Window Tint Laws in Quebec
The current window tint limits in Quebec, 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 Quebec?
- Front side windows
- 70% (glass + film combined, measured by the SAAQ)
- Back side windows
- Any darkness
- Rear window
- Any darkness
- Windshield
- Top 15 cm strip only
- Medical exemption
- Not available
Measured against the other jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 0 require a lighter film than Quebec does and 1 allow a darker one. The identical front-side figure applies in New Brunswick, Yukon.
Worth knowing: The SAAQ measures the combined reading, so most films fail on already-tinted factory glass.
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.
Quebec: current tint limits
Medical exemption: not offered in this jurisdiction.
The SAAQ measures the combined reading, so most films fail on already-tinted factory glass.
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.
Quebec 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 Quebec.
| Jurisdiction | Front side windows | Back side windows | Rear window | Windshield | Medical exemption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 70% (glass + film combined, measured by the SAAQ) | Any darkness | Any darkness | Top 15 cm strip only | None |
| New Brunswick | 70% | Any darkness | Any darkness | 70%+ transmittance required | Available |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No film allowed | Any darkness | Any darkness | No tint allowed | None |
| Ontario | No film allowed (vehicles made after Jan 1, 2017) | Any darkness | Any darkness | No aftermarket tint | None |
| Maine | 35% | Any with dual mirrors | Any with dual mirrors | Strip above the AS-1 line; no reflective film | Available |
| New Hampshire | 70% | 35% | 35% | No aftermarket windshield tint | Available |
| New York | 70% | 70% on sedans, wagons, coupes, hatchbacks and convertibles; no limit if the vehicle is classified MPV or truck | Any darkness with dual side mirrors, otherwise 70% | 70%, except the uppermost 6 inches | Available |
| Vermont | No aftermarket film (medical exemption only) | Any with dual mirrors | Any with dual mirrors | No aftermarket tint | 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.
Quebec tint law questions, answered
What is the legal tint limit in Quebec?
Front side windows: 70% (glass + film combined, measured by the SAAQ). Back side windows: Any darkness. Rear window: Any darkness. 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 Quebec?
Not on the front side windows: Quebec requires them to pass at least 70% of light, and 5% film blocks far more than that. Behind the driver the answer flips: Quebec 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 Quebec?
The darkest legal film on the front side windows in Quebec is 70% VLT under the headline figure; the full front-side rule above has the details. Of the shades shops commonly stock, 70% passes there, while 50%, 35%, 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 Quebec?
No. Quebec has no medical exemption process, so a physician's letter does not authorize film darker than the standard limit.
What does Quebec allow on the windshield?
Top 15 cm strip only. 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 Quebec stricter than other states on window tint?
Quebec requires 70% (glass + film combined, measured by the SAAQ) on the front side windows. Of the jurisdictions that publish a numeric limit, 0 require a lighter film than that and 1 allow darker. The same front-side figure applies in New Brunswick, Yukon.
Is there anything unusual about the Quebec rule?
The SAAQ measures the combined reading, so most films fail on already-tinted factory glass.