What Is A Legal Window Tint In Colorado?

Overview Of Colorado Window Tint Law:

With 300 days of annual sunshine, tinting windows of your vehicle provide benefits including blocking up to 99% of ultraviolet rays and cools the interior of your vehicle by up to 60%. Certain window tints, however, may be illegal subject to criminal penalties in addition to potential civil liability in the event of an accident. Notably, a red or amber tent is not permitted. The legal windshield tint is 70%, and 27% for all other widows. Only the top 4” of a vehicle’s windshield may be tinted.

Under Colorado Law, C.R.S. 42-4-227, no person shall operate a motor vehicle registered in Colorado on which any window, except the windshield, is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material or component that presents an opaque, nontransparent, or metallic, or mirrored appearance in such a way that it allows less than twenty-seven percent light transmittance. The windshield shall allow at least seventy percent light transmittance.

Colorado Window Tint Laws Limit The Darkness Of A Tint:

Window tint protection is measured in Visible Light Transmission or known as “VLT.” Limits on VLT apply to the location and degree of tint:

  • Windshield: Non-reflective 70% VLT on the top 4 inches
  • Front side windows: 27% VLT
  • Backside windows: 27% VLT
  • Rear window: 27% VLT

Recent Introduced Colorado Legislation Limits The Tint For Out Of State Vehicles Operated In Colorado:

Recent legislation, namely House Bill 19-1067, requires motor vehicles registered in another state other than Colorado and operated in Colorado to transmit at least 20% of light through windows, other than the windshield.

How A Window Tint Impacts Liability For A Car Accident:

Criminally, a window tint not complying with Colorado law is subject to a Class B traffic infraction. In the event of an accident, if you are injured, civil liability may arise if the negligent driver caused the collision and the driver’s visibility was obstructed as a result of an illegal tint. After an accident, time is of the essence. It is important to promptly engage a lawyer to investigate the accident, talk to witnesses, obtain recorded statements, and take photographs to establish liability.

The attorneys at Mandelaris Law, LLC, have the resources to deal with accident cases involving obstructed vision due to illegal window tints and the skills to deal with the insurance company to ensure full compensation for your accident-related losses. Call (303)357-9757 to speak with an attorney free of charge today.