The Most Complete Guide to Maryland’s Darkest Legal Tint

Tint Laws in Maryland

Maryland tint laws are relatively strict when it comes to window tinting, because the weather in this state is not trusted to be too hot even during the hottest summer months. The tinted windows are meant to provide solar protection and keep the automobiles cool in the summer months, but they must also comply with strict rules.
A couple of years ago, those rules changed and clarified the tint laws for Maryland window tint. A bit more leeway was given to owners.
As this point, no vehicles in Maryland can legally be tinted above the front windshield. There may be a slight degree of tinting above the AS-1 line set by the manufacturer, but this ruling is disputable and may be denied to some.
The laws are different for the windows at the front of a vehicle. Those may have up to 35 percent tint on the driver and passenger windows, and up to 20 percent on the rear windows of the vehicle. However, you may be required to pass a test to ensure that the tint fits within the legal limits. Tinted windshields are not permitted on Maryland vehicles.
While other states allow tinting on windshields, Maryland law does not permit this for standard vehicles, as some others do . It is the only place where the rules are so vastly different from the rest of the country. In fact, even recently these rules were questioned for their validity.
You have to be very cautious when you decide to use window tint, but it isn’t illegal in many areas. Of course, here in Maryland, using it on the front is not permitted, but on the back side and rear windows, you can have darker tinting. You also cannot have a tinted windshield.
Tinting only became legal in Maryland for SUVs, vans, and trucks about a year ago. In October of 2014, the law changed to permit non-reflective tint on light trucks, vans, and buses. An important document in this process was Hon. Barry G. Williams, a Maryland circuit court judge who rules that these vehicles were, in fact, street legal.
Other types of vehicles, such as passenger cars, simply don’t have the option of any tinted windows. That is an issue that several states have recently had to deal with in revising their own laws and permitting certain window tinting for selected types of vehicles, and now, Maryland has done the same.

What is the darkest Shade Allowed by Law

The darkest legal tint in Maryland is essentially broken down by vehicle type. For passenger cars, the front windshield is limited to tint that allows 35% light to pass through, or "VLT", as it is known in the industry. The windows immediately next to the driver and passenger must allow 35% VLT. The rear windows of passenger vehicles are usually permitted 20% VLT. However, factory tinted windows usually come around 18% VLT. Thus, with the factory tint, the rear windows would be considered legal.
However, because the rear windows of most passenger vehicles have factory tint, it is not a problem to tint the front windows of those vehicles to 35% VLT. Many officers will even agree that 35% is very similar to what comes already factory tinted into the back windows. For example, a Lincoln Town Car normally comes from the factory with the rear windows heavily tinted. In this situation, putting tint on the front windows to 35% is hardly discernable from the factory tint.
For SUVs and vans, the front windshield are permitted 35% VLT. The driver and front passenger windows are permitted 35% VLT. However, the rear windows are permitted to be tinted to 5% VLT. Most SUVs, such as a Chevy Suburban, come with factory tint that is either 15% or 20%. Many officers fall on the side of discretion, and typically do not enforce the tint statute on the front windows of an SUV that came from the factory with 15% tint all the way around.
For trucks, the trucks can be tinted to 20% or 5% on all of the windows. It is important to understand that a truck does not include a pickup truck. This becomes significant if you drive a Target or Pepsi truck. A Pepsi truck is a delivery vehicle that usually has the Pepsi logo plastered on the side. That Pepsi delivery truck is considered a truck under the law. If that truck is pulled over for a seatbelt violation, the officer may notice that it is licensed as a truck and ask that the front windshield tint be removed. Similarly, if the car looks like a truck but is licensed as a passenger vehicle, an officer may not notice the tint mistake. As you will see below, this is an example of a legal tint mistake.

Reason for the enforcement of Window tint Laws

It is essential to understand why Maryland and other states have stringent laws regarding the darkness of window tint. The primary reasons painted out by the law enforcement agencies regard:

Safety – Drivers and passengers in a vehicle with overly tinted windows cannot see oncoming cars or pedestrians. This increases the chances of dangerous car accidents.
Visibility – It is especially hard to see brake lights and traffic lights when they are obscured by dark tint. This can also lead to auto accidents.
Law Enforcement – A police officer cannot see the driver or the occupants of a stopped car if dark tint is on the windows. This is both a safety issue for the officer and an issue for the general public. It also decreases the ability to identify who is in a car wanted for questioning or in an Amber Alert.
Emergency Evacuation – If a car needs to be evacuated through a driver’s side window due to an emergency, tinted windows hinder the process and put people in more danger.

Penalties for illegal tinting

The fines and penalties for violating Maryland’s window tint laws vary somewhat by county and jurisdiction, but in general, they tend to be well over $100 for the initial violation of Maryland Transportation Article § 22-406. The law titled "Windows; limitations on use" is something that the police pull people over for fairly frequently, and it is important for motorists in Maryland to be aware of what the penalties can be in their localities.
In Washington County, Maryland, there is a fine of $140 per violation. Additionally, a third or subsequent violation of any part of the Maryland window tint laws results not only in an additional fine, but also an automatic suspension of the motorist’s right to legally operate a vehicle for a period of 90 days. This penalty is a bit unusual and may not be found in other jurisdictions, but it is as stated in the current Washington County citation book (2010).
Montgomery County, however, is a bit different from most of the rest of Maryland, in that it prevents law enforcement officers from giving out citations for any violation other than excessive tint darkness or the windshield tinting law. A violation is considered excessive when the tint is applied in any way that reduces the light transmittance of the window by more than 35%.
Prince George’s County has not begun giving out citations for windshield tinting violations yet, a fact expected to change beginning next year. Notes stated at the bottom of the Prince George’s County citation handbook for 2010 state that "There are no Maryland Tint Law violations that have penalties assigned for Prince George’s County at this time."
The Maryland State Police and other police agencies throughout the state provide thorough information on tinted window laws, so it is possible to check up on local laws fairly easily and definitively. However, the only way the tinted window laws can truly be enforced is through traffic stops, meaning that avoiding the fine will depend largely on the police’s busy schedule for the day.

Window Tint Exemptions and Special Codes

Exemptions for the darkest legal tint in Maryland include a general waiver for medical conditions and other circumstances that may produce similar symptoms. If your eye doctor believes your medical condition requires tinted windows, he or she can stipulate you need prescription or non-prescription dark tint on your vehicle and/or other exemptions for the blackout tint laws in Maryland.
Examples of what your eye doctor might say:
Mr. Smith has chronic migraines. Excessive sunlight exposure leads to severe abnormalities in his ability to process visual stimuli, headaches and vertigo consistent with severe effects of migraines. Mr. Smith requires significantly darker tint on all auto windows to prevent significant medical, physical and psychological trauma.
Mr. Jones was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition . Although it is currently manageable with corrective surgery and/or glasses, his condition will flare up as his doctors monitor it. In periods of flare-up auto glare will induce considerable stress to his eyes, and he is at risk of losing eyesight in the affected eye. For this reason, Mr. Jones needs tinted films on all auto windows to help manage symptoms caused by UV and environmental light.
These are not the only conditions which might qualify for tinted window exemptions, but they are some of the most common examples. Certain conditions are more common and appropriate than others, like pterygium, pinguecula, ptosis, blepharospasm and eyedrops. Depending on your eye condition, your doctor might be familiar with tinted window reminders specifically for your condition.
If you are uncertain if your situation qualifies, speak to your doctor about possible tinted window exemptions.

Choosing a Window Tint Compliance Shop

If you are considering going the darkest allowable tint option (which is always either 35% windshield and 20% driver and passenger or 20% windshield and 12% driver and passenger), you will have two options to legally tint your car windows. One is to personally apply approved tint from an approved vendor located in Maryland such as my company Maryland Window Tinting, LLC. The second option is to hire an authorized vendor to install the tint professionally. If you choose to go with a professional installer, it is recommended that you consider the following criteria when deciding who will be applying window tint to your vehicle:

Has the tint shop obtained their window tint certification from MVA?
What kind of guarantee and warranty do you get if the tint shop fails to install the tint legally or do a clean job?
Ask to see the tint law printouts for the shop’s cars, because they will have been pulled over at least once for this offense. See if the printouts match the legal specifications for the window film they have on their cars.
How long has the company been in business?

These are just a few of the questions that you should be asking before choosing a compliance tint shop for your vehicle.

Window Tint FAQ

Exactly what percentage of light is legal here in Maryland?
The law is a bit ambiguous on this subject. The law makes reference to the amount of "visible light" but never really clarifies. The window film industry standards refer to 35% light, but that is somewhat misleading as it pertains to our state’s law.
Besides the windows of the driver and passenger doors, can any window in the back of a sedan be tinted?
The law does not clearly spell out whether tint on back side windows and rear window of sedans is permissible or not. However, it must be noted that vehicles with factory tint that appears dark, such as a Chrysler 300 or Lexus SUV with tinted glass, are permitted to be tinted dark. Therefore, it can be concluded that the law allows the entirety of sedans to be tinted dark.
Is the law enforced by police officers, or are only inspections stations required to adhere to it?
All parties are responsible for the law , but the primary enforcement is by police officers. A dark window sticker must be affixed to the driver’s side of the windshield to indicate that legal window tint is in place.
Is there a procedure in place for vehicles that have had legal window tint applied but later become illegal due to changes in the law?
No, any vehicles that are currently legal will continue to be legal, regardless of changes to the law.
Can you purchase tint from an out-of-state store that installed the tint in accordance with the law?
No, tint must be installed by an authorized dealer that is certified for Maryland’s law. Furthermore, Maryland inspection stations always require tint verification via stickers, which only certified dealers can provide.
If I acquire a car that had legal tint applied somewhere outside of Maryland, am I required to remove it?
Yes, if a vehicle has had window tint applied anywhere other than Maryland, it must have the tint removed, and then re-tinted by a certified Maryland dealer.