Connecticut Window Tinting Laws (2024 Updated)

Overtime, the car industry has shifted in priorities from merely ensuring that cars are able to function (which was a hurdle of its own at one point) to perfecting looks.

And in this regard, tinting is one aspect for which people have found acclimatization with thereby raising serious legal questions about the amounts of tint to use given the number of stakeholders the issue involves.

Different governments have settled with different positions including Connecticut as this article encounters.

To be sure, this mainly relates to tint that is applied on a vehicle post manufacturing since car companies will be aware of the appropriate tinting allowed in different places so they will conform to them in their work. This is the sole area then that this article restricts itself too.

The specifics of what I will cover include Connecticut window tint darkness and reflection laws in general, their enforceability, exemptions etc.

Towards the end, I share some practical insights that I hope will get you even more interested in tint issues. Further, the article gets comparative in some cases in the effort of enabling you place the situation of Connecticut in relation to other states in the country.

Regulation of window tinting in Connecticut started in 1994 though there have been some changes to the initial law ever since making it rather complicated to easily understand the present picture.

Luckily, I have been able to dive into the depth of everything and so this article presents the most up to date and coherent requirements in Connecticut window tint law so you do not have to worry about putting the pieces together yourself.

I have also ensured that the language used is simple contrary to the ways in which legal documents are often written. The article can therefore be read by anyone regardless of whether they went to law school or not. Okay then, let the action begin.

Table of Contents

Connecticut Window Tinting Darkness Laws

Window tint darkness is one of two major aspects of tinting. It is also the one that most people will think about when they talk about tinting. Like the name suggests, window tint darkness works by placing dark film over a window thereby blocking light rays and heat from entering the car.

It is also the case that not all film works in the same way. Beyond quality, films are also categorized according to how much lighting they allow in a car.

This aspect is also known as Visible Light Transmission (VLT). VLT is measured in percentages with the highest figures indicating that the tint in question allows a lot of lighting into the car and the reverse is true. A car tinted with 90% VLT therefore allows more light in it than one that has say, 40%.

It is in VLT terms then that states will communicate when placing a cap on what level of tint darkness is permissible.

In order determine the VLT levels to be applied on a car, law makers often rely on two factors. The first regards the car itself i.e. its structure or purpose. Given the different preferences of people for instance, laws usually require cars that carry a lot of people to ensure high VLT percentages especially if they are usually employed for public use.

The second aspect regards the position of windows on a car. That is to say that while two windows might appear on the same vehicle, in most cases, differing percentages of VLT are expected to be used. This goes back to the fact that while being on one vehicle, these windows serve different purposes.

The windshield for instance, is the place where the driver directly interacts with other road users. It would be unreasonable thus, for laws to ask that the standard applied to it is extended to the other windows too.

One understands the fact that using different VLT levels on the same vehicle might distort the looks but still the rationale above cannot be simply be dismissed.

An easier way out would be to apply the VLT percentage relating to the window where the highest percentage is to be used to the (apart from the windshield as its standard is almost always never to tint) to the rest of the windows.

With that perspective, it is now salient to note that regulators do not always follow the said factors. They might follow one, both, and sometimes none. In Connecticut, all two are captured as we will now see.

Sedans

Windshield: tint is to only be used above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
Front side windows: must allow a minimum of 35% VLT.
Backside windows: must allow a minimum of 35% VLT.
Rear window: no restrictions on VLT i.e. 0% VLT can be used.

SUVs, Vans, and trucks

Windshield: tint is to only be used above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
Front side windows: must allow a minimum of 35% VLT.
Backside windows: no restrictions on VLT i.e. 0% VLT can be used.
Rear window: no restrictions on VLT i.e. 0% VLT can be used.

Connecticut Window Tinting Reflection Laws

The second branch to window tinting is window tint reflection and as most folks think about tint darkness when topics of tinting come up, tint reflection remains known by not so many individuals.

This is not to say however, that it is less effective. If at all, it is good as tint darkness and even better when it comes to some things. If you are intrigued, you can try it out for yourself and see.

Window tint reflection arrives at these results by taking a route that is rather subtle. Whereas tint darkness blocks out light, this kind of tinting deflects the rays to somewhere else instead.

Therefore, while tint darkness is measured by the amount of light that enters the car, window tint reflection is quantified by the percentage of light a window reflects. If the percentage in question is high, then it means that the window is reflecting so much light and therefore more likely to disrupt the driving of vehicles within its proximity.

Tint reflection laws are especially important because while in the case of window tint darkness the individuals in the car are always going to have problems if their tinting is overly dark and therefore have an incentive to work within the law, this is not always true under window tint reflection.

In the former case for example, if the driver fails to see where it is that he is headed they will land themselves in an accident while for tint reflection, if the rays were to reflect very sharply, they could distort the vision of another innocent driver thereby landing causing her to get involved in an accident that may not always involve the offending driver.

Like is the case with window tint darkness, window tint standards are arrived upon with the guidance of what the car in question looks like or the activities that it gets involved in are as well as the positions of windows on vehicles. Again, not all states particularly heed to these.

As for Connecticut’s case, the state only considers the second factor. That is, it does not matter that you drive a sedan, SUV, van, or truck, the same window tint reflection standard will be required of you. We can now look at the details:

Front side windows: a maximum of 21% reflection is allowed.
Backside windows: a maximum of 27% reflection is allowed.

Other Connecticut Window Tinting Laws

Having looked at the standards under window tint darkness as well as window tint reflection, you can be sure that you know the gist of window tinting laws in Connecticut.

Wait to go though as there are other important aspects that you need to know. Knowing that reproducing all there is in the laws here is a fool’s errand (and an unnecessary one anyway), I have for this section selected the aspects of law that place the provisions already handled in perspective by bringing further nuance. Here we go.

Certificates and stickers: certificates are documents issued by tint manufacturers to consumers declaring that the window tint given out complies with a state’s laws. This helps in incidents where law enforcement is trying to hold violators of law to account.

Stickers come in as a matter of inconvenience. Certificates are anything but portable and so they are not easy to carry around. Stickers on the hand solve this problem not only because they are not bulky but can also be attached to the car. This is done by placing them between the window glass and the tint.

Certificates are not always a must have and in fact a number of states do not ask them. In Connecticut however, they are both mandatory. Do not hit the road unless you have one of them if at all your car is tinted.

Restricted colors: Connecticut allows for the use of any colors on your windows. This is as liberal as you can get on this issue as even states that are fairly modest ask will usually ban the usage of Amber and Red. Additionally, Connecticut has Okayed the usage of faint metallic tinting.

Dual side mirrors: if one chooses to tint their rear window with 0% VLT tint, then they are expected to have two side mirrors installed on their car one for each of the sides. This is a standard provision in many window tint laws.

Its rationale stems from the fact that at any one point, an individual is not using the road alone which makes it crucial that they keep an eye on everybody else. Tinting the back end of the vehicle to pitch darkness however means that a driver won’t be able to know what it is that is behind them.

Medical exemptions: it is now generally understood under window tint laws that some individuals cannot work within the general VLT percentage standard out of no fault of their own. Often, these are cases that include individuals with skin or eye issues. Common examples here include lupus and albinism.

In light of this, Connecticut has allowed for special provisions for folks falling in this category. To be a beneficiary, one must obtain certification from a professional health worker. Such documentation should indicate the condition that the affected person suffers from. One can then keep this paper in their vehicle as proof to be showed to law enforcement where they are asked to stop on queries relating to the tinting of their windows.

Important to note is that even for these persons, the tint VLT percentage should not fall below 20%. Whereas most states do not usually place any numbers of this sort, it is fair to say that 20% VLT is reasonable enough such that most patients will work with it without having to exacerbate their conditions.

Penalties: violation of window tint laws is considered an infraction in Connecticut and it is faced with punishment. The specifics of this will depend on the nature of the case at hand e.g. law enforcement is not likely to be kind on you if you have a history of being involved with related behaviors.

Generally speaking however, one is issued a ticket to remove the tint within sixty days or fined on top of the directive. Once the sixty days have passed and the order has not been removed, then your vehicle is going to be impounded temporarily.

Others

Having tackled everything legal, we can now turn our eyes to some practical aspects that in one way or the other help anchor our window tinting knowledge in better context.

I am pretty sure that you will find yourself having to answer them either prior to finally resolving whether you will tint your car or not or when you start on the process of having it tinted.

Cost: tint prices vary and so ultimately, it depends on what you want as well as what you can afford. Reasonable good tint (classic) will cost you approximately $150. From there, the money goes up topping at ceramic tint which goes for about $400. This might be a lot of money to some people but it is worth it if money is not a problem. It lasts a significantly longer period of time for instance.

Note also, that prices are influenced by the vehicle type in question i.e. some cars have more windows than others.

Subtle benefits: there many ways in which tint is useful some tend to be largely known however than others even when some purposes that are relatively obscure are so important. While we all know that tint reduces the UV light rays entering a car, in most cases we do not appreciate the fact that this is especially important for folks who spend lots of time in their cars e.g. taxi drivers since an increase in such time means that there is a correlational increase in exposure.

Tinting ones car helps in reducing the amount of energy and fuel spent too. This because the car remains cooler on the inside and so there would be no need for using air conditioning.

Connecticut State Info

Connecticut occupies the most southern point of the New England region. It is named after River Connecticut a major water way in the United States that dissects through the state.

The state is only about 14,000 km sq making it the third last when compared with the size of other states in the country. That said, Connecticut has a significantly higher population i.e. roughly 3,600,000. This makes it the twenty-ninth on the list of populous states and fourth in relation to population density.

The capital of Connecticut is Hartford. Other cities in the state include; North Haven, New Haven, Norwich, Enfield, Waterbury, Bristol, Southington, and Stamford.

Cities in Connecticut: Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Greenwich, Waterbury, Danbury, West Hartford, Westport, Newtown, Meriden, Groton, New Britain, Hamden, Middletown, Fairfield, New Canaan, New London, Milford, Branford, Darien, Glastonbury, Wallingford, Ridgefield, Wethersfield, Bristol, Trumbull, Southington, Farmington, Torrington, East Hartford, Enfield, West Haven, Manchester, Simsbury, New Milford, Shelton, Storrs, Cheshire, Newington, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Naugatuck, Guilford, Southbury, North Haven, South Windsor, Lyme, Ansonia

Counties in Connecticut: Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, Windham

Wikipedia

State website