Window Tint Laws in Australia by State: VLT Limits Compared (2026)

Most Australian jurisdictions require a minimum 35% front and 20% rear visible light transmission for window tint, but the Northern Territory genuinely allows 15% rear, the ACT applies one uniform 35% floor rather than a lower rear figure, and Western Australia's current rule sits in a 2014 regulation, not the 2002 rule many older sources still cite.

Jurisdiction scope: This page compares window tint visible light transmission (VLT) minimums across all eight Australian states and territories, current as of 20 July 2026. Victoria's and Tasmania's figures were confirmed against primary regulation text on 18 August 2026. This is general legal information, not legal advice about a specific vehicle's compliance.

Window Tint VLT Minimums by Jurisdiction

Windscreen: most jurisdictions require at least 70% VLT below the wiper arc (75% in South Australia for a vehicle built after 1971), with the top 10% of the windscreen (or the area above the wiper sweep) permitted to be tinted, and reflectance generally capped at 10%.

ACT note: the enacted regulation (Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2000, Schedule 1, section 1.47) sets one uniform 35% floor for all non-windscreen glazing, front and rear alike, with no separate lower rear figure. Access Canberra's consumer-facing FAQ states 20% for rear windows, but that is agency guidance, not the enacted regulation, and the regulation controls.

Full state-by-state detail, including grandfathering, defect-notice enforcement and demerit points, is covered on the dedicated pages for New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT.

Why VLT Minimums Matter and How They Are Measured

Visible light transmission (VLT) measures the percentage of light that passes through tinted glass; a lower VLT percentage means a darker tint. Every Australian jurisdiction sets a minimum VLT for the front side windows, and most set a separate, lower minimum for the rear side windows and rear window, on the basis that a driver's forward and side vision through the front windows matters more for safety than visibility through the rear. Because the numbers are close across most jurisdictions, 35% front is near-universal, it is easy to assume every state's rear figure and windscreen rule also match. Three genuine exceptions in this comparison, the Northern Territory's 15% rear minimum, the ACT's single 35% floor for all non-windscreen glazing rather than the lower rear figure Access Canberra's FAQ states, and Western Australia's specific current regulation, show why the figure needs to be checked jurisdiction by jurisdiction rather than assumed.

New South Wales: A Mirror-Dependent Rear Rule

NSW requires a minimum 35% VLT on front side windows. Its rear rule is conditional: 20% VLT is permitted on rear side windows and the rear window where the vehicle is fitted with two exterior mirrors, but if the vehicle relies on a single driver-side mirror only, the rear minimum rises to 35%, the same as the front. Reflectance on any tinted window is capped at 10% in NSW (rule 44(8)); this is a numeric ceiling, not a blanket ban on reflective-look film, though most reflective films exceed it in practice. Goods vehicles fitted with mirrors on both sides face no VLT floor at all on rear-of-driver glazing, provided the vehicle has at least four wheels, or at least three wheels and a gross vehicle mass over one tonne (rule 44(6B)).

Queensland: 0% Permitted for Goods Vehicles

Queensland's Vehicle Standards and Safety Regulation 2021 sets a 35% front and 20% rear minimum, with dual exterior mirrors required to use the lower rear figure. Section 44 of that regulation permits goods vehicles to be fitted with tint down to 0% VLT on rear-of-driver glazing, reflecting the more limited safety role rear vision plays in a vehicle not carrying passengers behind the driver.

Western Australia: reg 260, Not the Repealed 2002 Rules

Western Australia's current window tint rule is regulation 260 of the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014: front side windows at least 35% VLT, rear side and rear windows at least 20%, with goods vehicles permitted down to 0% on rear-of-driver glazing. The windscreen must be at least 70% VLT, except for a permitted tinted band across the top, above the area swept by the wipers, and reflectance is capped at 10%. This is a sourcing trap worth flagging explicitly: the earlier Road Traffic (Vehicle Standards) Rules 2002, which set a uniform 35% for all non-windscreen glazing with no front/rear split, was repealed on 27 April 2015. That repealed instrument, and the associated Vehicle Safety and Standards Bulletin IB-119D, can still be found circulating online and should never be cited as WA's current rule.

South Australia: The Same 35/20 Structure, With a Goods Exception

South Australia applies the same 35% front, 20% rear structure as Queensland and Western Australia, with goods vehicles permitted down to 0% VLT on rear-of-driver glazing (Road Traffic (Light Vehicle Standards) Rules 2018, rule 44(6), (6A) and (6B)). South Australia's windscreen minimum is build-date dependent: at least 75% VLT for a vehicle built after 1971, and at least 70% for any other vehicle, per South Australian Government guidance.

ACT: One Uniform Floor, Not a Lower Rear Figure

The ACT's enacted regulation (Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2000, Schedule 1, section 1.47) sets a single 35% VLT floor for all non-windscreen glazing, front side windows and rear side/rear windows alike, with no separate lower figure for rear glazing. Access Canberra's consumer-facing FAQ states a 20% rear figure, but that is agency guidance, not the enacted regulation, and the regulation controls; a driver relying on the 20% figure for rear tint would in fact be non-compliant with the enacted 35% floor. Goods vehicles, and buses, limousines, ambulances and hearses, have no minimum tint requirement at all on windows behind the driver, though front windows on these vehicle types still need at least 35% VLT under both the regulation and Access Canberra's own guidance. Glazing fitted to a vehicle before 1 October 1996 is also exempt from the current limits, reflecting a transitional carve-out for older vehicles rather than a general relaxation of the rule.

Northern Territory: 15% Rear Is Real, Not an Error

The Northern Territory's front side window minimum matches the rest of the country at 35%, but its rear minimum is a genuine outlier at 15%, well below the 20% used almost everywhere else. This is not an aggregator artefact or a misreading of a bulletin: it traces to a specific Registrar of Motor Vehicles exemption under Gazette Notice G2, dated 14 January 2009, made under section 135 of the Motor Vehicles Act. The exemption sits on top of Schedule 6 Rule 44 of the Motor Vehicles (Standards) Regulations rather than amending it: Rule 44 itself still reads not less than 35% for rear glazing, unchanged, but the standing exemption permits a luminous transmittance of not less than 15% on glazing rearward of the driver's seating position for vehicles covered by the exemption. A second exemption, Gazette S119 of 26 November 2014, goes further for heavy vehicles: it removes all rear-of-driver tint limits for vehicles over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass. Both exemptions are documented in the NT's own Information Bulletin V51, and a reader should treat the 15% figure as the genuine current NT rule, not a typo for 20% or 25%.

Victoria and Tasmania: Now Confirmed

Victoria's window tint rule is clause 44 of Schedule 1, Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021: at least 35% VLT on front side windows and windows ahead of the driver, at least 20% on rear glazing where the vehicle has a rear-vision mirror fitted to each side (0% for qualifying goods vehicles), a 70% windscreen minimum with the usual top-strip exception, and reflectance capped at 10%. VicRoads' own Vehicle Standards Information sheet VSI 2 states the same figures.

Tasmania's rule is regulation 42 of the Vehicle and Traffic (Vehicle Standards) Regulations 2024, carried over verbatim (only renumbered) from the previous regulation 47: at least 35% VLT on front side windows, at least 20% on rear glazing, both rear side windows and the rear window, where the vehicle has an external mirror on each side, 0% for qualifying goods vehicles, a 70% windscreen minimum with the same top-strip exception, and reflectance capped at 10%.

Both states now match the near-universal 35/20/70/10 structure used across most of the country.

See the full jurisdiction comparison on the Australia driving laws hub. Window tint compliance can be checked at the same inspection as other vehicle standards; for related enforcement topics see speeding fines in Australia and demerit points explained across Australia. State-specific detail is also available on Western Australia demerit points and Northern Territory demerit points.

This page provides general legal information about window tint VLT requirements across Australia, verified 20 July 2026. It is not legal advice about whether a specific vehicle's tint complies with the law in a specific jurisdiction. For advice about compliance or an infringement, consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory, or the vehicle standards branch of the relevant transport authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 35% front tint legal everywhere in Australia?

Yes. 35% front VLT is the confirmed minimum in every Australian state and territory: NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.

Why does the Northern Territory allow darker rear tint than other states?

It is a genuine regulatory exemption, not an error: a Registrar of Motor Vehicles exemption under Gazette Notice G2 of 14 January 2009, made under section 135 of the Motor Vehicles Act, permits 15% rear VLT in the NT, compared with 20% in most other jurisdictions.

What is Western Australia's current window tint regulation?

Regulation 260 of the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014. The earlier Road Traffic (Vehicle Standards) Rules 2002 and bulletin IB-119D were repealed on 27 April 2015 and are not current law, even though they still appear on some websites.

Can a goods vehicle have darker rear tint than a passenger car?

Yes, in several jurisdictions. Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania all permit goods vehicles to use 0% VLT on rear-of-driver glazing, NSW places no rear-glazing VLT limit at all on qualifying goods vehicles, and the ACT sets no minimum for goods vehicles either.

Is there a nationwide rule for windscreen tint?

Most jurisdictions require at least 70% VLT on the windscreen, with an allowance for the top section, generally above where the wipers sweep, to be tinted more darkly. South Australia requires 75% for a vehicle built after 1971 rather than 70%. Confirm the exact area permitted with the relevant state or territory.

What is the legal tint limit in Victoria and Tasmania?

Victoria requires at least 35% VLT on front side windows and at least 20% on rear glazing (0% for qualifying goods vehicles), with a 70% windscreen minimum and reflectance capped at 10%, under clause 44 of Schedule 1, Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021. Tasmania applies the same 35/20/70/10 structure under regulation 42 of the Vehicle and Traffic (Vehicle Standards) Regulations 2024.

Does the ACT require 20% or 35% rear tint?

The enacted regulation (Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2000, Schedule 1, section 1.47) sets a single 35% floor for all non-windscreen glazing, including rear windows. Access Canberra's own consumer FAQ states 20% for rear windows, but that guidance conflicts with the enacted regulation, and the regulation controls.

Does the ACT exempt any vehicles from its window tint rules entirely?

Windows behind the driver on buses, limousines, ambulances and hearses have no ACT tint limit, and glazing fitted before 1 October 1996 is also exempt from the current rule. Front windows on these vehicle types still need at least 35% VLT.

Are heavy vehicles treated differently for window tint in the Northern Territory?

Yes. A second NT exemption, Gazette S119 of 26 November 2014, removes all rear-of-driver tint limits for heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass.