Can I Tint My Windshield in Florida? AS-1 Line, Exemptions, Fines

You can tint your windshield in Florida only in a narrow strip along the very top of the glass, above the AS-1 line, and the material in that strip has to be transparent. Anything below the AS-1 line, the area directly in front of the driver, cannot be covered with aftermarket tint, film, or other sunscreening material.¹

Where the AS-1 Line Sits on Your Glass

The AS-1 line is a small marking etched or printed into the windshield by the manufacturer. It usually falls about five to six inches down from the top edge, though the exact position varies from vehicle to vehicle. Florida’s statute treats everything below that line as the driver’s forward viewing area and points to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 for the boundary.¹

Look along the upper edge of your windshield, usually near the passenger side, for a short line and the letters “AS-1.” That’s your ceiling for tint film. Anything you add has to stay above it.

What “Transparent” Means for the Top Strip

The strip above the AS-1 line is the only place on the windshield where you can add film, and even there the material must be transparent. A light sun visor film is fine. A dark or opaque band is not, even at the very top.¹

Some drivers have heard they can tint the top five inches if the windshield has no AS-1 marking. Florida’s statute does not include that measurement. Under the federal safety standard the statute references, a windshield without an AS-1 line has to maintain at least 70 percent light transmittance across its entire surface. You can still apply film at the top of an unmarked windshield, but only film light enough to keep the glass above 70 percent.²

Medical Exemption for Darker Windshield Tint

If you have a medical condition that requires limited sun exposure, Florida allows tint that would otherwise be illegal, including on the windshield. Qualifying conditions listed on the state’s application include lupus, dermatomyositis, albinism, vitiligo, xeroderma pigmentosum, and other autoimmune diseases or conditions requiring protection from light.³

The process runs through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. You fill out FLHSMV Form 83390, which includes a physician’s certification your doctor must complete and sign. If approved, the department issues a medical exemption certificate listing your vehicle’s make, model, year, VIN, and a decal number.⁴

Two details trip people up. The certificate has no expiration date, but it’s tied to a specific vehicle, not to you. Sell the car and the exemption becomes void, so a new vehicle means a new application. The department may also charge a processing fee.⁴

Fines and Penalties for Illegal Windshield Tint

Driving with illegal tint is a noncriminal traffic infraction, classified as a nonmoving violation.⁵ The base fine is $30, but that figure understates what you actually pay. Florida adds mandatory surcharges: $18 in court costs, a $12.50 administrative fee, and a $10 Article V assessment, pushing the total to roughly $70 or more before any county-specific add-ons.⁶

Because it’s a nonmoving violation, a tint ticket doesn’t add points to your license. You still have to pay the fine or contest it. Removing the illegal film is the practical fix, and some courts may reduce the fine if you show proof of correction, though nothing in the statute guarantees that.

Installers Face a Criminal Charge

The exposure is worse for the shop. Anyone who sells or installs tint that violates Florida’s requirements commits a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.⁵ A shop willing to darken your windshield below the AS-1 line is risking a criminal record. A legitimate installer will keep any windshield film above the line, use transparent material, and affix the required compliance label to your driver’s side door jamb.

The Compliance Label

Florida requires every tint installer to place a permanent label on the inside of the driver’s side door jamb. The label has to say the material complies with state law, list the trade name of the film, and identify the installer’s business.⁷ If you’re stopped for a tint check, that sticker is your first piece of evidence that legal film was professionally installed. No sticker, no documentation. Factory tint that already meets FMVSS No. 205 doesn’t need a separate label.

Other Windows Follow Different Rules

The AS-1 rule applies to the windshield only. Your side and rear windows have their own limits under Florida Statutes 316.2953 and 316.2954. Front side windows on any vehicle type must let through at least 28 percent of visible light, with reflectivity capped at 25 percent.⁸ Behind the driver, the rules split by vehicle type: SUVs, trucks, and vans classified as multipurpose passenger vehicles can go as dark as 6 percent VLT on back side and rear windows, while sedans face a tighter minimum, with 15 percent commonly enforced.⁹ So a shop staying legal on your windshield still has separate numbers to hit on every other window.

1
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 316.2952 – Windshields; Requirements; Restrictions
2
NHTSA. Interpretation ID 11-000697 – Trooper Kile 205
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Sunscreening Medical Exemption
4
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 316.29545 – Window Sunscreening Exclusions; Medical Exemption
5
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 316.2956 – Violation of Provisions Relating to Windshields, Windows, and Sunscreening Material; Penalties
6
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.18 – Amount of Penalties
7
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 316.2955 – Sunscreening Material; Product Labeling
8
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 316.2953 – Side Windows; Restrictions on Sunscreening Material
9
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 316.2954 – Windows Behind the Driver; Restrictions on Sunscreening Material