Windshield Sun Strip: How Deep the Visor Strip Can Go and What It Costs

The AS-1 line comes from the glass, not the tint law. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205 incorporates the ANSI/SAE Z26.1 glazing standard, which classifies glass by where it may be used in a vehicle. Windshield glass below the mark is AS-1 glazing, the clearest grade, and the marking that shows where it ends is what most state statutes point to. On most cars it sits about 5 to 6 inches below the top edge, close to where the bottom of the sun visor falls when folded down.

Look for small text or an arrow near the top corners of the windshield, often next to the glass maker's logo. Some windshields show only a short etched tick or a row of hash marks rather than a labeled line. If you cannot find it, the installer can, and in states that use a fixed measurement it matters less anyway.

Many windshields also have a factory shade band, a tinted gradient built into the laminate at the top of the glass. FMVSS 205 sets where that band may end. An aftermarket strip is applied on top of the glass inside the car and is judged separately under state law.

States write the depth rule in one of three ways: the AS-1 line alone, a fixed number of inches, or both, where the film must satisfy each limit. When both apply, whichever line is higher on the glass is the real limit.

Most states give the strip more latitude on darkness than the side windows, and the popular choice is 5 to 20 percent film so it actually blocks overhead sun and oncoming headlights. Texas is the notable exception in our table: the strip has to meet the same 25 percent light transmission and 25 percent reflectance limits as the front side windows, so a 5 percent strip there is not legal.

Reflectivity is where strips get people into trouble. Florida's and Washington's statutes require the material to be transparent, most states require it to be non-reflective, and Texas sets a 25 percent reflectance cap. Metallized and mirror films fail those tests even when the depth is right, so stick to dyed, carbon or ceramic film for the strip. Reflective film is covered in more detail at Reflective Window Tint: Mirror Film Limits by State and Signal Issues.

Color rules apply too. Texas bars red, blue and amber strips, and several other states ban red and amber on any glass. A neutral charcoal or black film is the safe choice.

A strip is a small piece of film, so price depends mostly on film type and whether it rides along with a full tint appointment. Shops often add a dyed or carbon strip to a side and rear window job for a modest charge, while a ceramic strip or a standalone visit costs more because the setup time is the same as a bigger job.

Ask the installer how they will mark the line before they start. A good shop measures from the top edge at both sides and the center, checks the AS-1 mark, and cuts the bottom of the strip straight or in a gentle curve that follows the glass. A strip that dips lower in the middle than at the edges is a common cause of a measured violation.

Watch the camera and sensor housing behind the mirror. Lane-keeping cameras, rain sensors and some toll transponder zones sit in a window at the top center of the glass. The strip should be cut around that window or stop above it, since film over a camera lens can trigger driver-assist faults. The black dot pattern, or frit, around the edges of the glass can also leave a faint silvery line where film does not lay perfectly flat over the dots, which is cosmetic, not a defect.

Treat the strip like any other new film: leave it alone for a few days while the adhesive cures, and do not mount anything with a suction cup on it. For the full windshield rules, including clear ceramic film below the line, see Windshield Tint Guide: Clear Ceramic, Visor Strips and What Is Legal.