Window Tint Guide: Compare
What Is the Darkest Legal Tint in South Carolina?
Ask ten people how dark you can tint in South Carolina and most will say "27 percent." That is close, but it hides two details that decide what actually goes on your car: the 27% is measured through the film and the glass together, and some vehicles have no limit at all on the windows behind the driver.
This guide works through the statute window by window, shows the arithmetic with real examples, and explains why a sedan, a crossover and a crew-cab pickup parked side by side can have three different legal answers.
The short answer
On a car, the darkest legal tint in South Carolina is film that leaves at least 27% combined light transmission with the factory glass on the front sides, rear sides and back glass. Because the glass itself blocks some light, the film usually has to be a little lighter than 27%. On multipurpose passenger vehicles (a classification many SUVs and minivans carry), windows behind the driver have no light-transmission minimum; pickups do not get that exception. Windshield film is limited to the area above the AS1 line.
Key points
- The legal floor is 27% combined light transmission, measured through the film and the factory glass together, not the number printed on the film box.
- The front side windows of every vehicle, including SUVs, vans and pickups, must stay at 27% combined or lighter.
- On multipurpose passenger vehicles, the light-transmission rule does not apply to windows behind the driver; on pickup trucks it does.
- Even where darkness is unlimited, film must be nonreflective, may not be red, yellow or amber, and each tinted window needs a certificate of compliance.
- Windshield film may only run along the top, above the AS1 line; if no AS1 line is visible, no film may go on the windshield.
Window by window
The Legal Floor for Each Window
South Carolina's tint law is S.C. Code § 56-5-5015. It regulates film added after the car left the factory, and it treats each group of windows a little differently. Here is what the statute says for each one, in plain words.
- Windshieldtop strip only
- Film may be used only along the top of the windshield and may not extend below the AS1 line. If the AS1 line is not visible, no film may be applied to the windshield at all. The statute sets no darkness number for that strip, but it must be nonreflective and not red, yellow or amber. Windshield sun strips explained
- Front side windows27% combined, every vehicle
- The windows at the immediate right and left of the driver (and any front side wings) may carry a single nonreflective film, and the combined light transmission of film plus factory glass must not be less than 27%. No vehicle type is exempt from this one.
- Rear side windows27% combined, unless MPV
- Side windows behind the driver follow the same 27% combined rule on cars and pickups. On multipurpose passenger vehicles, buses, trucks other than pickups and RVs, the light-transmission requirement does not apply to windows behind the driver. The rear-window exception
- Back glass27% combined, unless MPV
- The rear-most window must also be nonreflective and at least 27% combined on cars and pickups. If any film is on the back glass, the vehicle must have both a right and a left outside rearview mirror.
The math
Why the Darkest Legal Film Is Lighter Than 27%
Film is sold by its own visible light transmission (VLT), measured on clear glass in a lab. Your car's glass is not perfectly clear. Federal glazing rules require the windshield and front side windows to pass at least 70% of light, and the exact figure varies from car to car. When film goes on, the two numbers multiply: the light that gets through the glass, times the share the film lets through.
That is why the statute talks about combined transmission "with the factory or manufacturer installed sunscreening material." An officer's meter reads what passes through the whole window, not what the film's label says. A film rated at exactly 27% will always read below 27% once it is on real glass.
Find the glass number
Measure the bare window with a light meter before any film goes on. Suppose it reads 80%. That means the glass alone lets 80% of visible light through.
Multiply by the film's VLT
A 35% film on that glass gives 0.80 x 0.35 = 0.28, or 28% combined. That clears the 27% floor, with very little room to spare.
Check the next shade down
A 30% film on the same glass gives 0.80 x 0.30 = 0.24, or 24% combined. That is below 27% and is not legal on a regulated window, even though the film box says 30.
Allow for tolerance
Films and glass vary slightly from their rated numbers, and meters vary too. A reading right at 27% leaves no margin, so a careful installer chooses a film that lands comfortably above the line.
Illustrative arithmetic only. Real glass varies from car to car, which is why it is measured rather than assumed.
The exception
Windows Behind the Driver on MPVs
Subsection (I) of the statute says the light-transmission requirement applies to windows behind the driver on pickup trucks, but does not apply to windows behind the driver on other trucks, buses, trailers, mobile homes, multipurpose passenger vehicles and recreational vehicles. In practice, the MPV part is the one most drivers care about, because many SUVs and minivans are certified as MPVs. The label on the door jamb tells you for sure.
The statute defines a multipurpose passenger vehicle as one designed to carry ten people or fewer that is built either on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation. Federal rules use nearly identical wording, and federal law requires the manufacturer's certification label to state the vehicle's type classification, such as truck or MPV. That label sits on the driver's door edge or door pillar, next to the GVWR and the VIN.
If your label says MPV, the rear doors, any quarter windows and the back glass have no light-transmission minimum under South Carolina law. That is the only place on a non-exempt vehicle where very dark shades can go on legally. The front side windows still need 27% combined, and the windshield rule does not change.
Pickups
Pickup Trucks Do Not Get the Exception
A pickup is a truck under the federal definitions, and "other trucks" are exempt behind the driver. South Carolina carved pickups back in on purpose: the first clause of subsection (I) applies the light-transmission rule to windows behind the driver on pickup trucks. So a crew cab's rear doors and the sliding back window need 27% combined, just like a sedan.
There is a wrinkle with factory privacy glass. The law's light-transmission rules only apply once after-factory film is added. Many pickups leave the factory with dark rear glass, which is fine as delivered. But once you add film, the combined reading must be at least 27%. If the factory glass already meters close to or below that, there may be no film that keeps those windows legal.
Still required
Rules That Apply Even Where Darkness Is Unlimited
- Nonreflective: the statute defines this as a product primarily designed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Mirror-finish films are out on every window.
- No red, yellow or amber film anywhere on the vehicle.
- A certificate of compliance attached to the inside lower right corner of each window with after-factory film, showing the light transmission allowed, the installer's name, address and phone number, and the installation date. This applies whether a professional or the owner installed the film.
- Both outside rearview mirrors whenever the back glass carries film.
- A single film per regulated side window: subsection (C) allows one sunscreening device, so stacking two films to go darker is not a workaround.
Exceptions
Medical Exemptions, Old Film and Penalties
The statute does not apply to a vehicle registered to a person (or that person's legal guardian) who has an affidavit from a South Carolina licensed physician or optometrist stating a physical condition makes darker film necessary. The affidavit must be in the vehicle whenever it is driven, shown to an officer on request, and updated every two years.
A grandfather clause covers back glass film that met the older 20% standard when it was installed, as long as that original film is still in place. That only matters for film dating from before 1993. For everyone else, the owner or driver of a vehicle that violates the section is guilty of a misdemeanor triable in magistrate's court, with a fine of not more than two hundred dollars or up to thirty days. This is general information, not legal advice; for an unusual situation, check with SCDPS or a lawyer.
In the shop
How We Land on the Darkest Legal Shade for Your Car
We check the legal shade for your specific vehicle before installing, because factory glass already reduces light and every model is a little different. That means looking at the door-jamb label for the vehicle type, accounting for any factory privacy glass, and choosing a film that keeps each regulated window above 27% combined. Every tinted window then gets the South Carolina certificate of compliance sticker.
If darker front windows are really about heat rather than looks, a lighter ceramic film is often the better answer. LLumar Ceramic uses nano-ceramic particles to reject more of the sun's infrared heat, so the cabin stays cooler without needing the darkest shade. We price LLumar Carbon from $125.99 and LLumar Ceramic from $199.99 for the two front side windows; full-vehicle coverage is by quote.
| Window | Car or coupe | MPV (check door-jamb label) | Pickup truck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windshield | Top strip above AS1 only | Top strip above AS1 only | Top strip above AS1 only |
| Front side windows | 27% combined minimum | 27% combined minimum | 27% combined minimum |
| Rear side windows | 27% combined minimum | No light-transmission minimum | 27% combined minimum |
| Back glass | 27% combined minimum | No light-transmission minimum | 27% combined minimum |
| Reflective or red, yellow, amber film | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
From S.C. Code § 56-5-5015. "Combined" means film and factory glass measured together. Vehicle type is the classification on the manufacturer's door-jamb label. A medical exemption can change the answer.
Get the darkest shade that is legal on your car
Tell us the year, make and model and how dark you want to go. We check the legal shade for your vehicle, including factory glass, before any film goes on, and every tinted window leaves with its compliance sticker.
Common questions
Can I put 5 percent limo film on my SUV's back windows?
If the manufacturer's door-jamb label classifies the SUV as an MPV, South Carolina's light-transmission rule does not apply to windows behind the driver, so very dark film is allowed there. It must still be nonreflective, not red, yellow or amber, and carry a compliance sticker. The front side windows still need 27% combined.
Does the 27 percent rule apply to the back windshield of a sedan?
Yes. Subsection (D)(2) requires film on the rear-most window to be nonreflective with combined light transmission of at least 27%, the same as the side windows. If the back glass carries any film, the car must also have both a left and a right outside rearview mirror.
My car came with dark tint from the factory. Is it legal?
Factory glass on its own is not covered by the light-transmission limits, because the statute's percentages only apply once after-factory film has been added. The question changes if you add film on top: then the film and factory glass together must measure at least 27% on any regulated window.
Do visitors from other states have to meet South Carolina tint rules?
The statute's first subsection applies to motor vehicles required to be registered in South Carolina. If you move here and must register your car in the state, its tint has to comply. For a car legitimately registered elsewhere, or any situation that is not clear-cut, check with SCDPS or a lawyer.
Can I layer two lighter films to reach a darker legal shade?
Not on the side windows. Subsection (C) allows a single sunscreening device on the front and rear side windows, and the combined reading must still be 27% or more. Two layers would also simply multiply down the light transmission, so they rarely help.
Sources
- S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5015, South Carolina Legislature (https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c005.php), accessed October 2026
- 49 CFR 571.3, Definitions (multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, passenger car), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.3), accessed October 2026
- 49 CFR 567.4, Requirements for manufacturers of motor vehicles (certification label), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/567.4), accessed October 2026
- 49 CFR 571.205, Standard No. 205, Glazing materials, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.205), accessed October 2026
- Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc.; Action on Application for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance, 63 FR 10964, NHTSA via Federal Register (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1998-03-05/html/98-5743.htm), accessed October 2026
- Ceramic Window Tint, LLumar / Eastman Performance Films (https://llumar.com/en/tint/ceramic/), accessed October 2026
Prices on this page are The Auto Show’s published starting prices. Film ratings and warranty terms come from the manufacturer. This guide explains South Carolina law in plain words; it is not legal advice.