How much of the windshield can you tint in BC?
You can tint a band along the top edge of the windshield, 75 mm deep at most, which is just under 3 inches. MVAR s. 7.05(8)(a) allows film on the windshield down to “75 mm below the top”, no lower. Inside that strip the regulation sets no shade limit.
Neighbouring rules put the line in different places:
| Place | Windshield film allowed |
|---|---|
| BC | Top 75 mm |
| Alberta | None (AR 122/2009 s. 70) |
| Ontario | None on vehicles built from 2017; on older ones, no lower than 75 mm from the top or past the AS line (MTO inspection standard) |
| Washington | Top 6 inches, not into the AS-1 portion (RCW 46.37.430) |
BC measures from the top of the windshield and says nothing about the AS-1 line that Ontario and Washington use. A strip cut to Washington’s 6 inches runs about twice as deep as BC allows.
What does a BC inspection check on the windshield?
The windshield tint check is item 12e in BC’s 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual, and it gives four grounds to reject. A vehicle fails when:
- aftermarket tint sits more than 75 mm below the top of the windshield;
- the tint or sunscreen isn’t one allowed under ANSI/SAE Z26.1;
- the tint is “reflective type”;
- the driver’s normal vision is “materially impaired”.
The manual became the mandatory inspection standard on September 2, 2025. Item 12e is part of the inspection an out-of-province car needs before ICBC will register it, and part of the complete inspection that follows a Box 1 or Box 2 Notice & Order. A full windshield film fails on the first ground, whatever its shade.
Is clear windshield film legal in BC?
No. Below the 75 mm line, the rule covers any material that cuts the light coming through, and clear film cuts a little. LLumar’s data sheet measures AIR 90 at 84% visible light transmission and AIR 80 at 77% on clear test glass. Neither looks dark, but both are under 100%, so a full windshield in either is outside the regulation.
The windshield also isn’t where most UV gets in. Laminated windshields averaged 99.25% UVA attenuation across 34 models tested by Axelson and colleagues in 2025, against 88.78% for the driver’s window. People who ask for clear windshield film usually want it for heat: AIR 80 rejects 43% of total solar energy on LLumar’s sheet. That comfort is real, and it still doesn’t make the film legal.
What is Brookswood Tint’s full-windshield service, and is it legal?
The shop installs full windshield film on request, and no shade of it is road-legal in BC. The film is cut on the plotter for the exact year, make and model, shrunk to the glass with heat and fitted from the inside by hand. Pricing begins at $200 in ATC, though near-clear AIR is the usual choice for this glass. The windshield tint service page covers the install itself.
Before you book: A full windshield film can bring a $109 ticket and a Notice & Order that means removal plus a complete inspection, and it fails item 12e at any BC inspection. You’ll get that explanation at the counter before you commit.
What the shop doesn’t offer is clear protection film on the outside of the windshield. Every dollar amount and deadline attached to a tint stop is listed under BC’s illegal tint fines.
Can you tint around a windshield camera?
Check the automaker’s instructions first, because the legal strip sits in the same zone where many newer cars mount a forward camera behind the mirror. Some makers restrict what may go on the glass in front of their camera systems. Subaru’s EyeSight service bulletin, for example, says water-repellent windshield coatings “must never be used”, inside or out.
Rules like that come from the vehicle maker, not the province, and they apply even when BC’s 75 mm limit is met. When you ask for a quote, give the year, make and model and say whether there’s a camera or rain sensor at the top of the glass.
How do you book a legal windshield strip?
Ask for a top strip, give the year, make and model, and say whether you want dark film for glare or clear film for heat. Strips aren’t on the published price list, so each one is quoted per vehicle through the window tint request form; expect to collect the car the same day in most cases.
Near-clear LLumar AIR and dark ATC both work inside the 75 mm. How the windshield rule sits beside the rules for every other pane is covered in the 2026 guide to BC tint law.
