Everything to Know About Florida Tint Laws
Before getting a car window tint, it is important to understand the laws. This guide explains everything to know about Florida tint laws.
For anyone who owns a car, there will always be upgrades and additions to your ride that you might want. From a fresh paint job to new parts, most people love to make their car the best on the road.
But for some vehicle improvements, you should do your research beforehand. Across the U.S., there are strict laws for what you can and can't add to your car. One of those areas that are highly regulated is how much you can tint your windows.
Window tinting is very popular amongst Americans, particularly in the South, where temperatures frequently are in the 90s throughout the summer. Perhaps the most common state that deals with tint law is sunny Florida.
Before getting your car windows tinted, it is important to understand the Florida tint laws. Otherwise, you put yourself at risk for fines or even legal action and penalties. Continue reading for everything you need to know about tinting laws, especially in Florida.
Why Floridians Love to Tint
It is easy to see why tinting your windows has great appeal to drivers. Tinted windows protect your car against heat, a significant element in Florida's climate. In addition to just keeping your car cooler, the tint also aids significantly to protect your own skin versus the sun's harmful rays.
If you opt to tint your windows, you will also be saving a small amount of energy and fuel when it comes to air conditioning units. The sun's wear and tear on the interior of your car will be lessened with tinted windows.
You will be able to see out of your own window more clearly. More importantly, others will not be able to look inside and see you as easily as with a window with less tint to them. You'll even be more comfortable on road trips.
Florida Tint Laws: The Basics
There are plenty of logical reasons why someone would indulge in car window tinting. But how far can they go with the tinting before it becomes illegal?
How much you can tint your car comes down to a specific percentage, and this must be followed precisely by all car owners. The rates differ by state as well. In Florida, state regulations allow for tinted windows to take things a little further than other northern states (because of the severe climate).
The percentage that the state monitors is technically how much visible light is transmitted into the car (VHT), but think of it simply as "how tinted the car is." The lower the percentage, the less light coming in and the more tinted a window is.
Individual window tint percentages are very crucial to understand. They differ depending on the window: front-side windows are 28 percent, but back-side and rear-side windows are even more lenient at just 15 percent.
Additional Florida Tint Laws
There are plenty of other tint laws in Florida that you need to be aware of beyond just those basic percentages. A few technicalities could mean the difference between having legal windows or not.
If you are driving an SUV instead of a compact car/sedan, then the percentages are different for back-side windows and rear windows but the same for front-side windows (28 percent). Florida allows for more tint for SUVs than sedans as the other two are only capped out at 6 percent.
Also, Florida requires your car to have side mirrors on both sides of your vehicle if your car gets a tint. You are not allowed to get a tint that is any color in the sunshine state, you can only get black.
Don't Forget Reflection
Within Florida's laws, you need to worry about how your legal window tint reflects light to other cars as much as the percentages above. If your tinted windows have a reflective percentage that is too high, it will be illegal all the same.
If you are reflecting too much light, it can be dangerous to other driver's vision out on the road. For this law, Florida's standards for sedans and SUVs are the same instead of different for auto window tinting.
Your car cannot reflect more than 25 percent of the light off of your front-side windows. For back-side windows, your vehicle may not reflect more than 35 percent of light.
Legal Consequences in Florida
Say you forgot about the legal limits for tinting explained above. How bad would legal penalties be if you were pulled over?
While the penalties are not severe at first for a window tint that is too defined, they grow and grow the longer you take to address the issue. The first ticket is normally within the range of 25 dollars.
Then, the second ticket increases to 100 dollars. If you are caught a third time, that could be up to 200 dollars. As the fines increase, so would the likelihood you might have to defend yourself in court.
Tint Services We Provide
Once you understand the tinting laws and their consequences, now you can look towards one of our great packages. Get started with your window tinting today! We off different window tint accessories for your car.
Our paint protection film locks in your tint while also taking care of the rest of your exterior. Don't forget that we also offer residential window tinting and commercial window tinting for your business.
Now You Know
Now that you know the Florida tint laws and all of the reasons to get your window tinted, go out and do it. Our service is unmatched and Winter Park Tint guarantees you will be happy with your tinted vehicle. You won't find better residential window tinting in Orlando.
Check out the rest of our website, including options for the types of tinting available!
Winter Park Tint & Paint Protection
700 W Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday - Sunday: CLOSED
