Window Tint Laws in Colorado
The current window tint limits in Colorado, verified August 2026. Where a figure is given it is a minimum visible light transmission for the glass and film measured together, so a higher percentage requires a lighter film.
What is the legal tint in Colorado?
- Front side windows
- 27%
- Back side windows
- 27% (any if front + windshield allow 70%+)
- Rear window
- 27% (same exception)
- Windshield
- Strip above the AS-1 line; no reflective film
- Medical exemption
- Not available
Measured against the other jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 39 require a lighter film than Colorado does and 7 allow a darker one. The identical front-side figure applies in South Carolina.
Worth knowing: No medical exemption process exists in Colorado.
Use the checker below to switch jurisdictions, or see every state and province side by side.
Verified August 2026 · General information, not legal advice — always confirm with your DMV, provincial authority, or installer before applying film.
Colorado: current tint limits
Medical exemption: not offered in this jurisdiction.
No medical exemption process exists in Colorado.
Our listed installers currently cover New York and New Jersey, with more regions on the way. Browse the full directory — every shop page states the city it serves and the limits it installs to.
Colorado compared with bordering jurisdictions
Tint is enforced where you are stopped, not where it was installed, so a legal install at home can be a ticket one line over. These are the jurisdictions sharing a land border with Colorado.
| Jurisdiction | Front side windows | Back side windows | Rear window | Windshield | Medical exemption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 27% | 27% (any if front + windshield allow 70%+) | 27% (same exception) | Strip above the AS-1 line; no reflective film | None |
| Arizona | 33% | Any darkness | Any with dual mirrors | Strip above the AS-1 line; no red or amber | Available |
| Kansas | 35% | 35% | 35% | Strip above the AS-1 line; no red/yellow/amber | Available |
| Nebraska | 35% | 20% · any for MPVs/vans | 20% · any for MPVs | Strip above the AS-1 line; no red/yellow/amber | None |
| New Mexico | 20% — the darkest front-side allowance in the U.S. | 20% · any for MPVs/vans | 20% · any for MPVs | Top 5-inch strip or AS-1 line; no red/yellow/amber | Available |
| Oklahoma | 25% | 25% · any for MPVs with dual mirrors | 25% · any for MPVs | Strip above the AS-1 line | Available |
| Utah | 35% (lowered from 43% in May 2025) | Any darkness | Any with dual mirrors | Strip above the AS-1 line | Available |
| Wyoming | 28% | 28% · any for SUVs/pickups/vans | 28% · any for MPVs | Top 5-inch strip or AS-1 line | Available |
Comparing more than the neighbors? The complete tables for all 50 states, D.C. and the 13 Canadian provinces and territories are on one page.
How to read these numbers
Three details trip up more drivers than the percentages themselves. First, the limit applies to the combined reading of glass plus film, and factory glass is never perfectly clear, so a film's box rating always overstates what a meter will read on the car. Second, the windshield is its own category everywhere: below the AS-1 line (the small marking near the top corner of the glass), meaningful tint is illegal across both countries, whatever the side windows allow. Third, reflectivity is regulated separately from darkness, and mirrored or metallic film fails in most jurisdictions even at a legal VLT.
Sources: state statutes and DMV publications including NY VTL §375(12-a), Cal. Vehicle Code §26708, Texas Transp. Code §547.613, La. R.S. 32:361.1 (as amended 2025), Iowa HF 766 (2026), NH RSA 266:58-a, the SAAQ's Quebec standards, and provincial highway traffic regulations, cross-checked against 2026-current legal references. Last verified August 2026. Spot an error? Email info@carwraps.net.
Colorado tint law questions, answered
What is the legal tint limit in Colorado?
Front side windows: 27%. Back side windows: 27% (any if front + windshield allow 70%+). Rear window: 27% (same exception). Where a figure is given it is a minimum VLT, meaning the share of light that must still pass through the glass and film together, so a higher number requires a lighter film.
Is 5% limo tint legal in Colorado?
Not on the front side windows: Colorado requires them to pass at least 27% of light, and 5% film blocks far more than that. Behind the driver the rules carry conditions, so check the back side and rear window rows above: 5% film only passes where a row allows any darkness.
What is the darkest legal tint in Colorado?
The darkest legal film on the front side windows in Colorado is 27% VLT. Of the shades shops commonly stock, 70%, 50% and 35% pass there, while 20% and 5% do not. Behind the driver the darkest legal shade depends on the back side and rear window rows listed above. A lower VLT number is a darker window.
Is a medical exemption for darker tint available in Colorado?
No. Colorado has no medical exemption process, so a physician's letter does not authorize film darker than the standard limit.
What does Colorado allow on the windshield?
Strip above the AS-1 line; no reflective film. The windshield is regulated separately from side glass everywhere in North America, so whatever shade is legal on the doors says nothing about what is permitted up front.
Is Colorado stricter than other states on window tint?
Colorado requires 27% on the front side windows. Of the jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 39 require a lighter film than that and 7 allow darker. The same front-side figure applies in South Carolina.
Is there anything unusual about the Colorado rule?
No medical exemption process exists in Colorado.