Window Tint Laws in Iowa

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: At least 50% VLT.
Rear side windows: No tint-darkness minimum specified by current DOT guidance.
Back window: No tint-darkness minimum specified by current DOT guidance.
Windshield strip: At least 70% VLT; no separate strip permission asserted here.

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: No tint-darkness minimum specified by current DOT guidance.

SUV, van and multipurpose-vehicle back window: No tint-darkness minimum specified by current DOT guidance.

2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1100, H.F. 766, approved May 15, 2026, changed front sides from 70% to 50%.
DOT states that previously approved medical exemptions are no longer authorized as of July 1, 2026; no new medical exemptions.
Clear-vision and other equipment obligations remain; law-enforcement official-duty exceptions are separate.

Sources and verification

Official source: DOT guidance and enacted state law. 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.