New glass arrives clear of any aftermarket film. If the window or windshield it replaces was tinted, the question comes up straight away: how dark can the new one be? North Carolina answers it in one statute, G.S. 20-127, and a 2025 law changed how it is checked. This article sets out what the statute says, so the tint on your new glass is legal on the road.
The windshield: a strip at the top only
Tint on a windshield is allowed only along the top. Under G.S. 20-127, it may come down no more than five inches from the top of the windshield, or to the AS1 line marked on the glass, whichever is longer. A clear film that blocks ultraviolet light and does not obstruct vision is also allowed. The windshield rule has no exceptions: the medical and vehicle exceptions below apply to the other windows, not to the windshield.
Source: G.S. 20-127.
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The other windows: 35% and the meter reading
For the side and rear windows, the statute sets a total light transmission of at least 35%, with the glass and the film measured together. A light-meter reading over 32% is conclusively presumed to comply. Reflectance must be 20% or less, so mirrored films are out, and red, yellow and amber films are not allowed at all.
| Glass | What G.S. 20-127 allows |
|---|---|
| Windshield | Tint only along the top, to five inches or the AS1 line, whichever is longer; clear UV film allowed |
| Front side windows | At least 35% total light transmission; a reading over 32% is presumed to comply |
| Rear side and back windows | The same 35% rule, unless the vehicle is excepted |
| Any window | Reflectance 20% or less; no red, yellow or amber |
Who is excepted
The 35% rule has exceptions. They include multipurpose vehicles, such as minivans and pickup trucks, for the windows behind the driver, limousines, and drivers with a medical exception permit. If you drive a pickup or a minivan, the back glass and the rear side windows can legally be darker than the front doors; the front side windows still follow the 35% rule.
What changed in December 2025
Window tint used to be checked at the annual safety inspection. Section 22 of S.L. 2025-47 (Senate Bill 391) removed tint from the safety inspection, effective December 1, 2025. The limits in G.S. 20-127 did not change: they still apply on the road, and a violation is a Class 3 misdemeanor under section 20-127(d).
Source: General Assembly summary of S.L. 2025-47-v-6/); G.S. 20-127.
Glass that comes tinted
Some vehicles, many SUVs and minivans among them, leave the factory with darker glass in the rear side windows and the back window, made into the glass rather than added as film. When one of those panes is replaced, the new glass should match the original, which is another reason the part is matched to the VIN. Film added on top of tinted glass counts toward the same total: the 35% rule is about how much light gets through the window as a whole, glass and film together, wherever the rule applies.
The roll-down rule
The same statute now includes section 20-127(g): a driver with tinted windows shall roll down the driver side window when a law enforcement officer approaches, or the passenger window if the officer comes from that side. It is worth knowing before you choose a dark film where the law allows one.
New glass and the tint you had
When a door window is replaced, the old film goes with the broken glass. The new pane is clear, or carries whatever tint the glass itself was made with, and any film has to be fitted again. Plan the tint after the glass job, and keep within the 35% rule for the windows it applies to. Impex Auto Glass checks replacement glass against the VIN, so the pane that arrives matches the car’s own specification before any film goes on.
For the glass work itself, read about side window replacement and rear window replacement. If it is the windshield that is being replaced, see windshield replacement in Concord, NC: only the top strip can be tinted, and a forward camera behind the glass needs a clear view.
Tint and the camera
Many cars have a forward facing camera at the top of the windshield, looking through the glass in the same area where a tint strip would sit. I-CAR says that camera runs lane departure warning, collision braking and adaptive cruise control. Keep any strip and any sticker clear of the camera’s window, and if a new windshield goes in, the camera is calibrated afterwards. See ADAS camera calibration.
This is a summary
This article summarizes G.S. 20-127 and S.L. 2025-47 as read in October 2026. Check the current text before you rely on it.
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