not complete Louisiana’s medical-exemption process. R.S. §32:361.2 requires a qualifying diagnosed condition, an affidavit on the State Police form and state authorization.

The approved affidavit must remain with the person or in the vehicle described by the document. The state also issues a decal that must be displayed.

The Louisiana State Police medical exemption form includes sections for the applicant, a notary and a licensed physician or optometrist. It states that the certificate is nontransferable and that the original must be carried in the vehicle.

Most exemptions are reviewed every three years, although the statute provides different treatment in limited circumstances. If an exempt vehicle is sold or traded, the tint must be removed unless the new owner obtains an exemption.

Security Exemptions Use a Separate Process

Louisiana also provides a security-exemption process. Under R.S. §32:361.3, the vehicle operator must possess the state-issued affidavit describing that vehicle.

Government and law-enforcement vehicles used for official business receive separate treatment. A medical affidavit does not substitute for a security-exemption document, and neither process makes an exemption automatically transferable to another vehicle or owner.

Illegal Tint Can Bring Fines Up to $350

For someone operating a Louisiana-registered vehicle in violation of §32:361.1, the statute sets the following maximum fines:

• $150 for a first offense
• $250 for a second offense
• $350 for a third or later offense

Sellers, installers, manufacturers and distributors face separate, higher penalties. Before paying for film, have the shop write the promised finished VLT for each window on the work order and confirm that the required installer labels are included.