Window Tint Laws in Hawaii
The current window tint limits in Hawaii, 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 Hawaii?
- Front side windows
- 35%
- Back side windows
- Any darkness (2025 law)
- Rear window
- Any darkness (2025 law)
- Windshield
- No tint below the AS-1 line
- Medical exemption
- Not available
Measured against the other jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 13 require a lighter film than Hawaii does and 16 allow a darker one. The identical front-side figure applies in Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky.
Worth knowing: 2025 Act 129 opened rear windows to any darkness and raised penalties. No medical exemption.
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.
Hawaii: current tint limits
Medical exemption: not offered in this jurisdiction.
2025 Act 129 opened rear windows to any darkness and raised penalties. No medical exemption.
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.
Hawaii compared with bordering jurisdictions
Hawaii shares no land border with another jurisdiction, so the limits above are the only ones that apply until the vehicle is shipped off the islands.
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.
Hawaii tint law questions, answered
What is the legal tint limit in Hawaii?
Front side windows: 35%. Back side windows: Any darkness (2025 law). Rear window: Any darkness (2025 law). 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 Hawaii?
Not on the front side windows: Hawaii requires them to pass at least 35% of light, and 5% film blocks far more than that. Behind the driver the answer flips: Hawaii sets no darkness floor on the back side or rear windows, so 5% limo film is fine there, subject to the mirror and vehicle-type conditions noted in the table.
What is the darkest legal tint in Hawaii?
The darkest legal film on the front side windows in Hawaii is 35% VLT. Of the shades shops commonly stock, 70%, 50% and 35% pass there, while 20% and 5% do not. Behind the driver there is no floor at all, so the darkest film available is legal on the back side and rear glass. A lower VLT number is a darker window.
Is a medical exemption for darker tint available in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii has no medical exemption process, so a physician's letter does not authorize film darker than the standard limit.
What does Hawaii allow on the windshield?
No tint below the AS-1 line. 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 Hawaii stricter than other states on window tint?
Hawaii requires 35% on the front side windows. Of the jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 13 require a lighter film than that and 16 allow darker. The same front-side figure applies in Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas.
Is there anything unusual about the Hawaii rule?
2025 Act 129 opened rear windows to any darkness and raised penalties. No medical exemption.