Window Tint Laws in Illinois
Laws change. Verify current requirements with your local DMV/RMV before choosing or installing film. This is not legal advice.
VLT is visible light transmission: lower percentages mean darker windows. A film's labeled shade is not necessarily the finished glass-plus-film reading. The limits below cover ordinary passenger cars unless stated otherwise.
- Front side windows
- 35% minimum with every rear window at least 35%; alternatively 50% with every rear window at least 30%, or 50% with original manufacturer nonreflective rear privacy glass.
- Rear side windows
- At least 35% with 35% front sides; at least 30% with 50% front sides. Rear-only treatment is a separate configuration with untreated front sides.
- Back window
- Same complete configuration requirements as rear sides.
- Windshield strip
- Nonreflective uppermost strip, no more than 6 inches.
Vehicle class and conditions
Measurement basis: Combined glass-plus-film visible light transmission, not the film label alone.
SUV, van and multipurpose-vehicle rear sides: At least 35% with 35% front sides; at least 30% with 50% front sides. Rear-only treatment is a separate configuration with untreated front sides.
SUV, van and multipurpose-vehicle back window: Same complete configuration requirements as rear sides.
- Choose a complete legal configuration, not isolated front and rear percentages. Original factory privacy glass is a separate exception, not permission for darker aftermarket rear film.
- Front-side enforcement metering allows a 5% variance; do not use it as the installation target. Treated rear glass requires compliant outside mirrors on both sides.
- Medical authorization requires the statutory certification and distinctive plates or plate stickers; a physician letter alone is not complete authorization.
Sources and verification
Official source: State statute/regulation. Reviewed 2026-10-29. Laws and agency guidance can change after this review.
Laws change. Verify current requirements with your local DMV/RMV before choosing or installing film. This is not legal advice.