A North Dakota Window Tint Recommendation is a signed statement from a licensed physician documenting that you have a medical condition that makes sunlight or UV exposure difficult to tolerate. It has no legal effect: the tint on your vehicle must still meet the limits in N.D.C.C. 39-21-39. The recommendation process involves two parts:
A licensed physician reviews your medical history and decides whether you have a medical condition that supports a recommendation for additional protection from sunlight while driving.
If you qualify, you receive a signed Window Tint Recommendation that documents your medical need. North Dakota has no state application, permit, or decal for medical window tint, and the recommendation does not change the legal limits.
Some people ask whether a North Dakota Window Tint Recommendation lets them tint their windows as dark as they want. The answer is no. North Dakota law does not provide a medical exemption from its window tint limits, so your windows must still meet the limits below, and tint that does not meet them can result in a citation.
It’s important for all North Dakota drivers to understand the state’s window tint laws, even if you plan on obtaining a Window Tint Recommendation. North Dakota has specific regulations that determine how dark your vehicle windows can legally be tinted. These laws are intended to maintain visibility and safety for both drivers and law enforcement while still allowing reasonable heat and glare reduction.
Tint on the windshield, together with the glass, must let in at least 70% of light. Nonreflective tint above the AS-1 line or within the top five inches of the windshield is also allowed.
Since August 1, 2025, front side windows must let in at least 35% of light (the limit was 50% before). Factory tint counts toward the total.
Side windows behind the driver may be tinted to any darkness if the vehicle has outside mirrors on both sides that meet North Dakota’s mirror requirements. Otherwise, they must let in at least 35% of light.
The rear window may be tinted to any darkness if the vehicle has outside mirrors on both sides that meet North Dakota’s mirror requirements. Otherwise, it must let in at least 35% of light.
Tint on the top of the windshield (above the AS-1 line or within the top five inches) must be nonreflective. North Dakota’s window tint statute does not set a separate reflectivity percentage or color restriction for side and rear windows.
These limits apply to every vehicle in North Dakota, including vehicles driven by people with medical conditions. A Window Tint Recommendation does not change the legal limits or prevent a citation. ForeverTint connects you with a licensed physician who decides whether you qualify for a recommendation that documents your medical need for additional protection from sunlight and glare.
Traditionally, getting a physician’s window tint recommendation meant making an in-person doctor’s appointment. ForeverTint moves the physician review online:
In the next section verify if you might have one of the qualifying conditions or something similar.
If you think you might be eligible, select “Purchase Your Recommendation” (full refund if the physician determines you don’t qualify).
Reviews are processed same day – on rare occasion our doctor may reach out for a brief phone call.
If you qualify, receive your signed Window Tint Recommendation within 72 hours to keep as documentation of your medical need.
*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.
North Dakota law sets no requirements for a medical tint recommendation, because the state has no medical exemption. A ForeverTint recommendation is written and signed by a licensed physician and includes:
A Window Tint Recommendation does not make darker tint legal in North Dakota. If your tint does not meet the limits in N.D.C.C. 39-21-39, you can be cited even if you carry the recommendation. Some drivers keep a copy in the vehicle to explain their medical need if asked, but an officer is not required to take it into account.
North Dakota Century Code Section 39-21-39(4): “An individual may not operate a motor vehicle with any object, material, or tinting displayed, affixed, or applied on the front windshield or any window unless the object, material, or tinting in conjunction with the windshield upon which it is displayed, affixed, or applied has a light transmittance of at least seventy percent or the object, material, or tinting in conjunction with a window other than the windshield upon which it is displayed, affixed, or applied has a light transmittance of at least thirty-five percent. This subsection does not apply to windows behind the operator if the motor vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on both sides which meet the requirements of section 39-21-38.”
Section 39-21-39(5): “Subsection 4 does not apply to nonreflective sun screening or window tinting material above the AS-1 line or within the top five inches [12.7 centimeters] of the windshield.”
House Bill 1340 (2025) lowered the limit for windows other than the windshield from 50% to 35%, effective August 1, 2025. Section 39-21-39 contains no medical exemption. North Dakota removed its former exemption for medically authorized front side window sunscreening in 2003.
North Dakota law (N.D.C.C. 39-21-39) requires at least 70% light transmittance on the windshield and, since August 1, 2025, at least 35% on other windows; windows behind the driver may be any darkness if the vehicle has outside mirrors on both sides. North Dakota law does not provide a medical exemption from its window tint limits. A physician recommendation documents a medical need but does not change the legal limits or prevent a citation.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent licensed physician who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call, so there is no in-person appointment. If the physician determines you qualify, you receive a signed Window Tint Recommendation documenting your medical need. Because North Dakota has no medical exemption, the recommendation does not change the legal limits or prevent a citation.
No. North Dakota has no DMV or Highway Patrol program, application, permit, or decal for medical window tint, because state law does not provide a medical exemption. A physician recommendation is documentation only and does not change the legal limits.
If your tint does not meet North Dakota’s limits, you can be cited whether or not you carry a Window Tint Recommendation, because the recommendation is not a legal exemption. Some drivers keep a copy in the vehicle to explain their medical need if asked, but an officer is not required to take it into account.
North Dakota law does not list qualifying conditions because it has no medical tint exemption. Conditions a physician may consider for a recommendation 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.
Select “Purchase Your Recommendation,” and an independent licensed physician reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, your signed Window Tint Recommendation is delivered digitally within 72 hours. If the physician determines you do not qualify, you receive a full refund.
No. North Dakota law does not provide a medical exemption, so the windshield must still let in at least 70% of light and other windows at least 35%, except windows behind the driver on vehicles with outside mirrors on both sides. A recommendation does not change these limits or prevent a citation.
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.