Is It Legal To Tint My Windshield In Florida?

    The windshield is usually the largest window in a vehicle, allowing a lot of light, and therefore heat, to enter the vehicle. We get requests on a daily basis for window tinting a cars windshield, but there seems to be a wide misconception on what window film is legal for windshield installation.


    The most common windshield tint installation is a visor strip, or an "eye-brow". This is installed on the top portion of the windshield and acts as a glare reducer, shielding drivers from harsh glare and making driving in the sun more comfortable. Florida law states that the visor strip can be installed "so long as such material is transparent and does not encroach upon the driver's direct forward viewing area as more particularly described and defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Nos. 205 and 128 as the AS/1 portion of the windshield." The AS-1 line can be found on most vehicles near the upper corner, or less commonly in the middle near the rear view mirror.

What tint is legal on my windshield. This is a view of a vehicles AS-1 marking.

  If your vehicle does not have markings delineating the AS-1 portion of the windshield, than common practice is 5" inches down from the top of the windshield.

 

Can I Tint The Whole Windshield?

   Our new ceramic window films are very light, and can allow 70% light transmission and block over 45% of the suns heat coming in, so is it legal to tint my whole windshield with this? Short answer is NO. Although the new ceramic films are practically clear, according to Florida state law the only window tint above the AS-1 line is allowed.

    From Florida Statute:

316.2952 Windshields; requirements; restrictions.

          A person shall not operate any motor vehicle on any public highway, road, or street with any sign, sunscreening material, product, or covering attached to, or located in or upon, the windshield[....]so long as such material is transparent and does not encroach upon the driver's direct forward viewing area as more particularly described and defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Nos. 205 and 128 as the AS/1 portion of the windshield.

As do all window tinting shops, we get requests everyday for illegal window tint, especially for the windshields. Requests for dark films (under 50%) are ridiculous, dangerous and obviously illegal. However, light ceramic films are inconspicuous, don't impede on a drivers view day or night, and block harmful UV and solar radiation. Although these ceramic views are, according to Florida state law, illegal, it is hard to see how these light films effect drivers in a negative way.

  Whatever you choose for your vehicle, know the law. You can be ticketed up to $116 per window for any illegal window tinting. You can also be sued and denied insurance coverage should you be involved in a traffic accident.

Read the full Florida Window Tinting Statue here