Vehicles with applications of after‐factory window tinting must be checked, at an additional charge of $10 during a North Carolina safety inspection to ensure they meet specifications set by the state in G.S. 20-127).
- Tinted windows cannot measure darker than 32 percent with a North Carolina-approved window tint meter.
- The tint on a windshield cannot extend more than 5 inches below the top of the windshield or below the AS1 line of the windshield, whichever is longer.
Restrictions & Exceptions
Requirements do not apply to other windows on:
- Excursion passenger vehicles, as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (27)a
- Motor homes, as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (27)d2
- Ambulances, as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (27)f
- Property‐hauling vehicles (rear window only), as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (31)
- Limousines
- Law enforcement vehicles
- Multipurpose vehicles (e.g., mini-van, pickup truck, SUV) designed to carry 10 or less passengers – where the window is behind the driver and is built on a truck chassis or has special features designed for occasional off‐road operation
- Vehicles with a medical exception issued by NCDMV
Medical Exceptions
Individuals with a photosensitivity to light who need darker window tints can apply for a medical exception permit with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles' Medical Review Program.
- Permits are valid for up to five years.
- An individual may have no more than two medical permits at the same time.
- Permits are not interchangeable and must be carried in the vehicle to which it applies.
- A medical exception sticker must be displayed in the lower left‐hand corner of the rear window. Failure to properly display the sticker is punishable by a $200 fine.