How the checker decides
It reads one sentence of BC law. MVAR s. 7.05(8) says no one may drive a vehicle with "any material that reduces the light transmitted" through the windshield or a window, unless that material is on the top 75 mm of the windshield, on a side window behind the driver, or on the rear window of a vehicle with outside mirrors on both sides. Every green answer in the checker is one of those three exceptions. Everything else is a red one.
BC never sets a percentage. A 5% limo shade behind the driver is as legal as a 50% one, and a near-clear film on a front door is as illegal as a dark one. That's why the checker asks what the film is rather than how dark it is. For the full background, read the 2026 guide to BC window tint law.
What the 2025 inspection manual adds
A car sent for inspection is checked against the 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual, in force since September 2, 2025. Three items matter for film:
- Item 12e rejects windshield tint more than 75 mm below the top.
- Item 13d rejects "any after-market tint (by film or any material or coating)" on any side window forward of the driver's seat back.
- Item 14c rejects rear-window tint on a vehicle without mirrors on both sides.
Items 12e and 14c, and 13d for glass forward of the driver's seat back, also reject "any tint that is reflective type". That's why a mirrored film fails on the rear window even when darkness there is allowed. The manual's note on item 13d limits it to windows ahead of the driver's seat back, so it doesn't reach the side windows behind the driver. If you're bringing a car in from another province, the out-of-province inspection guide covers the lights as well as the glass.
What a red answer costs
A ticket for illegal tint is $109, or $84 if it's paid within 30 days, under the fines regulation. Police can also issue a Notice & Order to remove the film and have the vehicle inspected. Missing that 30-day deadline is a $598 fine. Mission RCMP puts inspection fees at roughly $150 to $250. The Notice & Order removal page explains how the shop clears front glass for an inspection.
Where the checker stops
Three situations need a person, not a table:
- Clear film on the windshield or front doors. A 2008 CVSE bulletin, quoted by DriveSmartBC, said clear UV film "does not reduce the light transmitted". The same bulletin still ruled out the front side windows. The current inspection manual rejects film of any kind there, so the checker takes the cautious line.
- Medical reasons. The regulation has no exemption. The medical exemption answer explains what that means in practice.
- Roof glass. The regulation doesn't mention it either way. The sunroof tint page covers the film choices.
Turning the answer into a booking
For most cars the legal answer is everything behind the driver, at any darkness, and it's the shop's rear-glass package: from $240 on a sedan or pickup, $220 on a coupe and $260 on a full-size SUV, in LLumar ATC with a lifetime warranty. The shop does install front-door and windshield film on request, and explains the risk above before anyone decides. The window tint price sheet has every package.