Window Tint Laws in Ontario
The current window tint limits in Ontario, verified August 2026. Where a figure is given it is a minimum visible light transmission for the glass and film measured together, so a higher percentage requires a lighter film.
What is the legal tint in Ontario?
- Front side windows
- No film allowed (vehicles made after Jan 1, 2017)
- Back side windows
- Any darkness
- Rear window
- Any darkness
- Windshield
- No aftermarket tint
- Medical exemption
- Not available
Worth knowing: HTA s.73 also bans any coating that stops a clear view of the driver from outside. Pre-2017 vehicles fall under the older, vaguer standard, but enforcement treats front film as illegal.
Use the checker below to switch jurisdictions, or see every state and province side by side.
Verified August 2026 · General information, not legal advice — always confirm with your DMV, provincial authority, or installer before applying film.
Ontario: current tint limits
Medical exemption: not offered in this jurisdiction.
HTA s.73 also bans any coating that stops a clear view of the driver from outside. Pre-2017 vehicles fall under the older, vaguer standard, but enforcement treats front film as illegal.
Our listed installers currently cover New York and New Jersey, with more regions on the way. Browse the full directory — every shop page states the city it serves and the limits it installs to.
Ontario compared with bordering jurisdictions
Tint is enforced where you are stopped, not where it was installed, so a legal install at home can be a ticket one line over. These are the jurisdictions sharing a land border with Ontario.
| Jurisdiction | Front side windows | Back side windows | Rear window | Windshield | Medical exemption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | No film allowed (vehicles made after Jan 1, 2017) | Any darkness | Any darkness | No aftermarket tint | None |
| Manitoba | 50% | Any darkness | Any darkness | Top 12.7 cm strip only | Available |
| Quebec | 70% (glass + film combined, measured by the SAAQ) | Any darkness | Any darkness | Top 15 cm strip only | None |
| Michigan | No film except a top 4-inch strip | Any darkness | Any (under 35% reflectance) | Top 4-inch strip only | Available |
| Minnesota | 50% | 50% (some vehicle types exempt) | 50% (some types exempt) | No aftermarket tint | Available |
| New York | 70% | 70% on sedans, wagons, coupes, hatchbacks and convertibles; no limit if the vehicle is classified MPV or truck | Any darkness with dual side mirrors, otherwise 70% | 70%, except the uppermost 6 inches | Available |
Comparing more than the neighbors? The complete tables for all 50 states, D.C. and the 13 Canadian provinces and territories are on one page.
How to read these numbers
Three details trip up more drivers than the percentages themselves. First, the limit applies to the combined reading of glass plus film, and factory glass is never perfectly clear, so a film's box rating always overstates what a meter will read on the car. Second, the windshield is its own category everywhere: below the AS-1 line (the small marking near the top corner of the glass), meaningful tint is illegal across both countries, whatever the side windows allow. Third, reflectivity is regulated separately from darkness, and mirrored or metallic film fails in most jurisdictions even at a legal VLT.
Sources: state statutes and DMV publications including NY VTL §375(12-a), Cal. Vehicle Code §26708, Texas Transp. Code §547.613, La. R.S. 32:361.1 (as amended 2025), Iowa HF 766 (2026), NH RSA 266:58-a, the SAAQ's Quebec standards, and provincial highway traffic regulations, cross-checked against 2026-current legal references. Last verified August 2026. Spot an error? Email info@carwraps.net.
Ontario tint law questions, answered
What is the legal tint limit in Ontario?
Front side windows: No film allowed (vehicles made after Jan 1, 2017). Back side windows: Any darkness. Rear window: Any darkness. Where a figure is given it is a minimum VLT, meaning the share of light that must still pass through the glass and film together, so a higher number requires a lighter film.
Is 5% limo tint legal in Ontario?
The front side windows are governed by the rule "No film allowed (vehicles made after Jan 1, 2017)", which leaves no room for 5% film. Behind the driver the answer flips: Ontario sets no darkness floor on the back side or rear windows, so 5% limo film is fine there, subject to the mirror and vehicle-type conditions noted in the table.
What is the darkest legal tint in Ontario?
Ontario allows no aftermarket darkening film on the front side windows (the exact rule is quoted above), so the question only applies behind the driver. Behind the driver there is no floor at all, so the darkest film available is legal on the back side and rear glass. A lower VLT number is a darker window.
Is a medical exemption for darker tint available in Ontario?
No. Ontario has no medical exemption process, so a physician's letter does not authorize film darker than the standard limit.
What does Ontario allow on the windshield?
No aftermarket tint. The windshield is regulated separately from side glass everywhere in North America, so whatever shade is legal on the doors says nothing about what is permitted up front.
Is there anything unusual about the Ontario rule?
HTA s.73 also bans any coating that stops a clear view of the driver from outside. Pre-2017 vehicles fall under the older, vaguer standard, but enforcement treats front film as illegal.