Window tint laws in Massachusetts (2026)

The rules, window by window

Windshield

No signs, posters, stickers, or nontransparent or sunscreen materials that obstruct, impede, or distort the operator's vision. Transparent material is permitted on the uppermost 6 inches along the top of the windshield if it does not encroach on the driver's direct viewing area (MGL c.90 s.9D).

The standard in the law's own words

The core prohibition is qualitative: no material upon or in the windshield or windows that obstructs, impedes, or distorts the vision of the operator, with the 35% figures operating as the exception threshold for permitted sunscreen material.

Reflectivity

Permitted window materials must have a total visible light reflectance of not more than 35% (MGL c.90 s.9D).

Medical exemption

A licensed physician may request an exemption for a photosensitive individual by written attestation; approval goes through the medical advisory board, and the registrar issues an identification sticker for approved vehicles (MGL c.90 s.9D).

Enforcement

Violations carry fines up to 250 dollars; a third or subsequent conviction triggers suspension of the operator's license for up to 90 days. The registrar establishes rules and standards for measuring reflectance and transmittance and for testing glazing alleged to be in violation (MGL c.90 s.9D).

Notes

The statutory exception is phrased disjunctively: nontransparent or sunscreen material is allowed on the side windows immediately adjacent to the operator and front passenger, the side windows immediately to their rear, and the rear window if it has 'a total visible light reflectance of not more than thirty-five per cent or a visible light transmittance of not less than thirty-five per cent'. In practice the 35% VLT floor is applied to all these zones and is recorded in the numeric fields. Use of tint on the rear window requires two outside mirrors, one on each side, adjusted so the driver has a clear view of the highway behind. Vehicles registered in other jurisdictions and private livery vehicles (excluding taxicabs) are excluded from the rear window restrictions. No sedan-vs-MPV/SUV distinction is drawn; the statute does not state whether the 35% is measured film-only or combined with glazing (the registrar's measurement standards govern).