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A Missouri medical tint permit is issued by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, not by a doctor. Without a permit, front side windows must let in 35% or more of light (plus or minus 3%), and darker front side tint can result in a citation. Missouri’s tint statute does not set a darkness limit for the windows behind the driver, so the permit concerns the front side windows. The process involves two parts:
Some drivers ask whether a Missouri medical tint permit lets them tint their windows as dark as they want. The permit concerns the front side windows, and the physician’s prescription states the specific tint percentage you need. Aftermarket tint on the windshield is still limited to the upper portion the manufacturer normally tints, with or without a permit.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent licensed physician who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, the signed physician prescription is emailed to you so you can present it, with your vehicle, to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
It’s important for all Missouri drivers to understand the state’s window tint laws, even if you don’t currently qualify for a Missouri Medical Window Tint Permit. Missouri has specific regulations that control how dark your vehicle windows can be tinted. These laws are intended to balance driver visibility and roadway safety while still allowing reasonable levels of privacy and heat protection.
These limits mean that front side tint darker than 35% (plus or minus 3%) requires a permit from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. ForeverTint helps you find out whether you qualify for the physician prescription that supports your permit application. Eligibility is determined by a licensed physician based on your medical history, and the Highway Patrol decides whether to issue the permit.
Traditionally, getting a physician prescription for a Missouri tint permit meant making an in-person doctor’s appointment. ForeverTint moves the physician review online:
*If the physician determines you do not qualify, you receive a full refund.
An independent licensed physician decides whether your condition qualifies. Conditions a physician may consider include:
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which ultraviolet light can trigger skin rashes, joint pain, and fatigue. Physicians commonly advise people with lupus to limit UV exposure, including the UVA light that passes through car side windows.
Porphyrias are a group of disorders in which certain compounds build up in the body and react to light, causing blistering, burning pain, and skin damage after sun exposure. Avoiding sunlight is a central part of managing the cutaneous forms.
Xeroderma pigmentosum is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from repairing DNA damage caused by ultraviolet light. People with XP burn after minimal sun exposure and face a greatly increased risk of skin cancers and eye damage.
People with albinism produce little or no melanin, the pigment that helps protect skin and eyes from ultraviolet light. They are highly prone to sunburn and skin damage and often experience significant light sensitivity and glare.
Photosensitivity dermatitis is an abnormal skin reaction to sunlight that can cause redness, itching, swelling, and rash on exposed skin. It can be linked to an underlying condition or to medications, and limiting UV exposure helps prevent flare-ups.
A personal history of melanoma or other skin cancers means ongoing UV exposure is a serious concern. Dermatologists routinely advise these patients to reduce sun exposure wherever possible, including time spent driving.
Some eye conditions, such as uveitis, certain retinal disorders, and sensitivity following eye surgery, cause pain or impaired vision in bright light. A licensed physician or optometrist can assess whether reducing light exposure while driving is medically necessary.
Cockayne syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes extreme sensitivity to sunlight, along with other developmental and health effects. Strict sun protection is part of everyday care.
Bloom syndrome is a rare inherited disorder that causes sun-sensitive skin, often with a facial rash after sun exposure, and an increased lifetime risk of cancer. Limiting UV exposure is a standard precaution.
Vitiligo causes patches of skin to lose their pigment, leaving those areas without natural protection from ultraviolet light. Depigmented skin burns easily, so physicians often recommend extra sun protection.
Some autoimmune conditions, such as dermatomyositis, cause skin and muscle symptoms that worsen with sun exposure. Certain medications used to treat autoimmune disease can also increase sensitivity to light.
Healing burns, skin grafts, and scar tissue are more vulnerable to sun damage, and UV exposure can cause scars to darken. Physicians typically advise protecting these areas from direct sunlight.
Other diagnosed conditions, including sun sensitivity caused by medications, can make sun exposure a health concern. Describe your condition during intake, and an independent licensed physician will review your medical history and decide whether darker tint is medically necessary for you.
Under 11 CSR 30-7.010 and Missouri State Highway Patrol guidance, the prescription should:
You take the prescription and each vehicle to be covered to a Missouri State Highway Patrol motor vehicle inspection office. One prescription can cover more than one vehicle, but every vehicle must be presented. The inspector completes the permit (form SHP-524), places a sticker on the lower left inside of the windshield and, at your option, a decal on the rear glass or rear bumper, and gives you a copy to keep in the vehicle at all times. The permit remains valid while you own that vehicle.
A physician’s prescription by itself is not a Missouri tint permit. Without a permit issued through the Missouri State Highway Patrol, front side tint darker than 35% (plus or minus 3%) can result in a citation, even if your medical condition is legitimate; a violation of section 307.173 is a class C misdemeanor. A permit does not guarantee you will not be stopped or cited; officers retain discretion.
Missouri Revised Statutes Section 307.173.1: “Any person may operate a motor vehicle with front sidewing vents or windows […] that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material, that has a light transmission of thirty-five percent or more plus or minus three percent and a luminous reflectance of thirty-five percent or less plus or minus three percent.”
“A permit to operate a motor vehicle with front sidewing vents or windows […] that have a sun-screening device, in conjunction with safety glazing material, which permits less light transmission and luminous reflectance than allowed under the requirements of this subsection, may be issued by the department of public safety to a person having a serious medical condition which requires the use of a sun-screening device if the permittee’s physician prescribes its use. The permit shall allow operation of the vehicle by any titleholder or relative within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, which shall mean a spouse, each grandparent, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, child, and grandchild of a person, who resides in the household.”
11 CSR 30-7.010: The Missouri State Highway Patrol issues the permit (form SHP-524) when you present a prescription from your physician, issued within one year, and the vehicle. The permit remains valid during the current ownership of the vehicle.
Source: Missouri State Highway Patrol, SHP-510 Window Tinting (RSMo Section 307.173; 11 CSR 30-7.010)
Missouri law (RSMo Section 307.173) requires front side windows to let in 35% or more of light, plus or minus 3%. A person with a serious medical condition that requires darker tint can receive a permit if their physician prescribes it, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol issues the permit. Without a permit, darker front side tint can lead to a citation.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent licensed physician who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, the signed prescription is emailed to you. You then take it and your vehicle to a Missouri State Highway Patrol inspection office yourself, and the Patrol decides whether to issue the permit.
If your front side windows are darker than 35% (plus or minus 3%) and your vehicle has no permit, you can be cited; a violation of section 307.173 is a class C misdemeanor. The Highway Patrol instructs permit holders to keep their permit copy in the vehicle at all times, and the permit sticker is placed on the windshield. Even with a permit, officers retain discretion.
No. The permit concerns the front side windows, and the physician’s prescription states the specific tint percentage you need. Aftermarket windshield tint is still limited to the upper portion the manufacturer normally tints. Missouri’s tint statute does not set a darkness limit for the windows behind the driver.
No. Missouri medical tint permits are not handled by the Department of Revenue license offices. You present your physician’s prescription and the vehicle to a Missouri State Highway Patrol motor vehicle inspection office, which issues the permit, a windshield sticker, and an optional rear decal.
First, get a written prescription from your physician, issued within one year, that states your serious medical condition and the specific tint percentage you need. Then bring the prescription and each tinted vehicle to a Missouri State Highway Patrol inspection office. If the Patrol issues the permit, you keep a copy in the vehicle, and the permit remains valid while you own that vehicle.
Missouri law does not list specific conditions; it requires a serious medical condition that requires a sun-screening device, as prescribed by your physician. Conditions a physician may consider include lupus, porphyria, xeroderma pigmentosum, albinism, photosensitivity dermatitis, melanoma and other skin cancers, and light-sensitive eye conditions. An independent licensed physician decides whether your condition qualifies.
Having a medical recommendation from a doctor for darker window tint does not guarantee you will not get a ticket. An officer can still give you a ticket at their own discretion.