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Kentucky Window Tint Laws (2026): Legal VLT Limits

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 18, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 18, 2026. · 1 primary source cited on this page. How we verify our legal content

Kentucky Window Tint Laws (2026): Legal VLT Limits

Updates

Corrected the Kentucky tint penalties to distinguish the driver's $20 to $100 fine under KRS 189.990(1)(a) from the Class B misdemeanor KRS 189.110(9) imposes on whoever applies the film, fixed an FAQ that wrongly called 20% tint illegal on a sedan's rear windows, removed an unsupported windshield reflectivity ban and a label duty the statute places on installers rather than drivers, and clarified that the 8% floor and the both-sides mirror rule follow the statute's own terms rather than a flat SUV-and-truck split.

Corrected the Kentucky window tint page's penalty section: KRS 189.110 has no 10-day fix-it-ticket process. It requires noncompliant tint be removed immediately (189.110(8)) and makes a violation a Class B misdemeanor (189.110(9)) carrying a fine of up to $250 under KRS 534.040(2)(b) plus court costs.

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes

Corrected the windshield tint rule (KRS 189.110(2)(c) allows 70%+ VLT sunscreening below the AS-1 line, not a flat ban), the SUV/van/truck rear-window floor (8% VLT per KRS 189.110(4)(a), not any darkness), the color-ban scope (yellow, not amber, and windshield-only), and removed a mis-cited medical exemption (KRS 189.110(5) is the rear-window dual-mirror rule, not a medical exemption).

Governing law re-checked for recent changes

Reviewed and approved by an editor

Sources and References

  1. KRS 189.110 - Window tinting restrictions, Kentucky Legislature(apps.legislature.ky.gov).gov
  2. KRS 189.990 - Penalties (subsection (1)(a) sets the $20 to $100 fine for a KRS 189.110 violation), Kentucky Legislature(apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  3. KRS 532.090 - Sentence of imprisonment for misdemeanor (Class B: not to exceed 90 days), Kentucky Legislature(apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  4. KRS 534.040 - Fines for misdemeanors and violations (Class B: up to $250; fines and imprisonment not mutually exclusive), Kentucky Legislature(apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  5. 49 CFR 571.3 - Definitions of "multipurpose passenger vehicle" and "truck", U.S. Government Publishing Office(www.govinfo.gov)
  6. KRS 189.010 - Definitions for chapter (contains no definition of "multipurpose passenger vehicle"), Kentucky Legislature(apps.legislature.ky.gov)
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