New MN Law Will Change Who Can Drive This Kind Of Car

ST. PAUL, MN — A new Minnesota law expands who can legally drive a vehicle with extra-dark window tint.

Going into effect July 1, the law rewrites parts of Minnesota’s vehicle window tint rules around medical exemptions. It amends section 169.71, subdivision 4a of the Minnesota Statutes, and introduces new permissions for who can qualify for an exemption and how.

Under the new language, a driver may rely on a medical prescription issued to someone not in the vehicle, as long as that person is:

• The driver's parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or spouse, or
• A person for whom the driver is a personal care attendant.

The exemption allows for darker-than-normal window tint but comes with new documentation requirements.

To be valid, the prescription or physician’s statement must:

• Specify the make, model, and license plate of one or two vehicles that will have tinted windows
• Be in the driver’s possession while operating the vehicle
• State whether the medical condition is temporary or permanent
• Indicate the minimum light transmittance allowed
• Include an expiration date no more than two years after issuance, unless marked as permanent

These new requirements apply to all medical tint prescriptions issued on or after July 1.

Other existing exceptions to Minnesota’s tinting laws remain unchanged. These include:

• Factory-installed glazing that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards
• Rear window tinting on pickup trucks
• Side and rear window tinting on limousines
• Vehicles used by police departments or funeral homes

The bill, SF 1075, was signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on April 24.

Under current Minnesota law, front-side windows must allow at least 50 percent light transmittance, with no more than 20 percent reflectance. The windshield generally cannot be tinted, except for a narrow strip at the top.

The updated law also reaffirms broader tint regulations. As stated in Minnesota Statutes 169.71, subdivision 4:

“A person must not drive or operate any motor vehicle… when any window on the vehicle is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material so as to obstruct or substantially reduce the driver’s clear view through the window or has a light transmittance of less than 50 percent plus or minus three percent… or a luminous reflectance of more than 20 percent plus or minus three percent.”

Additionally, subdivision 5 makes it a crime to sell or apply noncompliant tinting:

“No person shall sell or offer for sale or use on any motor vehicle, windows or windshields that are composed of, covered by, or treated with material that fails to comply with the provisions of subdivision 4.Violation of this subdivision is a misdemeanor.”

These long-standing provisions remain in effect as Minnesota continues to refine who can and cannot legally darken their vehicle windows.