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The question we hear most, after price, is how dark can I legally go. Since July 1, 2026 the answer in Georgia depends on which window you are asking about. Here it is shade by shade.
The short version
Front door windows must meter at 28 percent or more, with a 3 point tolerance. Rear door windows and the back glass must meter at 15 percent or more, with the same tolerance. The windshield allows a transparent strip on the top six inches and nothing else. Nothing may reflect more than 20 percent of light. Pickups, body on frame SUVs, and vans are exempt on the rear glass.
Is 35 percent legal in Georgia
Yes, on every window behind the windshield. It is the classic legal front shade. Because the meter reads glass and film together, a 35 percent film usually meters in the high 20s to low 30s on factory glass, which sits inside the 28 percent limit and its tolerance on most vehicles.
Is 20 percent legal in Georgia
On the rear doors and back glass of a sedan, yes, it is now legal. A 20 percent film meters in the mid teens on factory glass, inside the 15 percent rear limit with tolerance. On the front doors, no. 20 percent is well below the 28 percent front limit and we will not install it there without a Georgia DPS medical exemption.
Is 15 percent legal in Georgia
On the rear glass of a sedan it is right at the line. The law says 15 percent with a 3 point tolerance, and a 15 percent film on factory glass can meter at 11 or 12. We meter your specific glass before committing to 15 on a car. On a truck or SUV that qualifies as a multipurpose vehicle, the rear glass is exempt and 15 is no problem. On front doors, no.
Is 5 percent legal in Georgia
Only on the rear glass of a multipurpose passenger vehicle, meaning most pickups, body on frame SUVs, and vans. On any window of a sedan or on the front doors of anything, 5 percent is illegal without a medical exemption.
What we install most since the change
For sedans, 35 percent on the front doors with 20 percent on the rear doors and back glass. From the sidewalk it reads as one dark car and every window meters legal. For trucks and SUVs, a legal 35 or 28 class shade on the fronts matched to the factory privacy glass or a 5 percent rear. For heat without the dark look, 70 percent ceramic on the fronts, which blocks more heat than a dark dyed film at any shade.
The meter settles it
Darkness on the box is not darkness on the car. Every install we do gets metered before pickup and we show you the reading. If you were pulled over with a film another shop sold you as legal and it metered dark, bring the car in. Removal starts at $30 per window and we replace it with a compliant shade in the same visit.
This is general guidance, not legal advice, and laws change. The full table is on our Georgia tint law page.