---
title: "Arkansas Window Tint Laws: 25% Front, 10% Rear by Window"
canonical: "https://carglassfix.com/arkansas-window-tint-laws/"
author: "Garrett Ross"
published: "2026-11-12T15:00:00+00:00"
modified: "2026-11-09T14:16:59+00:00"
language: "en-US"
site: "CarGlassFix"
description: "Arkansas tint law: front side windows need 25% net light; rear sides 25% on cars, 10% on SUVs; rear window 10%; 5 in windshield eyebrow. Waiver, fines."
categories: "Window Tint"
attribution: "CarGlassFix (https://carglassfix.com/)"
---
# Arkansas Window Tint Laws: 25% Front, 10% Rear by Window
Short answer
Arkansas window tint laws require at least 25% net light transmission on the front side windows of 1994 and later vehicles. Side windows behind the driver need 25% on cars and 10% on trucks, SUVs, vans and buses. The rearmost window needs 10%. Windshield tint is limited to an eyebrow strip 5 inches down from the top center.
## Key takeaways
- Front side windows on every 1994 and later vehicle must pass at least 25% net light transmission (Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-306(b)(2)).
- Side windows behind the driver may go to 10% on a truck, bus, trailer, motor home or multipurpose passenger vehicle, and to 25% on a car.
- The windshield may carry only an eyebrow strip that ends no more than 5 inches down from the top center.
- A physician’s certification, valid for 3 years, allows 20% sides, a 10% rearmost window and a 50% windshield for tint applied after August 16, 2013.
- Illegal tint is a Class B misdemeanor for the driver and the installer, with a fine of up to $1,000 (5-4-201(b)(2)).
## Arkansas window tint limits by window
Arkansas allows 25% tint on the front side windows, 25% or 10% on the side windows behind the driver, and 10% on the rearmost window. The rule is Arkansas Code Annotated 27-37-306. Subsection (b) says aftermarket tinting “shall be lawful only as follows,” so any film that does not fit one of the listed cases is illegal. The numbers apply to 1994 and later model vehicles. The split between body styles sits only behind the driver. The 10% figure covers “any truck, bus, trailer, motor home, or multiple purpose passenger vehicle,” which takes in most SUVs, vans and pickups. A sedan or coupe keeps 25% on every side window. The front side windows stay at 25% on every vehicle type, and the rearmost window is 10% on every vehicle type.
| Window | Sedan | SUV, van, pickup |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Windshield | Eyebrow strip only, no more than 5 in down from the top center | Same |
| Front side windows and side wings | 25% or more | 25% or more |
| Side windows behind the driver | 25% or more | 10% or more |
| Rearmost window | 10% or more | 10% or more |
| Basis | Net light transmission after the film is applied | Same |
| Reflectance, colors, tolerance | No figure in 27-37-306 | Same |
## What net light transmission means for Arkansas tint
Arkansas sets each limit as the net light transmission the window reaches once film is on it, not the shade printed on the film box. The statute allows film “which results in at least twenty-five percent (25%) net light transmission.” The sections read do not define “net,” so the plain reading is the light that passes through film and glass together.
*Source: Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-306, 5-4-201 and 5-4-401; Arkansas Attorney General opinion of April 19, 2005. Diagram: CarGlassFix.*
Factory glass already blocks some light, so a film sold as 25% reads darker once it is installed. For example, a 25% film on glass that passes 80% of light gives about 20% combined (0.25 x 0.80). That window would fail the Arkansas front side limit. Our guide on [how to measure window tint](https://carglassfix.com/how-to-measure-window-tint/) explains the glass-times-film math. The [window tint percentage chart](https://carglassfix.com/window-tint-percentage-chart/) shows how dark 25% and 10% look. Section 27-37-306 sets no tolerance, so a reading below the number has no written margin. A [window tint meter](https://carglassfix.com/window-tint-meter/) reads the finished window the way an officer’s meter does.
## The Arkansas windshield eyebrow: 5 inches from the top center
An Arkansas windshield may carry aftermarket tint only in a strip along the top edge that reaches no more than 5 inches down from the top center. Subsection (b)(1) calls it the strip “known in the industry as an ‘eyebrow.'” The statute measures from the top center of the glass. It does not mention the AS-1 line, unlike [tint laws in Texas](https://carglassfix.com/texas-window-tint-laws/) and many other states. The statute also sets no light figure for the strip itself.
Side strips are not allowed. An Arkansas Attorney General opinion filed on April 19, 2005 concluded that the statute “does not authorize a strip of tinting of any width running vertically” along the sides of the windshield. Film below the eyebrow is allowed only under the medical waiver, at 50% or more. A separate section, 27-37-304, bans material on the windshield more than 4.5 inches above the bottom if it blocks the driver’s view, other than mirrors and required decals. That is a Class C misdemeanor. For how other states treat the windshield, read [is it illegal to have tint on a windshield](https://carglassfix.com/is-it-illegal-to-have-tint-on-windshield/).
## Trucks, SUVs, older cars and for-hire sedans
The 10% rule behind the driver applies only to trucks, buses, trailers, motor homes and multipurpose passenger vehicles, and the 1994 cutoff decides which cars the limits cover. Subsection (h) extends the rules to 1993 and older models that were not tinted under the repealed 1991 acts (Acts 1991, No. 563 and No. 1043). Older cars tinted under those acts keep their tint until the car is sold. Once ownership transfers, the current limits apply to them too.
Chauffeur-driven sedans licensed as automobiles for hire follow their own section, 27-37-307. The section covers a car that carries at least three rear passengers and is not a taxicab or van. It allows 15% on the rear passenger doors, 10% on the rear windshield, 25% on the front passenger doors and an eyebrow strip of at least 10%. When such a sedan is sold outside the for-hire business, the owner must remove the film. That duty does not apply when the tint is in the glass itself. Hearses are exempt under 306(f), and law enforcement windshields may be tinted to 50% under 306(i).
## Arkansas medical waiver for darker tint
Arkansas lets a driver with a physician’s certification use darker tint, and the statute names no state form or agency. Subsection (e) covers a motorist diagnosed with a disease or disorder, “including, but not limited to, albinism or lupus.” The physician must decide that the exemption is in the driver’s best interest. For tint applied after August 16, 2013, the waiver allows 20% on the side windows, 10% on the rearmost window and 50% on the front windshield.
*Source: Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-306(b) and (e)(2), and 27-37-307(b). Diagram: CarGlassFix.*
The steps below follow the wording of subsection (e).
## How to use the Arkansas medical tint waiver
1. ### See a physician
The physician diagnoses a disease or disorder and certifies that the exemption is in your best interest (306(e)(1)(A)).
2. ### Tint within the waiver limits
After August 16, 2013, the limits are 20% on the side windows, 10% on the rearmost window and 50% on the windshield (306(e)(2)).
3. ### Keep the certification in the car
The statute requires the physician’s certification to be carried in the motor vehicle (306(e)(4)).
4. ### Renew every 3 years
A certification is valid for 3 years from the date of issue (306(e)(5)).
5. ### Disclose or remove at sale
When you sell the car, disclose that the tint is not legal without a waiver, or remove it (306(e)(6)).
Tint applied before August 16, 2013 needs proof of the date it was applied and the installer’s name and phone number in the car.
## Installer label, logos and other Arkansas tint rules
Every Arkansas vehicle with aftermarket tint must carry an installer label on the front glass immediately to the driver’s left. Under 306(c), the label gives the installing company’s name and phone number. It also affirms that all tint on the vehicle meets the section. Subsection (e)(3) repeats the label rule for tint applied after August 2013.
Subsection (a) adds two bans. Tint may not be combined with striping material on any window. Letters or logos larger than one-quarter inch may not be applied to any window. A 1991 Attorney General opinion read “larger than one-fourth inch” as covering both height and width, on all windows of the vehicle. Section 27-37-302 also bans signs, posters and nontransparent material that block the driver’s view, other than papers required by law. Vehicles registered in another state are exempt under 306(d), but only if that state has its own tint law. Before choosing a shade, the [window tint simulator](https://carglassfix.com/window-tint-simulator/) previews 25% and 10% on a car.
## Arkansas tint ticket: Class B misdemeanor penalties
Driving with illegal tint in Arkansas is a Class B misdemeanor, and an installer who puts on illegal film commits the same offense. Subsection 306(g) names both “any installer” and “any person operating any motor vehicle” with non-compliant tint. Section 27-37-306 sets no amount of its own. The general sentencing law then applies. Section 5-4-201(b)(2) caps the fine for a Class B misdemeanor at “one thousand dollars ($1,000).” Section 5-4-401(b)(2) says a Class B sentence “shall not exceed ninety (90) days.”
These are the statutory maximums. The amount a court actually orders, and any court costs, depend on the court named on the ticket. The windshield obstruction rule in 27-37-304 is a lower class. It is a Class C misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $500 under 5-4-201(b)(3). Neighboring states treat tint differently. Missouri, for example, has a 35% front limit; see [Missouri window tint laws](https://carglassfix.com/missouri-window-tint-laws/) before driving across the line, and compare every state in [what car window tint is legal](https://carglassfix.com/what-car-window-tint-is-legal/).
## What other Arkansas tint guides get wrong
Many Arkansas tint guides add rules that the statute does not contain. A Bing AI answer checked for this page said the windshield strip follows “the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.” Section 27-37-306 measures 5 inches from the top center instead. Several tint shop pages say Arkansas bans metallic, mirrored or reflective film, and one table gives a 20% reflectance figure. The statute sets no reflectance limit. Other pages list a ban on red, blue or amber tint. No color appears in 27-37-306.
The same Bing answer recommended dual outside mirrors for a dark rear window. Arkansas does not make the rear limit depend on mirrors. Section 27-37-305 requires a mirror with a 200 foot rear view only when the vehicle is built or loaded so the driver cannot see behind it. One Facebook answer claimed a 50% front limit, which matches no part of the code. Some results for Arkansas tint are about Arkansas City, Kansas.
Arkansas tint rules can change in any legislative session. Check the current 27-37-306 on the Arkansas Legislature site before you tint. This article is general information, not legal advice.
*CarGlassFix infographic. Sources: Ark. Code 27-37-306, 27-37-304, 27-37-307, 5-4-201 and 5-4-401.*
**Share this infographic.** Free to use on your site under CC BY 4.0: keep the credit and the link to this page. Copy the code below.
Infographic: CarGlassFix
## Frequently asked questions
### What is the legal window tint percentage in Arkansas?
The legal limit is 25% net light transmission on the front side windows of every 1994 and later vehicle. Side windows behind the driver need 25% on cars and 10% on trucks, SUVs, vans and buses, and the rearmost window needs 10%.
### Is 20% tint legal in Arkansas?
A 20% reading is illegal on the front side windows and on a car’s rear side windows without a medical waiver. It is legal on an SUV’s or truck’s side windows behind the driver and on the rearmost window of any vehicle, where the floor is 10%.
### Is 5% tint all around legal in Arkansas?
No. The darkest standard limit in Arkansas is 10%, and even the medical waiver stops at 20% on the side windows and 10% on the rearmost window.
### What are the Arkansas window tint laws for trucks?
A pickup, SUV or van follows the same 25% front side limit as a car. The side windows behind the driver and the rearmost window may go down to 10% net light transmission.
### Does Arkansas allow any windshield tint?
Yes, an eyebrow strip on the top edge that ends no more than 5 inches down from the top center. With a physician’s certification, film of at least 50% may cover the windshield.
## Sources
- [Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-306, After-market tinting material](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-27-transportation/ar-code-sect-27-37-306/) (FindLaw copy, current as of March 28, 2024; checked 29 October 2026)
- [Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-307, Window tinting on chauffeur-driven sedans](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-27-transportation/ar-code-sect-27-37-307/) (checked 29 October 2026)
- [Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-304, Obstruction of interior prohibited](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-27-transportation/ar-code-sect-27-37-304/) and [27-37-302, Windshields to be unobstructed](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-27-transportation/ar-code-sect-27-37-302/) (checked 29 October 2026)
- [Ark. Code Ann. 27-37-305, Mirrors and reflectors](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-27-transportation/ar-code-sect-27-37-305/) (checked 29 October 2026)
- [Ark. Code Ann. 5-4-201, Imposition of fines](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-5-criminal-offenses/ar-code-sect-5-4-201/) and [5-4-401, Incarceration](https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-5-criminal-offenses/ar-code-sect-5-4-401/) (checked 29 October 2026)
- [Arkansas Attorney General opinion on eyebrow and side strips, filed April 19, 2005](https://cetient.com/case/3261701/opinion-no)
- [Arkansas Attorney General opinion on the one-quarter inch rule, filed November 5, 1991](https://cetient.com/case/3266095/opinion-no)
- [Arkansas State Legislature](https://arkleg.state.ar.us/) (official code and acts)