Window tint medical exemptions in North Dakota
North Dakota does not provide one. Checked NDCC 39-21-39 as the Legislative Council publishes it, and the Chapter 39-21 compilation. The only exception in the section is for nonreflective sunscreening above the AS-1 line or within the top five inches of the windshield, which is a windshield rule rather than a medical one. The phrase people cite for a North Dakota medical exemption, authorisation by a competent medical authority, comes from Senate Bill 2395 of 2001, a bill we could not confirm passed, and it is not in the codified text. On the percentages, the Century Code text of subsection 4 and the Highway Patrol's classification of offences agree: 70 percent for the windshield and 35 percent for the other windows. The 50 percent figure in circulation comes from the 2025 initiative petition's own quotation of the statute, not from the statute.
What applies instead
With no exemption in the statute, the ordinary limits stand: front side windows 35% VLT minimum, back side windows No limit specified, rear window No limit specified. A physician's letter does not change them, because there is no provision for an officer to apply.
The practical route for a sun-sensitivity condition is a clear or near-clear ceramic film. The good ones block 99% or more of UV and much of the infrared heat while metering well inside the legal VLT, so you get the protection without the darkness North Dakota forbids.
Check a film's VLT against North Dakota law →Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota have a window tint medical exemption?
No. Checked NDCC 39-21-39 as the Legislative Council publishes it, and the Chapter 39-21 compilation. The only exception in the section is for nonreflective sunscreening above the AS-1 line or within the top five inches of the windshield, which is a windshield rule rather than a medical one. The phrase people cite for a North Dakota medical exemption, authorisation by a competent medical authority, comes from Senate Bill 2395 of 2001, a bill we could not confirm passed, and it is not in the codified text. On the percentages, the Century Code text of subsection 4 and the Highway Patrol's classification of offences agree: 70 percent for the windshield and 35 percent for the other windows. The 50 percent figure in circulation comes from the 2025 initiative petition's own quotation of the statute, not from the statute.
Can a doctor's note make darker tint legal in North Dakota?
Not on its own. With no exemption in the statute, a physician's letter gives an officer no provision to apply, so the ordinary limits stand: front side windows 35% VLT, back sides no numeric limit, rear no numeric limit.
What can I do about sun sensitivity in North Dakota then?
A clear or near-clear ceramic film is the usual route: the good ones block 99% or more of UV and a large share of infrared heat at a VLT that stays inside N.D. Cent. Code § 39-21-39. That gets you the protection without the darkness the statute forbids.
Sources
- NDCC Chapter 39-21 - Equipment of vehicles (official)
- North Dakota Century Code, Title 39 Chapter 21 index (official)
- North Dakota Highway Patrol - Classification of offences, August 2025 (official)
Reference only, not legal or medical advice. Forms and fees change — confirm against the official source above before you file, and get the form from the agency rather than a third-party form site.