The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 23 : Motor Vehicles

Chapter 013 : Operation of Vehicles

Subchapter 011 : MISCELLANEOUS RULES

• § 1125. Obstructing windshields, windows [Effective until July 1, 2026; see also 23 V.S.A. § 1125 effective July 1, 2026 set out below]

  (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person shall not operate a motor vehicle on which material or items have been painted or adhered on or over, or hung in back of, any transparent part of a motor vehicle windshield, vent windows, or side windows located immediately to the left and right of the operator. The prohibition of this section on hanging items shall apply only when a hanging item materially obstructs the driver’s view.

  (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a person may operate a motor vehicle with material or items painted or adhered on or over, or hung in back of, the windshield, vent windows, or side windows:

  (1) in a space not over four inches high and 12 inches long in the lower right-hand corner of the windshield;

  (2) in such space as the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may specify for location of any sticker required by governmental regulation;

  (3) in a space not over two inches high and two and one-half inches long in the upper left-hand corner of the windshield;

  (4) if the operator is a person employed by the federal, State, or local government or a volunteer emergency responder operating an authorized emergency vehicle, who places any necessary equipment in back of the windshield of the vehicle, provided the equipment does not interfere with the operator’s control of the driving mechanism of the vehicle;

  (5) on a motor vehicle that is for sale by a licensed automobile dealer prior to the sale of the vehicle, in a space not over three inches high and six inches long in the upper left-hand corner of the windshield, and in a space not over four inches high and 18 inches long in the upper right-hand corner of the windshield; or

  (6) if the object is a rearview mirror, or is an electronic toll-collection transponder located either between the roof line and the rearview mirror post or behind the rearview mirror.

  (c) The Commissioner may grant an exemption to the prohibition of this section upon application from a person required for medical reasons to be shielded from the rays of the sun and who attaches to the application a document signed by a licensed physician or optometrist certifying that shielding from the rays of the sun is a medical necessity. The physician or optometrist certification shall be renewed every four years. However, when a licensed physician or optometrist has previously certified to the Commissioner that an applicant’s condition is both permanent and stable, the exemption may be renewed by the applicant without submission of a form signed by a licensed physician or optometrist. Additionally, the window shading or tinting permitted under this subsection shall be limited to the vent windows or side windows located immediately to the left and right of the operator. The exemption provided in this subsection shall terminate upon the transfer of the approved vehicle and at that time the applicable window tinting shall be removed by the seller. Furthermore, if the material described in this subsection tears or bubbles or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed or replaced.

  (d) The rear side windows and the back window may be obstructed only if the motor vehicle is equipped on each side with a securely attached mirror, which provides the operator with a clear view of the roadway in the rear and on both sides of the motor vehicle. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973; amended 1977, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.); 2001, No. 75 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2001, No. 112 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2005, No. 89 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2015, No. 50, § 15.)

• § 1125. Obstructing windshields and windows [Effective July 1, 2026; see also 23 V.S.A. § 1125 effective until July 1, 2026 set out above]

  (a) Prohibition. Except as otherwise provided in this section, an individual shall not operate a motor vehicle on which material or items have been painted or adhered on or over, or hung in back of, any transparent part of a motor vehicle windshield, vent windows, or side windows located immediately to the left and right of the operator. The prohibition of this section on hanging items shall apply to shading or tinting material or when a hanging item materially obstructs the driver’s view.

  (b) General exemptions. Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, an individual may operate a motor vehicle with material or items painted or adhered on or over, or hung in back of, the windshield, vent windows, or side windows:

  (1) in a space not over four inches high and 12 inches long in the lower right-hand corner of the windshield;

  (2) in such space as the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may specify for location of any sticker required by governmental regulation;

  (3) in a space not over two inches high and two and one-half inches long in the upper left-hand corner of the windshield;

  (4) if the operator is an individual employed by the federal, State, or local government or a volunteer emergency responder operating an authorized emergency vehicle, who places any necessary equipment in back of the windshield of the vehicle, provided the equipment does not interfere with the operator’s control of the driving mechanism of the vehicle;

  (5) on a motor vehicle that is for sale by a licensed automobile dealer prior to the sale of the vehicle, in a space not over three inches high and six inches long in the upper left-hand corner of the windshield, and in a space not over four inches high and 18 inches long in the upper right-hand corner of the windshield;

  (6) if the object is a rearview mirror or is an electronic toll-collection transponder located either between the roof line and the rearview mirror post or behind the rearview mirror; or

  (7) if the object is shading or tinting material and the visible light transmission of that shading or tinting material is not less than the level of visible light transmission required under 49 C.F.R. § 571.205, as amended.

  (c) Medical exemption. The Commissioner may grant an exemption to the prohibition of this section upon application from an individual required for medical reasons to be shielded from the rays of the sun and who attaches to the application a document signed by a licensed physician or optometrist certifying that shielding from the rays of the sun is a medical necessity. The physician or optometrist certification shall be renewed every four years. However, when a licensed physician or optometrist has previously certified to the Commissioner that an applicant’s condition is both permanent and stable, the exemption may be renewed by the applicant without submission of a form signed by a licensed physician or optometrist. Additionally, the window shading or tinting permitted under this subsection shall be limited to the vent windows or side windows located immediately to the left and right of the operator. The exemption provided in this subsection shall terminate upon the transfer of the approved vehicle and at that time the applicable window tinting shall be removed by the seller.

  (d) Rear side window obstructions. The rear side windows and the back window may be obstructed only if the motor vehicle is equipped on each side with a securely attached mirror that provides the operator with a clear view of the roadway in the rear and on both sides of the motor vehicle.

  (e) Removal. Any shading or tinting material that is painted or adhered on or over, or hung in back of, the windshield, vent windows, or side windows in accordance with subdivision (b)(7) or subsection (c) of this section shall be removed if it tears, bubbles, or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision.

  (f) Definition. As used in this section, “visible light transmission” means the amount of visible light that can pass through shading, tinting, or glazing material applied to or within the transparent portion of a window or windshield of a motor vehicle. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973; amended 1977, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.); 2001, No. 75 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2001, No. 112 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2005, No. 89 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2015, No. 50, § 15; 2023, No. 165 (Adj. Sess.), § 14, eff. July 1, 2026.)