Missouri Window Tint Law 2026
Missouri requires at least 35% on the front side windows. We have not established a published figure for the back side windows and rear window, and this page marks that as a gap rather than implying no limit applies.
As an Amazon Associate, StreetLawful earns from qualifying purchases. Product listings are matched to statutory requirements as we read them — this is not a guarantee of compliance, and we do not test or measure any film ourselves.
Choose a tint level
Our pick at 35% VLT
- 35%VLTIAQWEIAQWE 35% VLT Ceramic Car Window Tint Film 20 in x 20 ft Roll | High Heat Rejection, UV Block, Privacy, Shatterproof, Scratch Resistant & No Signal InterferenceCeramic (nano-ceramic, 5-layer)20″ × 20′ rollRated 35% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
Our pick at 50% VLT
- 50%VLTIAQWEIAQWE 50% VLT Ceramic Car Window Tint Film 20 in x 20 ft Roll | High Heat Rejection, UV Block, Privacy, Shatterproof, Scratch Resistant & No Signal InterferenceCeramic (nano-ceramic, 5-layer)20″ × 20′ rollRated 50% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
Our pick at 70% VLT
- 70%VLTARANAARANA 70% VLT 36"x15FT Ceramic Car Window Tint Film | Keep Car Cool, UV Heat Blocking, Daytime Privacy & Anti-Glare, Scratch Resistant, Phone/GPS Friendly, DIY InstallCeramic (nano-ceramic)36″ × 15′ rollRated 70% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
More options that clear this figure, darkest first
- 35%VLTIAQWEIAQWE 35% VLT Ceramic Car Window Tint Film 20 in x 20 ft Roll | High Heat Rejection, UV Block, Privacy, Shatterproof, Scratch Resistant & No Signal InterferenceCeramic (nano-ceramic, 5-layer)20″ × 20′ rollRated 35% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
- 35%VLTRockRoseRockRose 35% Nano Ceramic Car Window Tint 36 in x 25FT 2PLY Privacy Film Heat Block, 99% UVR, and 85% IRR Block for Auto or Home Strong Adhesive, Easy Shrink, Plotter Friendly - CharcoalCeramic (2-ply nano-ceramic)36″ × 25′ rollRated 35% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
- 50%VLTIAQWEIAQWE 50% VLT Ceramic Car Window Tint Film 20 in x 20 ft Roll | High Heat Rejection, UV Block, Privacy, Shatterproof, Scratch Resistant & No Signal InterferenceCeramic (nano-ceramic, 5-layer)20″ × 20′ rollRated 50% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
- 70%VLTARANAARANA 70% VLT 36"x15FT Ceramic Car Window Tint Film | Keep Car Cool, UV Heat Blocking, Daytime Privacy & Anti-Glare, Scratch Resistant, Phone/GPS Friendly, DIY InstallCeramic (nano-ceramic)36″ × 15′ rollRated 70% VLT — may comply with the 35% requirement for front side windows; verify the installed reading.View on Amazon
Showing 4 of the 12 films we list that clear this figure. Verify before you tint. We match a film’s own rating against the figure in the statute above. We do not measure film, and a manufacturer rating is not a compliance certificate.
The limits at a glance
Missouri sets the same limits for passenger cars and for SUVs, vans and trucks, so there is nothing to switch between.
Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage.
Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage.
Film that may meet the 35% requirement for front side windows
- 35% VLT minimum — measured on the installed glass, film and window togetherRSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read
- This limit is measured on the installed glass, not on the film. Factory glass blocks light on its own, so film rated at or above the figure can still read below it once applied. Treat these as candidates and verify the installed reading.RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read
- This state also restricts film colour: Separate blanket exemption: any vehicle licensed with a historical license plate is exempt from the requirements of this section entirely.RSMo §307.173.5 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read
- This state also caps reflectance for this glass at 35%. Mirrored and metallic films can exceed it regardless of their VLT rating.RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read
Every Missouri tint rule we track
| Rule | Applies to | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windshield strip — how dark the strip may be | All vehicles | No VLT figure is stated for the permitted upper-windshield area — it is carved out of the prohibition entirely rather than capped. The 35% figure in subsection 1 is scoped to the front sidewings and does not reach the windshield.DetailContrast New Hampshire, which states a real 35% figure for its 6-inch strip. Missouri regulates the strip's LOCATION by manufacturer practice and says nothing about its darkness. | RSMo §307.173.2 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “This section shall not prohibit factory-installed tinted glass, the equivalent replacement thereof or tinting material applied to the upper portion of the motor vehicle's windshield which is normally tinted by the manufacturer of motor vehicle safety glass.” |
| Windshield strip — how far down it may extend | All vehicles | The upper portion normally tinted by the manufacturer of motor vehicle safety glass — no measurement statedDetailA FIFTH form of windshield rule in this dataset, and the only one with no measurable boundary at all. Idaho, Kansas, Florida and Washington use the AS-1 line; Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts and New Hampshire use inches from the top; California, Arizona and Connecticut use seat-relative clearance; Virginia references the factory sunshield; Missouri instead defines the permitted area by what manufacturers "normally" tint. That is a moving, vehicle-specific boundary, and no number can be published for it without inventing one. | RSMo §307.173.2 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “This section shall not prohibit factory-installed tinted glass, the equivalent replacement thereof or tinting material applied to the upper portion of the motor vehicle's windshield which is normally tinted by the manufacturer of motor vehicle safety glass.” |
| Windshield below the strip | All vehicles | All sun-screening devices applied to the windshield are prohibited, except as subsection 2 allows (factory-installed tinted glass, its equivalent replacement, or material on the upper portion normally tinted by the manufacturer).DetailA flat prohibition rather than a percentage, so no number is carried. Subsection 2 additionally preserves "labels, stickers, decalcomania, or informational signs on motor vehicles or the application of tinted or solar screening material to recreational vehicles as defined in section 700.010, provided that such material does not interfere with the driver's normal view of the road" — note that the recreational-vehicle allowance is a genuine tint exemption, not a sticker allowance. | RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “Except as provided in subsection 2 of this section, all sun-screening devices applied to the windshield of a motor vehicle are prohibited.” |
| Front side windows | All vehicles | 35% VLT minimum measured on the installed glass + film together DetailScoped to the front sidewing vents and the windows immediately left and right of the driver — the only windows §307.173 gives a percentage to. The "plus or minus three percent" clause is statutory text, not a lab convention, so the practical front floor is 32% and the practical reflectance ceiling 38%. It is recorded in notes rather than in the value because the stated standard is 35%. Minnesota is the only other state observed writing this tolerance into the statute. ASSEMBLY basis stated in the operative text: the regulated object is "a sun-screening device, IN CONJUNCTION WITH safety glazing material", i.e. film plus glass measured together. | RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “Any person may operate a motor vehicle with front sidewing vents or windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material, that has a light transmission of thirty-five percent or more plus or minus three percent and a luminous reflectance of thirty-five percent or less plus or minus three percent.” |
| Back side windows | All vehicles | unclear No published figure Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. RSMo §307.173 addresses only (a) the front sidewing vents and windows immediately left and right of the driver and (b) the windshield. It states NO rule for the rear side windows or the back window. Before recording anything here, the Chapter 307 section list was retrieved separately (research/cache/tint/mo_ch307.txt) and scanned: §307.173 is the ONLY section in chapter 307 whose heading concerns sun-screening, tinting or window glazing. That makes a rear restriction unlikely, but this is recorded as a GAP rather than NO_RESTRICTION because the standard for NO_RESTRICTION in this dataset is an AFFIRMATIVELY confirmed absence — a statute that says so, as Pennsylvania's Table X does with "No Requirement". Missouri never says it; the section is simply silent, and silence in one chapter is not proof that no rule exists elsewhere in the code or in Department of Revenue regulations. Phase 1b should check ch. 304 and the DOR rules before promoting this to NO_RESTRICTION. | — |
| Rear window | All vehicles | unclear No published figure Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. RSMo §307.173 addresses only (a) the front sidewing vents and windows immediately left and right of the driver and (b) the windshield. It states NO rule for the rear side windows or the back window. Before recording anything here, the Chapter 307 section list was retrieved separately (research/cache/tint/mo_ch307.txt) and scanned: §307.173 is the ONLY section in chapter 307 whose heading concerns sun-screening, tinting or window glazing. That makes a rear restriction unlikely, but this is recorded as a GAP rather than NO_RESTRICTION because the standard for NO_RESTRICTION in this dataset is an AFFIRMATIVELY confirmed absence — a statute that says so, as Pennsylvania's Table X does with "No Requirement". Missouri never says it; the section is simply silent, and silence in one chapter is not proof that no rule exists elsewhere in the code or in Department of Revenue regulations. Phase 1b should check ch. 304 and the DOR rules before promoting this to NO_RESTRICTION. | — |
| Reflectivity — front side windows | All vehicles | 35% reflectance maximumDetailMissouri sets the transmission floor and the reflectance ceiling at the same figure, 35% — different quantities sharing a number, as in Nebraska and Massachusetts. The "plus or minus three percent" clause is statutory text, not a lab convention, so the practical front floor is 32% and the practical reflectance ceiling 38%. It is recorded in notes rather than in the value because the stated standard is 35%. Minnesota is the only other state observed writing this tolerance into the statute. | RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “that has a light transmission of thirty-five percent or more plus or minus three percent and a luminous reflectance of thirty-five percent or less plus or minus three percent.” |
| Reflectivity — back side windows | All vehicles | unclear No published figure Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. RSMo §307.173 addresses only (a) the front sidewing vents and windows immediately left and right of the driver and (b) the windshield. It states NO rule for the rear side windows or the back window. Before recording anything here, the Chapter 307 section list was retrieved separately (research/cache/tint/mo_ch307.txt) and scanned: §307.173 is the ONLY section in chapter 307 whose heading concerns sun-screening, tinting or window glazing. That makes a rear restriction unlikely, but this is recorded as a GAP rather than NO_RESTRICTION because the standard for NO_RESTRICTION in this dataset is an AFFIRMATIVELY confirmed absence — a statute that says so, as Pennsylvania's Table X does with "No Requirement". Missouri never says it; the section is simply silent, and silence in one chapter is not proof that no rule exists elsewhere in the code or in Department of Revenue regulations. Phase 1b should check ch. 304 and the DOR rules before promoting this to NO_RESTRICTION. | — |
| Medical exemption | All vehicles | RequiredDetailA state-issued permit from the DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, on a physician's prescription, and available only for a "serious medical condition". Its most unusual feature is who may drive under it: the permit "shall allow operation of the vehicle by any titleholder or relative within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, which shall mean a spouse, each grandparent, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, child, and grandchild of a person, who resides in the household." Minnesota has a comparable extension but limits it to a narrower set plus personal care attendants. The director of public safety is directed to promulgate rules for issuance; those rules were not retrieved, so no application procedure or validity period is recorded. | RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “A permit to operate a motor vehicle with front sidewing vents or windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material, which permits less light transmission and luminous reflectance than allowed under the requirements of this subsection, may be issued by the department of public safety to a person having a serious medical condition which requires the use of a sun-screening device if the permittee's physician prescribes its use.” |
| Certification sticker / label | All vehicles | unclear No published figure Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in RSMo §307.173. No labelling, marking or certification duty is imposed on manufacturers or installers — contrast Minnesota, whose neighbouring statute makes an unmarked post-1985 film a driving offence. Missouri enforces §307.173 as a class C misdemeanour against the operator instead. | — |
| Restricted colors | All vehicles | Separate blanket exemption: any vehicle licensed with a historical license plate is exempt from the requirements of this section entirely. vehicle licensed with a historical license plate DetailCarried on this dimension only because it is a whole-section exemption with no better home in the current enum, and it must not be lost: a historically-plated Missouri vehicle is outside §307.173 altogether — front sidewings, windshield and all. It is NOT a colour rule; Missouri states no colour restriction, which is recorded as a gap below. Flagged for Phase 1b, which should add a vehicle-class-exemption dimension so rows like this stop borrowing an unrelated one. | RSMo §307.173.5 — Missouri Revised Statutes · read “Any vehicle licensed with a historical license plate shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.” |
| Side mirrors required if the rear window is tinted | All vehicles | unclear No published figure Under review — the official sources we read state no figure for this. This is a gap in our research, and it says nothing about what Missouri requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in RSMo §307.173. Missouri conditions nothing on mirror equipment, which follows from the section's scope: it never regulates the glass behind the driver, so there is no rear allowance to condition. | — |
We could not establish this limit from a primary source, so we will not imply that any film complies with it. That is a gap in our research and says nothing about whether the state regulates this glass.
Sources
- RSMo §307.173.1 — Missouri Revised Statutes, read
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