Updated at: 03-06-2022 - By: Lucas

If you’re thinking about getting your car windows tinted, you should think about a few things before making a decision.

This article will talk about some important things you should know about window tint laws in Tennessee.

Benefits to Window Tint for Your Car

There are many reasons why you might want to tint the windows of your car.

Tennessee summers can get very hot, so having a way to keep the inside of your car cooler is a good thing.

Tinting your car windows will also protect your skin from UV rays because it will make them less strong.

Tinting your car windows also protects the upholstery, gives you privacy, and raises the value of your car when you want to sell it.

Drawbacks to Tinting Your Car Windows

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Tinting your windows has one major downside: it makes the police pay more attention to you.

If your windows are darkly tinted, it might look like you are trying to hide something.

When your windows are heavily tinted, the police have a good reason to pull you over for an investigation.

Tinted windows are one of the most common reasons why the police will pull you over.

Tennessee Window Tint Law

In 1990, Tennessee made its laws about window tint.

The state was the 11th of the 50 to pass laws about window tinting.

Laws have been made about how cars’ windows can be tinted because tinted windows make it harder for drivers to see street signs, people, and other cars.

Many states think that tinted car windows block a driver’s view and want to put limits on them because they can lead to serious or fatal accidents.

VLT percentages show how dark a car’s window tint is.

Visible light transmission, or VLT, is the amount of light that can get through a window.

The more VLT your windows have, the more light can come through them.

The Tennessee Code Annotated 55-9-107 says that any tint on the windshield must let in more than 70% of the light, and the tint on the side and back windows must let in at least 35% of the VLT.

To be legal, the tint on a windshield has to be above the AS-1 line set by the manufacturer.

Most car manufacturers use a standard tint of 70 percent VLT, so if you want to go darker, you’ll have to get an after-market tint put on.

You can’t put a metallic or reflective tint on any of your car’s windows.

But in the state of Tennessee, coloured tint is okay.

Make sure the person who tints your car windows puts a sticker on the side of the windshield where the driver sits.

This is put between the windshield and the tint film to show that the tinting meets the law.

Can You Get Pulled Over for Tint in Tennessee?

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Yes, you can. A police officer can pull you over if they think your window tint doesn’t follow the rules.

This shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you have all the necessary permits on hand, as is required for the installation process.

Medical Exemptions

Let’s say you have a medical condition that needs you to tint your windows more than the law allows.

If that’s the case, you’ll need to get permission from the Tennessee Department of Safety before you tint your windows darker than the law lets you.

Some medical conditions, like xeroderma, a sun allergy, porphyria, pigmentosa, photosensitivity, melanoma, and lupus, can get you out of going to school.

You don’t have to be the driver of the car to get the exemption. If you are a frequent passenger in the car and meet the other requirements, you can still get the exemption.

The first step in getting a medical exemption is for your doctor to send a letter to the Commissioner of the Department of Safety.

This is proof that you need a darker tint than the law allows because of a medical condition.

When the Commissioner gets your application, he or she sends it to the department’s medical review board for evaluation.

If the review board decides that the exemption is justified, they will suggest that the Commissioner issue an exemption that clearly states the amount of tint that is allowed.

When the tint percentage is figured out, the applicant is given a certificate or sticker that shows the level of exemption. This can be put in the car.

Penalty for Not Following Tinting Laws in Tennessee

People who break Tennessee’s tinting laws can be fined anywhere from $138 to $300.

A small white box that slides over the window and shows the VLT number on a digital screen lets the police know if a car’s tint is legal.

You should know that tinting laws vary from state to state, so if you go to another state, you may run into trouble depending on whether or not its tinting laws are the same as Tennessee’s.

Conclusion

It can take a lot of time and work to tint windows.

So, you don’t want to find out later that the tint on your car’s windows is not legal in Tennessee.

If this is the case, you will have to pay to have the tint taken off or replaced.

It will save you a lot of time and money in the long run to make sure that your windows are tinted by professionals who are licenced and well-known in the field.

Always make sure you have the right paperwork and information about the window tint on your car, especially if you need it because of a medical condition.