Bought a Used Car With Illegal Window Tint? What to Do Next

Who is responsible for illegal tint on a used car?

In practice, the person driving it. A tint ticket is written to the driver at a traffic stop, and a failed inspection holds up the car's owner, not the person who sold it. That is true even if you had no idea the film was too dark.

Sellers are often off the hook under tint laws. Texas, for example, says it is not an offense under its window tint statute to offer for sale or sell a vehicle with a windshield or window that does not comply.

Whether you can get the seller to pay for removal is a separate question about your purchase. If you bought from a dealer, look at the Buyers Guide the dealer must post on used cars. The FTC says a car marked "As Is - No Dealer Warranty" means the dealer won't pay for problems after the sale, and that the Buyers Guide overrides anything in your sales contract. If a salesperson promised the tint was legal or that they would fix it, ask for that in writing. This is general information, not legal advice.

How can you tell if the tint on your used car is legal?

You cannot judge tint by eye. Visible light transmission (VLT) is measured with a meter that reads the glass and film together, and factory glass already blocks some light. Ways to find out:

• Ask a tint shop to meter it. Many shops have a tint meter and can read each window in a few minutes.
• Look for a label. Some states require installers to mark film with its percentage or the installer's details. On an older car the label may be faded or missing.
• Compare the number with your state's limit. Front side windows are usually the strictest. See window tint laws by state for the limits where your car is registered.

Some cars come from the factory with darker privacy glass on the rear windows, which is built into the glass rather than applied as film. Our guide to factory tint vs aftermarket tint explains the difference, and how police measure window tint shows what happens at a stop.

Does the previous owner's medical exemption carry over?

No. An exemption is issued for someone's medical condition, and the rules we have checked end it or stop it from protecting the car when the car changes hands:

• Florida: the medical exemption certificate is nontransferable and becomes null and void when the vehicle on it is sold or transferred.
• New Jersey: the exemption certificate is void when the vehicle is sold, and the owner is responsible for removing the film from the windshield and front side windows before the sale.
• Louisiana: the person who accepts a transferred vehicle is responsible for removing the tint, unless they have applied for and received their own exemption.

So even if the seller hands you medical paperwork, it does not cover you. If the previous owner was supposed to remove the film before selling and did not, the car still has to meet the law now that you drive it.

What are your options before you get a ticket?

1. 1Have the windows measured. Know the actual numbers before you spend money.
2. 2Ask the seller. If the dealer advertised the car as legal or promised to fix the tint, ask them to pay for removal and get the answer in writing.
3. 3Remove or replace the film. A tint shop can strip film that is too dark and, if you like, install a legal film. This is the usual fix when no one who rides in the car has a medical need.
4. 4Consider a medical exemption, if it applies to you. If you or a regular passenger has a qualifying light-sensitive condition and your state offers an exemption, darker tint may be allowed. Some states still cap how dark exempt tint can be, so the film may need to change anyway.

Don't wait for a traffic stop to decide. Read what happens if your tint is too dark and remove your tint or get an exemption? for the tradeoffs.

Can a medical exemption make the tint on a used car legal?

Sometimes. A medical exemption is the legal way to keep darker tint, but only if three things line up: you or a regular passenger has a condition that a clinician finds qualifies, your state offers an exemption, and the film on the car is within the limit your state allows for exempt vehicles.

Missouri shows how this can work for a car that is already tinted. You bring the tinted vehicle and a physician's prescription, issued within the past year and stating the tint percentage needed, to a Highway Patrol troop headquarters, which issues the permit. In other states the paperwork is a signed statement you keep in the car, or a form you mail in. See how dark you can tint with a medical exemption for exempt limits, and medical conditions that may qualify.

An exemption is not a way around the law for drivers who simply like the look of dark tint. If no one who rides in the car has a medical need, removing or replacing the film is the honest fix.

How do you start a medical exemption evaluation?

ShadedMD handles the medical evaluation online. Choose your state and answer a 5-minute questionnaire, and a physician licensed in your state reviews it; physicians aim to finish within 24 to 48 hours. If you are approved, a signed certificate is emailed to you with guidance for any state form.

One flat $129, the best pricing of any online tint exemption service, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not approved. See if you qualify.

Not sure your state offers an exemption, or what its paperwork needs? Check window tint laws by state and your state's page before you start.

Frequently asked questions