Tint laws in New Jersey.

New Jersey has the simplest tint law in our area and the one people argue with most. The front is off limits, the back is open, and there's exactly one way around it. Here's what we tell every New Jersey customer who crosses the bridge to our Wilmington shop.

Here's what you'll find below:

• The short answer
• Limits by window
• The MVC sunscreening approval
• How to set up a New Jersey car
• Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland

The short answer

New Jersey allows no tint on the windshield or front side windows. The rear side windows and back glass can be any darkness. Mirrored and metallic film isn't allowed. The only way to tint the front is an approval from the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission for a medical condition.

In New Jersey the front doors stay clear. Everything behind the driver is yours.

New Jersey tint limits by window

New Jersey's statute bars "non-transparent material" on the windshield and front side windows, which is how tint film is treated. Factory privacy glass in the back of SUVs and minivans is fine and can be tinted darker.

The MVC sunscreening approval

If a doctor documents a medical need for front tint, the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission can approve it. The process, from the MVC's own page:

1. Fill out form MVC Sunscreening 1, with the physician section completed by your doctor, and submit it with a valid prescription to the MVC Customer Advocacy Office.
2. If approved, you receive a temporary approval (Sunscreening 2), valid 60 days, plus an installation confirmation form (Sunscreening 3).
3. Have the film installed at a licensed facility within the 60 days and send in the confirmation.
4. The MVC issues the permanent approval (Sunscreening 4), valid 48 months, which you keep in the vehicle. Renew with a new Sunscreening 1 every 48 months.

Don't tint the front before the approval arrives. The MVC is clear that the windows can't be sunscreened until you have it in hand. Bring the approval to your appointment and we'll install within what it allows.

How to set up a New Jersey car in 3 steps

1. Leave the front doors and windshield alone
2. Go as dark as you like in the back
3. Skip mirrored film

Let's go over each step.

1. Leave the front doors and windshield alone

Without an MVC approval, front tint on a New Jersey car is a stop waiting to happen. We won't install it without the paperwork.

2. Go as dark as you like in the back

20% and 5% rear setups are the New Jersey standard. Ceramic in the back keeps rear passengers and a glass roof cool; here's how the two films compare.

3. Skip mirrored film

Mirrored and metallic films aren't allowed on any window. Our carbon and ceramic films have no metal and no mirror look, so this one takes care of itself.

Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland

Tint law follows the state the car is registered in, not where it was tinted. Delaware allows 50% fronts, Pennsylvania wants 70% on every window, and Maryland allows 35%.

General information for passenger vehicles, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the NJ MVC before tinting. Sources: NJ Motor Vehicle Commission sunscreening page and N.J.S.A. 39:3-74.

New Jersey tint law FAQ