New Jersey’s Tint Exemption Bill Is Still a Proposal
A5547 would create tint exemptions for specified officials and covered households—not all drivers. Check its status and New Jersey’s current medical process.
New Jersey’s A5547 has not become a general permission to tint front windows. As of October 28, 2026, the Legislature’s bill record lists its September 24 introduction and referral to the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee, with no later passage or enactment recorded. It would create an application-based exemption for specified officials and other covered people—not all motorists. Official A5547 status.
For an installation today, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission still says windshield and front-side-window tint requires a medical exemption, and you must receive MVC approval before installation. A pending bill is not an exemption document. MVC sunscreening guidance.
Who would qualify under A5547?
The introduced bill separates eligible people into two groups:
| Proposed category | Who the text includes |
|---|---|
| Elected officials | New Jersey’s governor, U.S. senators representing New Jersey, and U.S. House members elected from New Jersey |
| Covered people | Active, formerly active or retired judicial officers, law-enforcement officers, child-protective investigators in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, and prosecutors; plus immediate family members living in the same household as those people |
For covered people, “immediate family member” includes a spouse, child, parent or another family member related by blood or law. The household requirement matters: being related to a covered person would not, by itself, establish eligibility. A5547 introduced text, section 1(a).
The phrase “elected officials” is narrower than it sounds. The introduced definition does not list state legislators, mayors or gubernatorial Cabinet members. Nor does it separately extend the household-family category to every elected official. Eligibility should be checked against the actual definitions, not a headline describing an exemption for “officials and families.” A5547 definitions.
What permission would the bill provide?
The owner or lessee of a vehicle driven by—or regularly used to transport—an eligible person could apply to the MVC chief administrator for permission to tint its windshield and windows. However, the application language also requires certification of the applicant’s own eligibility. An owner transporting someone else should not assume that the transport provision alone guarantees approval. A5547, sections 1(b)–(c).
The proposed process would require:
- A written certification of eligibility.
- Government-issued identification or other eligibility proof accepted by MVC.
- MVC approval and an authorization card valid for no more than 48 months.
- Presentation of that card when requested by a law-enforcement officer.
The bill proposes a $100 fine for failing to display the required card. For a government or elected official charged with that violation, the text allows a municipal court judge to dismiss the charge if the official produces a card valid on the day of the charge; court costs could still be imposed. The bill also directs MVC to adopt implementing rules. A5547, sections 1(c)–(f).
It does not specify a new consumer tint percentage
The introduced text refers to “the minimum light transmittance as required by federal law”; it does not state a numerical visible-light-transmission (VLT) allowance. Do not read that wording as permission to order 5%, 20% or 35% film—or as an unrestricted-darkness exemption. The permitted installation would need to be established through the applicable requirements and MVC authorization. A5547, section 1(b).
Assemblyman Kenyatta Stewart, the sponsor, described the proposal to WRNJ as an additional protection for public officials and their families against targeting. That is the sponsor’s rationale, not a finding that a particular film provides a proven security benefit. WRNJ’s report.
What drivers can do now
If you need front-window sunscreening for medical reasons, use the existing MVC process:
- Complete MVC Sunscreening 1, including the physician section, and submit it with a valid prescription.
- Wait for approval. Qualifying applicants receive a temporary approval valid for 60 days and an installation-confirmation form. Keep the temporary approval in the vehicle at all times.
- Take those documents to an MVC-listed licensed sunscreening facility and have the installer complete and sign the confirmation.
- Return the confirmation to MVC. The permanent approval is valid for 48 months and must be renewed. Keep it in the vehicle at all times and show it when requested by law enforcement or for vehicle inspection.
The forms, submission instructions and licensed-facility list are on the MVC medical sunscreening page.
If you hope to qualify under A5547 instead, check the official bill record for later action before booking front-window work. The introduced bill says it would take effect immediately if enacted, but it also requires an application and approval process. Even enactment would not make a job title or family connection a substitute for MVC authorization.