Arkansas Tint Law · 2026 Guide
Arkansas window tint laws, explained.
For 1994 and newer vehicles in Arkansas, the front side windows must allow at least 25% net light transmission. The side windows immediately behind the driver are also generally 25%, except on trucks, buses, trailers, motor homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles, where those windows may go down to 10%. The rearmost window may also go down to 10%. The windshield may only have a tint strip across the top, extending no more than five inches down from the top center. This guide follows the statute itself, Arkansas Code § 27-37-306, window by window and vehicle by vehicle.
The Quick Answer
What’s legal, window by window.
Every percentage below is a minimum for net light transmission, meaning the light that makes it through the glass and the film together. Higher numbers mean lighter windows.
| Window | Cars & sedans | Trucks, SUVs & vans |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield | No tint, except a strip along the top, no more than 5 inches down from the top center | Same rule: top strip only |
| Front side windows | 25% or more | 25% or more |
| Rear side windows | 25% or more | 10% or more, on every window behind the driver |
| Back window | 10% or more | 10% or more |
The second column is the statute’s larger category: trucks, buses, motor homes, and multipurpose passenger vehicles, the classification that covers most SUVs and vans. If your vehicle fits it, every window behind the driver can legally go to 10%.
How Arkansas measures tint
The statute regulates net light transmission: the light that passes through the glass and the film combined. The rating printed on a roll of film is not the number that gets measured.
Factory glass already blocks some light on its own. That means a “25% film” installed over glass that isn’t perfectly clear can meter below 25% net, and the window would be under the legal limit even though the film matches it.
The number that counts is the one measured on your vehicle. That’s why the shade should be chosen against what your glass already measures.
The windshield rule
The windshield is the strictest glass on the vehicle: no tint at all, with one exception, a strip along the top extending no more than 5 inches down from the top center.
National tint sites often describe Arkansas’s windshield rule with terminology borrowed from other states’ laws. Arkansas’s own language is simpler: five inches, measured from the top center.
What the statute doesn’t say
Plenty of tint charts list reflectivity percentages or banned tint colors for Arkansas. The statute contains neither. On passenger vehicles, § 27-37-306 regulates one thing: how much light gets through each window. Reflectivity and color rules come from other states’ laws, and when they show up on an Arkansas chart they’ve been carried over from somewhere else.
The Required Label
The label Arkansas requires.
Along with the shade limits, the statute requires a compliance label on the glass.
Under § 27-37-306(c) and (e)(3), any vehicle with aftermarket tint must carry a label on the front glass, immediately to the left of the driver. The label lists the installing company’s name and phone number and affirms that the tint conforms to the statute.
The label matters at a traffic stop. It shows an officer that the tint was installed to conform with the statute and identifies who installed it.
Every legal aftermarket install should leave with this label in place.
Exemptions & Enforcement
The exceptions, and what a violation costs.
The medical exemption
Section (e) of the statute carves out an exemption for drivers with a physician-certified light-sensitive condition. The statute names albinism and lupus as examples.
With a valid certification, the limits loosen for tint installed after August 16, 2013: side windows may go to 20% net, the windshield to 50%, and the rear window to 10%.
The certification comes with conditions. It has to be carried in the vehicle, and it has to be renewed every three years. If the vehicle is ever sold, the seller must either disclose the over-limit tint to the buyer or remove it.
No tint shop can grant the exemption; it runs through your physician. If you hold one, mention it when you call and we’ll confirm what it means for your install.
Trucks vs. cars: who gets the darker back half
The statute splits vehicles into two categories. Passenger cars get a 25% floor on all four side windows and 10% on the back glass. Trucks, buses, motor homes, and multipurpose passenger vehicles (most SUVs and vans, in practice) keep the 25% floor on the front doors but may run 10% on every window behind the driver.
That’s why a crew-cab pickup can legally wear a much darker back half than the sedan parked next to it. It also shapes the shade conversation on every automotive tint install: the right recommendation depends on which category you drive. The STEK LUNARAY films EHCO installs run from nearly clear to very dark, so there’s a legal shade for either category.
Commercial motor vehicles fall under a stricter set of rules. Federal FMCSA regulations require at least 70% light transmission on the windshield and front side windows, tighter than anything in state law. If you run semis or work equipment, start with specialty tinting for semis, heavy equipment, and work fleets.
Over the limit: what actually happens
Violating § 27-37-306 is a Class B misdemeanor, and it applies to whoever installed the tint as well as whoever’s driving it. Over-limit tint is also visible from the roadside, so it can be the reason you get stopped in the first place.
Visiting from out of state? A vehicle that complies with its home state’s tint law is exempt while it’s driven in Arkansas.
The simplest way to stay legal is to have the glass checked before the shade is chosen. Not sure where your current windows stand? Ask when you schedule an install.
This summary reflects Arkansas Code § 27-37-306 as of August 2026. It’s general information rather than legal advice. Laws change, and enforcement is measured on your actual glass, so shade choices are always confirmed against your specific vehicle. If you drive out of state, other states’ tint laws apply on their roads.
Common Questions
Quick answers.
What’s the darkest legal tint in Arkansas?
It depends on the vehicle and the window. On a car: 25% net on all four side windows and 10% on the back glass. On a truck, SUV, or van: 25% on the front doors, and 10% on everything behind the driver. On either, the windshield gets no tint beyond the 5-inch strip at the top.
Is 5% “limo” tint legal in Arkansas?
Generally, no, not even on the back of a truck or SUV. The darkest floor anywhere in the statute is 10% net light transmission, measured through the film and the glass together. True 5% film measures below that floor on its own, before the glass takes its share. Windows at the 10% floor still look genuinely dark, and ceramic film delivers heat rejection at legal shades.
Does factory tint count toward the limit?
Yes. Arkansas measures glass and film combined, and even ordinary factory glass blocks some light before any film goes on. Factory privacy glass blocks more. The film shade has to be chosen with your specific glass in mind, starting from what your windows already measure.
Can I get a medical exemption for darker tint?
The exemption exists, but it runs through your physician. A doctor certifies a qualifying light-sensitive condition; you carry the certification in the vehicle and renew it every three years. With it, side windows can go to 20% net and the windshield to 50%. EHCO can’t grant or file it for you, but if you have one, tell us when you call and we’ll confirm what it means for your vehicle.
Heat & Glare
Heat rejection at legal shades.
Arkansas limits how dark tint can be, and that’s all it limits. Ceramic film rejects heat through its coating rather than its darkness, so a fully legal window still cuts real heat, glare, and UV.
Ready to pick a legal shade?
Tell us what you drive and we’ll recommend a shade that clears Arkansas law on every window: chosen for your actual glass, installed at your place, and labeled the way the state requires.