Window Tint Laws in North Dakota
The current window tint limits in North Dakota, 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 North Dakota?
- Front side windows
- 35% (lowered from 50% in Aug 2025)
- Back side windows
- 35% · any with dual mirrors
- Rear window
- 35% · any with dual mirrors
- Windshield
- 70%+ across the windshield
- Medical exemption
- Available
Measured against the other jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 13 require a lighter film than North Dakota does and 16 allow a darker one. The identical front-side figure applies in Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas.
Worth knowing: Factory tint explicitly counts toward the combined measurement.
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.
North Dakota: current tint limits
Medical exemption: available with physician certification — paperwork generally must be carried in the vehicle.
Factory tint explicitly counts toward the combined measurement.
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.
North Dakota 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 North Dakota.
| Jurisdiction | Front side windows | Back side windows | Rear window | Windshield | Medical exemption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 35% (lowered from 50% in Aug 2025) | 35% · any with dual mirrors | 35% · any with dual mirrors | 70%+ across the windshield | Available |
| Minnesota | 50% | 50% (some vehicle types exempt) | 50% (some types exempt) | No aftermarket tint | Available |
| Montana | 24% | 14% · any for MPVs/vans | 14% · any for MPVs | Strip above the AS-1 line; no red/yellow/amber | Available |
| South Dakota | 35% | 20% | 20% | Strip above the AS-1 line | Available |
| Manitoba | 50% | Any darkness | Any darkness | Top 12.7 cm strip only | Available |
| Saskatchewan | No film allowed | No explicit limit | No explicit limit | No tint allowed | None |
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.
North Dakota tint law questions, answered
What is the legal tint limit in North Dakota?
Front side windows: 35% (lowered from 50% in Aug 2025). Back side windows: 35% · any with dual mirrors. Rear window: 35% · any with dual mirrors. 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 North Dakota?
Not on the front side windows: North Dakota requires them to pass at least 35% 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 North Dakota?
The darkest legal film on the front side windows in North Dakota is 35% VLT under the headline figure; the full front-side rule above has the details. 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 North Dakota?
Yes. North Dakota provides a medical exemption route for documented photosensitivity conditions. The paperwork has to travel in the vehicle, and an exemption attaches to the person's own car rather than to any car they drive.
What does North Dakota allow on the windshield?
70%+ across the windshield. 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 North Dakota stricter than other states on window tint?
North Dakota requires 35% (lowered from 50% in Aug 2025) 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, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois.
Is there anything unusual about the North Dakota rule?
Factory tint explicitly counts toward the combined measurement.