South Dakota Window Tint Law 2026
South Dakota publishes no visible-light-transmittance percentage we have been able to establish for an ordinary passenger car, so this page shows what its law does say and marks the missing figures as gaps rather than guessing at them.
The limits at a glance
South Dakota 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage.
This state regulates this glass in words rather than a percentage. There is no figure to filter film against, and we will not translate a written standard into a number.
Every South Dakota tint rule we track
| Rule | Applies to | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windshield strip — how dark the strip may be | 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in SDCL §32-15-5 — there is no permitted strip for a VLT figure to attach to. See windshield_strip_extent. | — |
| Windshield strip — how far down it may extend | 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in SDCL §32-15-5. The section names no AS-1 line, no inches-from-the-top measurement and no permitted band — it regulates the windshield as a whole through the nontransparency test. The absence is substantive within this section, which was read in full, and the chapter scan described in the header found no other section that supplies one. | — |
| Windshield below the strip | All vehicles | Nontransparent material on the front windshield is a petty offence, unless it does not obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway. No percentage is set.DetailSouth Dakota states no percentage. The test §32-15-5 imposes is (i) is the material nontransparent, and (ii) if so, does it obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or an intersecting highway. Both are qualitative, and the second operates as a saving clause: even nontransparent material is not an offence where it does not obstruct that view. A VLT figure cannot be derived from either without inventing it. | SDCL §32-15-5 — South Dakota Codified Laws · read “It is a petty offense for any person to drive any vehicle upon a highway with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, side, or rear windows of such motor vehicle other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or temporary driving instructions placed thereon by the manufacturer unless the same shall not obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.” |
| Front side windows | All vehicles | No numeric VLT. The side wings and side windows are covered only by the prohibition on nontransparent material that obstructs the driver's clear view.DetailSouth Dakota states no percentage. The test §32-15-5 imposes is (i) is the material nontransparent, and (ii) if so, does it obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or an intersecting highway. Both are qualitative, and the second operates as a saving clause: even nontransparent material is not an offence where it does not obstruct that view. A VLT figure cannot be derived from either without inventing it. | SDCL §32-15-5 — South Dakota Codified Laws · read “It is a petty offense for any person to drive any vehicle upon a highway with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, side, or rear windows of such motor vehicle other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or temporary driving instructions placed thereon by the manufacturer unless the same shall not obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.” |
| Back side windows | All vehicles | No numeric VLT. "Side" windows in §32-15-5 are undifferentiated — the section draws no line between windows forward of and behind the driver.DetailSouth Dakota states no percentage. The test §32-15-5 imposes is (i) is the material nontransparent, and (ii) if so, does it obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or an intersecting highway. Both are qualitative, and the second operates as a saving clause: even nontransparent material is not an offence where it does not obstruct that view. A VLT figure cannot be derived from either without inventing it. | SDCL §32-15-5 — South Dakota Codified Laws · read “It is a petty offense for any person to drive any vehicle upon a highway with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, side, or rear windows of such motor vehicle other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or temporary driving instructions placed thereon by the manufacturer unless the same shall not obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.” |
| Rear window | All vehicles | No numeric VLT. The rear windows are named in the same list as the windshield and side windows and are subject to the same qualitative test.DetailSouth Dakota states no percentage. The test §32-15-5 imposes is (i) is the material nontransparent, and (ii) if so, does it obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or an intersecting highway. Both are qualitative, and the second operates as a saving clause: even nontransparent material is not an offence where it does not obstruct that view. A VLT figure cannot be derived from either without inventing it. | SDCL §32-15-5 — South Dakota Codified Laws · read “It is a petty offense for any person to drive any vehicle upon a highway with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, side, or rear windows of such motor vehicle other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or temporary driving instructions placed thereon by the manufacturer unless the same shall not obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.” |
| Reflectivity — front 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in SDCL §32-15-5. No reflectance figure, and no mirrored- or metallic-appearance prohibition of the kind Alaska, Hawaii and Utah use. The section's only concept is transparency. | — |
| 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in SDCL §32-15-5. See reflectivity_front. | — |
| Medical exemption | 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. THERE IS NONE IN SDCL §32-15-5. The section's only exceptions are for a legally required certificate or paper and for manufacturer's temporary driving instructions; no medical provision of any kind appears — no permit, no physician's certificate, no affidavit, no defence. South Dakota is the fourth jurisdiction extracted with no medical accommodation in its tint provision, after Utah, Hawaii and Kentucky, and the distinction here is that it has no numeric limit to be exempted from either. Whether relief exists elsewhere in SDCL Title 32 or by Department of Public Safety rule was not determined, and none is asserted. | — |
| Certification sticker / label | All vehicles | No compliance label is required. The section instead EXCEPTS from its prohibition a certificate or other paper required to be displayed by law, and temporary driving instructions placed on the glass by the manufacturer.DetailRecorded because reading the catchline's "Official certificates excepted" as a certification requirement would invert it: the certificate is something the section permits on the glass, not something it obliges anyone to obtain or display. | SDCL §32-15-5 — South Dakota Codified Laws · read “other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or temporary driving instructions placed thereon by the manufacturer” |
| Restricted colors | 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in SDCL §32-15-5. No colour is named anywhere in the 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 South Dakota requires here; the state may set its rule in words rather than a percentage. Not addressed in SDCL §32-15-5. The section imposes no mirror condition on rear-window material — consistent with its structure, since it sets no rear limit to trade against mirrors. Note that SDCL §32-15-8 separately requires rear-vision mirrors generally, but that is a standing equipment requirement rather than a tint condition, and it is not cited here as one. | — |
This state regulates this glass in words rather than a percentage. There is no figure to filter film against, and we will not translate a written standard into a number.
Sources
- SDCL §32-15-5 — South Dakota Codified Laws, read
Nearby states
Other South Dakota modification laws
South Dakota exhaust and muffler laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.
South Dakota lighting and underglow laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.
South Dakota lift kit and bumper height laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.
South Dakota wheel and tire laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.
South Dakota ECU tuning and emissions laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.
South Dakota intake laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.
South Dakota body and appearance laws
Not published yet. We have not researched this category for South Dakota — which is a statement about us, not about whether South Dakota regulates it.