Connecticut Window Tint

Are you looking for information about Connecticut automobile tint laws? This guide will give you the key facts you need to know to have legal tint as well as in-depth coverage of Connecticut tint laws.

Tint For Windows Car in Connecticut

Connecticut window tint law — key facts

Year law enacted: 1994
Tint length on front windshield: down to line which is 29 inches from that point which is 5 inches up from the bottom of the backrest
Front side window VLT: 35%
Back side window VLT: 35%
Back windshield VLT: 35%
Front side window reflectivity: 27%
Back side window reflectivity: 21%
Restricted colors: red, amber
Medical exemption: yes
Tolerance: 3%

What the Law Says

Connecticut window tinting law can be found in Connecticut General Statute § 14-99g, and provides in relevant part:

Definitions. Tinted or reflectorized windows. Obstruction of view prohibited. Exceptions. Sale or delivery of motor vehicles having tinted or reflectorized windowsprohibited. Stickers required. Penalty. Window tinting businesses. Regulations.

No person may operate any motor vehicle which has any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed or applied in or on such vehicle in a manner so as to obstruct or reduce the operator’s clear and full view of the road through the front windshield or the side or rear windows, except as provided in subsection (c) of this section…Any person required for medical reasons to be shielded from direct rays of the sun or any person operating a motor vehicle belonging to such person or in which such person is a usual passenger shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection. Applications for such exemption based upon such medical reason shall be made in writing to the commissioner and shall be supported by the written documentation of a physician or optometrist licensed to practice in this state.
The provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall not apply to:
Front side wing vents and windows which are not mirror-like in appearance and have a substance or material in conjunction with glazing material that has a total light transmission of not less than thirty-five per cent plus or minus three per cent and a luminous reflectance of twenty-seven per cent plus or minus three per cent;…
The right and left side windows behind the driver and the rearmost window which shall not be mirror-like in appearance, having a substance or material in conjunction with glazing material that has a total light transmission of not less than thirty-five per cent plus or minus three per cent and a luminous reflectance of twenty-one per cent to plus or minus three per cent;
The windows behind the driver on any truck, motor bus, trailer, mobile manufactured home, or multipurpose passenger vehicle, as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Section 571.3, as amended from time to time, provided said vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on the left and right-hand sides which are so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet to the rear of such motor vehicle;….
The rearmost window or windows, provided the motor vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on the left and right-hand sides of the vehicle which are so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet to the rear of such motor vehicle;
Transparent material which is installed, affixed or applied to the topmost portion of the windshield, provided:
(A) The bottom edge of the material is at least twenty-nine inches above the undepressed driver’s seat when measured from a point five inches in front of the bottom of the backrest with the driver’s seat in its rearmost and lowermost position with the vehicle on a level surface and (B) the material is not red or amber in color…

What This Means

Tinting on the front side windows must have a light transmission of at least 35%, plus or minus 3%, and a light reflectance of not more than 27%, plus or minus 3%.

Tinting on the rear side windows and rear windshield must have a light transmission of at least 35%, plus or minus 3%, and a light reflectance of not more than 21%, plus or minus 3%.

percentage of window tint

Tinting on the rear windshield may allow for less light transmission or more light reflectance, as long as the vehicle has left and ride side view mirrors which allow the driver to see for at least 200 feet behind the vehicle.

Tinting applied to the front windshield may not be red or amber in color, must be at the very top of the window, and can only extend down to a point that can be measured by:

Parking the vehicle on a flat surface.
Putting the driver’s seat as low and as far back as it will go.
Measuring up 5 inches from the bottom of the backrest and marking the point.
Measuring up 29 inches from that point.

Exceptions to the Window Tinting Laws

Connecticut window tinting laws do not apply to the rear side or back windows of trucks, buses, trailers, and mobile homes.

Those with a medical condition requiring that they be shielded from the sun may apply, in writing, to the commissioner for an exemption for their own vehicle or any in which they are a frequent passenger. Applications must be accompanied by a signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist.