Almost every guide to this subject treats “the California tint medical exemption” as one thing that lets a person with a qualifying condition run darker glass. There is no such single provision. There are two, they sit in different subdivisions, they permit different things, and they take signatures from different professionals. Conflating them is how people end up paying for film that is not covered by the document they were given.
Provision one: clear UV-blocking material — § 26708(e)
This is the one nearly everyone means, and the one nearly everyone describes wrongly. It permits clear, colorless and transparent material to be installed on the windshield and windows, subject to conditions that include:
- the material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent;
- the glazing meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205;
- the material blocks harmful ultraviolet A rays;
- the driver has in their possession, or within the vehicle, a certificate signed by a licensed dermatologist certifying that the person should not be exposed to ultraviolet rays because of a medical condition.
Read the first condition again. 88 percent is not a relaxation of the normal limit — it is the normal limit. Section 26708(d)(1) already requires material applied to a front side window to transmit at least 88 percent. So this provision does not buy darkness. What it buys is the ability to put UV-blocking material on glass, including the windshield, for a documented medical reason.
The statute also requires that if the material tears or bubbles, or is otherwise worn to the point of prohibiting clear vision, it must be removed or replaced. An exemption does not make a degraded installation lawful.
Provision two: sun screening devices — § 26708(b)(10)
This is the provision that actually contemplates something on the front side windows beyond near-clear film. It permits sun screening devices meeting the requirements of Section 26708.2, installed on the side windows either side of the vehicle's front seat, where:
- the driver or a front-seat passenger has in their possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed physician and surgeon certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun because of a medical condition; or
- a letter or document signed by a licensed optometrist certifying the same because of a visual condition.
Two things about this are routinely left out. The devices may not be used during darkness — which tells you the statute is contemplating something removable rather than film bonded to the glass. And the technical requirements sit in a separate section, 26708.2, which governs what qualifies as a sun screening device at all. We have not reproduced 26708.2 here because we have not read it in full, and we are not going to summarise a section we have not checked.
The two provisions side by side
| § 26708(e) | § 26708(b)(10) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it permits | Clear, colorless transparent material | Sun screening devices meeting § 26708.2 |
| Darkness allowed | None — 88% VLT minimum | Governed by § 26708.2 |
| Who signs | Licensed dermatologist | Licensed physician and surgeon, or licensed optometrist |
| Condition certified | Should not be exposed to UV rays | Must be shaded from the sun (medical or visual) |
| Who must hold it | Driver, in possession or within the vehicle | Driver or front-seat passenger, in possession |
| Night-time use | Not restricted by this subdivision | Not permitted during darkness |
What this means if you are actually buying tint
If your reason for wanting film is UV exposure rather than shade, the useful news is that you may not need an exemption at all. Every film we install blocks over 99% of UV, and the clear windshield and near-clear front-window options are available to anyone. An exemption changes what is permitted; it does not change what film can do.
If your reason is genuine sensitivity to light and you want front side glass darker than 88 percent, that is 26708(b)(10) territory — a sun screening device under § 26708.2, with a physician-and-surgeon or optometrist letter, not a film order. We install film. We would rather tell you that than sell you something your paperwork does not cover.
Either way, carry the document. An officer cannot see it from outside the car.
Sources
- Vehicle Code § 26708 — subdivisions (b)(10), (d)(1) and (e).
- Vehicle Code § 26708.2 — sets the requirements a sun screening device must meet. Referenced by (b)(10). Not summarised on this page: we have not read it in full, and describing a section we have not checked is how errors like the AS-1 misconception spread in the first place.
Statute versus interpretation. The subdivisions, conditions and percentages above are what the code says. The practical guidance around them is our reading as installers, not law. This is general information and not legal or medical advice — for a specific condition or vehicle, speak to your physician and confirm with the DMV.