Is Window Tinting Legal?

You might have heard stories about people getting pulled over by the police and being told to remove the tinting on their car windows? If so, you’re probably wondering, ‘Is window tinting legal?’

Window tinting is most certainly legal. Countless people tint their car windows every single day in Queensland.

However, the big thing to be aware of is that there are different legal tints for private vehicles and commercial vehicles. In other words, the darkest legal tint on a commercial vehicle would be considered illegal for private-use cars. There are some exceptions to the rule, but you will often need written permission to use an ‘illegal tint’.

WHAT WINDOW TINTING IS LEGAL FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES?

If you have a commercial vehicle, you are allowed a darker tint on your windows, as the car is for business purposes. At We Tint Windows, we can apply commercial window tints with that are:

• 20%
• 15%
• 5%

These percentages refer to the amount of visible light transmitted (VLT). So 5% is the darkest. If you are concerned about privacy, or protecting your physical stock or intellectual property, these tints are ideal.

Our commercial-grade tints are also great at blocking out heat, glare and UV rays.

Find out more about our commercial car window tinting services.

WHAT WINDOW TINTING IS LEGAL FOR PRIVATE VEHICLES?

If you own a private vehicle (one not used for business purposes), we have a huge range of perfectly legal window tints. The darkest tint for private vehicles in Queensland is 35%.

However, you cannot legally use commercial-grade tints for private use vehicles. The only loophole to this is if the Department of Transport and Main Roads grants you special permission. And this usually requires documentation from a GP or skin specialist outlining the medical reasons why you require a dark window tint on your car.

Can I apply a commercial tint to a private vehicle?

We can apply a commercial grade tint to your car, but we only recommend doing this if you have the proper written permission. If you request an ‘illegal for road use’ tint on a private vehicle, without authorisation, you are basically taking the law into your own hands. It is up to you to know your legal rights and responsibilities, and we will not be responsible for anything that occurs as a result of your choices.

Will I be covered for insurance in the case of accident?

Also, please be aware that if you apply an illegal tint to a private vehicle, this may cause issues with your insurance company and/or the police.

If you are in an accident, your insurance company may refuse to cover you because of ‘reduced visibility’ due to illegal tinting on your windows.

Also, if the police notice you driving around with an illegal tint, they may pull you over and make you remove the tint. They may even fine you. In both cases this will cost you money.

So unless you have written approval to do so, we’d suggest sticking with one of our legal window tints.

STILL NOT SURE IF A WINDOW TINT IS LEGAL FOR YOU?

If you have any questions about legal window tinting, please feel free to contact us. We can talk to you about your individual situation and recommend a course of action and/or specific products. You can also see examples of our work on Houzz and Pinterest.