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A South Carolina medical tint exemption is not a permit from the SCDMV or any other state agency. It comes from a signed physician or optometrist affidavit that you keep in your vehicle. Without one, side and rear windows must let in at least 27% of light, and darker tint can result in a citation. The process involves two parts:
Some drivers ask whether a South Carolina medical exemption lets them tint their windows as dark as they want. Section 56-5-5015 does not set a separate darkness limit for a vehicle covered by a valid affidavit, and a 2015 South Carolina Attorney General opinion read the exemption as covering darkness, reflectance and placement. The exemption depends on a current affidavit kept in the vehicle, and officers retain discretion at a traffic stop.
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, your signed affidavit is delivered directly to your inbox, ready to print and keep in your vehicle.
It’s important for all South Carolina drivers to understand the state’s window tint laws—even if you do not currently qualify for a medical window tint exemption. South Carolina has clear rules that regulate how dark your vehicle windows may be tinted. These laws are intended to maintain visibility and safety for both drivers and law enforcement, while still allowing reasonable sun protection and privacy.
These limits mean that tint darker than 27% on a car’s side or rear windows, or on any vehicle’s front side windows, requires a physician or optometrist affidavit under South Carolina law. ForeverTint helps you find out whether you qualify for that affidavit. Eligibility is determined by a licensed physician based on your medical history.
Traditionally, getting a South Carolina tint affidavit 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 S.C. Code Section 56-5-5015(H)(1), the affidavit must:
The affidavit must be in the vehicle at all times during its operation and must be produced at the request of a law enforcement officer.
The exemption applies only while a current, signed affidavit is in the vehicle. Without it, tint darker than 27% where the limit applies can result in a citation, even if your medical condition is legitimate. An affidavit does not guarantee you will not be stopped or cited; officers retain discretion.
S.C. Code Section 56-5-5015(H): “The provisions of this section do not apply to: (1) a motor vehicle registered in this State in the name of a person, or the person’s legal guardian, who has an affidavit signed by a physician or an optometrist licensed to practice in this State that states that the person has a physical condition which makes it necessary to equip the motor vehicle with sunscreening material which would be of a light transmission or luminous reflectance in violation of this section. The affidavit must be in the vehicle at all times during its operation and must be produced at the request of a law enforcement officer. The affidavit must be updated every two years.”
Section 56-5-5015(C): Side windows next to and behind the driver must be nonreflective and, combined with the factory glass, have a light transmission of “not less than twenty-seven percent.” The rear-most window follows the same 27% limit under subsection (D), and the vehicle must have right and left outside rearview mirrors.
S.C. Code Section 56-5-5015 requires side and rear windows to have at least 27% combined light transmission and to be nonreflective. The limits do not apply to a vehicle registered in the name of a person, or the person’s legal guardian, who has an affidavit signed by a physician or optometrist licensed in South Carolina stating that a physical condition makes darker tint necessary. Without that affidavit, darker tint can lead to a citation.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent physician licensed in South Carolina who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If the physician determines you qualify, the signed affidavit is emailed to you to print and keep in your vehicle. If the physician determines you do not qualify, you receive a full refund.
South Carolina law requires the affidavit to be in the vehicle at all times during its operation and to be produced when a law enforcement officer asks for it. If you cannot produce it, you can be cited for tint darker than the legal limits; an owner or operator violation can carry a fine of up to $200. Keep a printed copy in each vehicle the affidavit covers.
Section 56-5-5015 does not set a separate darkness limit for a vehicle covered by a valid affidavit, and a 2015 South Carolina Attorney General opinion read the exemption as covering darkness, reflectance and placement. The exemption applies only while a current affidavit, updated every two years, is in the vehicle. Officers still retain discretion at a traffic stop.
No. South Carolina does not use an SCDMV permit, form, or decal for medical tint. The exemption is a signed physician or optometrist affidavit that you keep in the vehicle and update every two years.
A physician or optometrist licensed to practice in South Carolina reviews your medical history and decides whether a physical condition makes darker window tint necessary. If so, they sign an affidavit, which you keep in the vehicle at all times and update every two years. The vehicle must be registered in South Carolina in your name or your legal guardian’s name.
South Carolina law does not list specific conditions; it requires a physical condition that makes darker window tint necessary, as stated in a physician or optometrist affidavit. 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.