SoCal window tint
Slide a shade onto your car and see which windows California allows it on. Then tint shops near you quote the job.
Front film? Ask for the installer's certificate at pickup.
Tap a window to change it. Drag across the car to change the shade. A plain-language read of California Vehicle Code 26708, not legal advice.
Window by window
Most tint tickets come down to one window: the front side glass next to your face. Here's each window, straight from the Vehicle Code.
Film is allowed across the top if its bottom edge sits at least 29 inches above the driver's seat, measured the way the law spells out. It can't be red or amber, can't carry opaque lettering, and can't throw extra glare at other drivers.
The film itself must let through at least 88% of light and be made to block UVA. Glass and film together must still meet the federal 70% minimum. Keep the installer's certificate in the car.
88%+Side windows behind the driver are on the list of exceptions, with no darkness limit in the section. Light or limo, it's up to you.
Any shadeTint on the rear window is allowed when the car has outside mirrors on both the left and right that show the road at least 200 feet behind you.
2 mirrorsPhysician or optometrist letter: lets a driver or front passenger use removable sun screening devices on the front side windows, not film. The devices must be green, gray or neutral smoke, let through at least 35% of light, and can't be used in darkness. VC 26708.2
Dermatologist certificate: allows clear, colorless film of 88% or more on the windshield, side or rear windows for someone who should not be exposed to UV. It does not allow darker tint.
Why people book
Tap the reason that sounds like you. We'll pass it to the shop with your booking.
The Skin Cancer Foundation says up to 50% of UVA can get through untreated side windows. Clear UV film is legal on the front. SCF
Clear UV filmSun through the glass bakes the cabin while you're parked. Ask the shop for the film's heat rejection on its spec sheet.
Rear tintEvening sun from behind lights up the cabin. Darker rear glass takes the edge off.
Rear tintBags, tools, car seats. Darker rear windows keep what's in the back out of view.
Rear tintYears of SoCal sun wear on seats and trim. Film cuts the sun that reaches them.
Full tintFront side film needs a certificate in the car naming the installer and the film maker. Ask for it when you book.
Clear UV filmDyed film can fade, and old film peels. The law says front film that tears or bubbles must come off or be replaced.
Tint removalUsed car came with dark front windows? Removal gets the front glass back to clear, then add clear UV film if you want it.
Tint removalThe craft
A 35% film lets 35% of visible light pass. Lower number, darker window.
Factory glass already filters some light, so the numbers multiply. In this example, 80% glass with 50% film lands near 40%. A shop can meter your glass first.
California wants the film at 88% or more and the glass with film at 70% or more. Clear film on clear glass can pass. Dark film can't.
Film is flat, so installers cut and shape it to the glass before it goes on the inside. Ask the shop how long to keep the windows up after.
Example numbers for illustration. The NAPA Know How guide explains why factory tint counts toward the total.
The menu
Not sure what you have now? A shop can meter the glass and tell you before it quotes.
Your pick of shade on every window behind the driver. The part of the car where California leaves darkness up to you.
Clear film rated 88% or more that blocks UVA, with the certificate for your glovebox.
A band across the top of the windshield, kept above the 29 inch line and never red or amber.
Old, bubbled, purple or too dark for the front. Film and glue come off, ready for new film or none.
The history
Swipe from clear to dark through how tint got here.
3M launches its original sun control window film. It says it has been improving on that first film ever since.
The International Window Film Association forms to share brand neutral information about film.
A California law in effect January 1, 1999 lets clear, colorless film that cuts UV go on the front side windows.
AB 1303 is chaptered. California now lets a dermatologist certify a need for clear UV film on any window.
Section 26708 was last amended by SB 506, in effect January 1, 2026. The rules on this page follow that version.
Choose the shade, see where it's legal, and request a time with a tint shop on Lokuli.
Sources: 3M's 50 year release, Wikipedia on window film, the CHP FAQ, AB 1303 on Digital Democracy and VC 26708.
Read it yourself
Tint rules get repeated wrong all the time. These are the pages we built this one from.
How it works
Near you
Good to know
Side windows behind the driver can take any shade. The back glass can be tinted if the car has outside mirrors on both sides. The front side windows can only take clear film of 88% or more that blocks UVA, with the glass and film together at 70% or more. The windshield can take a strip across the top, kept at least 29 inches above the driver's seat.
Visible light transmission: the share of visible light that gets through. A 35% film lets 35% through. Your glass already filters some light, so the total is darker than the film alone.
For clear film on the front side windows, the driver keeps a certificate in the car signed by the installing company. It says the windows meet the law and names the installer and the film maker with their full names and street addresses.
Two, and both are narrow. A physician or optometrist letter allows removable sun screening devices on the front side windows, at least 35% light transmittance, not used in darkness. A dermatologist certificate allows clear, colorless film of 88% or more on any window. Neither allows dark film up front.
Tinted safety glass from the factory is allowed when it meets federal glazing standards and sits where those standards permit, under Vehicle Code 26708.5. Film added on top of it makes the window darker still.
Book a tint removal. The film and adhesive come off, and you can add new film or leave the glass clear. For front side film, the law says film that tears or bubbles must be removed or replaced.
California's rules allow only clear film of 88% or more there, outside the narrow medical exemptions. Pick a legal setup above before you book.
Each shop sets its own price based on your car, the windows and the film. Shops quote you through Lokuli, so you can compare before you book.
Run a tint shop?
Tinting Now sends drivers to shops on Lokuli. Go live free, take booking requests online, and pay no commission on any plan.