Motor vehicle tinted window; authorize those diagnosed with certain condition by optometrist licensed in the state to drive with.

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To: Transportation
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Ford (54th)

HOUSE BILL NO. 654

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-7-59, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
AUTHORIZE OPTOMETRIST LICENSED TO PRACTICE OPTOMETRY IN THE STATE 2
OF MISSISSIPPI TO PROVIDE MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION TO PATIENTS WHO 3
WOULD BE ALLOWED TO PLACE A FILM OVER THEIR WINDSHIELD IN ORDER TO 4
SAFELY OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTERED IN HIS OR HER NAME; AND 5
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 7
SECTION 1. Section 63-7-59, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 8
amended as follows: 9
63-7-59. (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle 10
required to be registered in this state upon the public roads, 11
streets or highways in this state with any sign or poster, or with 12
any glazing material which causes a mirrored effect, upon the 13
front windshield, side wings or side or rear windows of the 14
vehicle, other than a certificate or other paper required or 15
authorized to be so displayed by law. No person shall drive any 16
motor vehicle required to be registered in this state upon the 17
public roads, streets or highways in this state with any tinted 18
film, glazing material or darkening material of any kind on the 19
windshield of a motor vehicle except material designed to replace 20
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or provide a sun shield in the uppermost area as authorized to be 21
installed by manufacturers of vehicles under federal law. 22
(2) From and after July 1, 2006, no person shall drive any 23
motor vehicle required to be registered in this state upon the 24
public roads, streets or highways in this state with any window 25
tinted or darkened, by tinted film or otherwise, unless: 26
(a) The windshield of the vehicle has affixed to it a 27
label as provided under subsection (6) of this section certifying 28
that all the windows of the vehicle have a light transmittance of 29
twenty-eight percent (28%) or more; or 30
(b) The owner or operator of the vehicle has a 31
certificate of medical exemption issued under subsection (4) of 32
this section. 33
(3) The prohibitions of subsection (2) of this section shall 34
not apply to: 35
(a) School buses, other buses used for public 36
transportation, any bus or van owned or leased by a nonprofit 37
organization duly incorporated under the laws of this state or any 38
funeral home services vehicle, any limousine owned or leased by a 39
private or public entity, or any government-owned law enforcement 40
or fire department vehicle or any volunteer fire department 41
vehicle; 42
(b) Any window behind the front two (2) side windows, 43
including the rear window, of any pickup truck, van, motor home, 44
recreational vehicle, sport utility vehicle or multipurpose 45
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vehicle that has been tinted or darkened after factory delivery to 46
the extent that the light transmittance of the window meets the 47
minimum light transmittance requirements authorized to be 48
installed for that window and for that vehicle under federal law 49
or regulations before factory delivery; or 50
(c) Any other motor vehicle the windows of which have 51
been tinted or darkened before factory delivery as permitted by 52
federal law or federal regulations. 53
(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) of this 54
section, it shall be lawful for any person who has been diagnosed 55
by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the State of 56
Mississippi or optometrist licensed to practice optometry in the 57
State of Mississippi as having a physical condition or disease 58
that is seriously aggravated by minimum exposure to sunlight to 59
place or have placed upon the windshield or windows of any motor 60
vehicle which he owns or operates or within which he regularly 61
travels as a passenger tinted film or other darkening material 62
that would otherwise be in violation of this section. However, 63
any vehicle, in order to be exempt under this subsection (4), 64
shall have prominently displayed on the vehicle dashboard a 65
certificate of medical exemption on a form prepared by the 66
Commissioner of Public Safety and signed by the person on whose 67
behalf the certificate is issued. The special certificate 68
authorized by this subsection (4) shall be issued free of charge 69
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to the applicants through the offices of the tax collectors of the 70
counties. Each applicant shall present to the issuing official: 71
(a) An affidavit signed personally by the applicant and 72
signed and attested by a physician or optometrist which states the 73
applicant's physical condition or disease which entitles him to an 74
exemption under this subsection (4); and 75
(b) Proof of ownership of the motor vehicle by the 76
applicant, or a signed affidavit by the owner of a motor vehicle 77
operated for the use of the applicant, for which he is obtaining 78
the certificate. 79
(5) The windshield on every motor vehicle shall be equipped 80
with a device for cleaning rain, snow or other moisture from the 81
windshield, which device shall be so constructed as to be 82
controlled or operated by the driver of the vehicle. 83
(6) The Department of Public Safety shall issue labels to 84
official tint inspection stations for affixing to the windshield 85
of every motor vehicle required to be inspected in this state with 86
a window therein which has been tinted or darkened with any tinted 87
film or other darkening material after factory delivery. The 88
label shall be affixed to the lower left corner of the windshield, 89
shall be legible from outside the vehicle, and shall indicate the 90
label registration number, a certification of compliance with 91
Mississippi law, and such other information as the Commissioner of 92
Public Safety deems appropriate. The labels shall be of a type 93
which is pressure-sensitive, self-destructive upon removal, and no 94
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larger than one (1) inch square in size. Before affixing the 95
label, the inspection station shall conduct a test to determine 96
that the window complies with the light transmittance requirements 97
prescribed under subsection (2) of this section. The test shall 98
be conducted using such methods or devices as may be approved and 99
certified not less often than annually by the Department of Public 100
Safety. For conducting such tests, tint inspection stations shall 101
charge and collect a fee of Five Dollars ($5.00). Two Dollars 102
($2.00) of the fee shall be retained by the inspection station, 103
and Three Dollars ($3.00) of the fee shall be remitted to the 104
Department of Public Safety and may be expended, upon legislative 105
appropriation, for the operational expenses of the department. No 106
fee shall be charged unless a test is actually performed under 107
this subsection (6). The presence of a label upon the windshield 108
of a motor vehicle shall indicate that the person who affixed the 109
label certifies that the windows of the vehicle meet the 110
restrictions of subsection (2) of this section as to light 111
transmittance. 112
(7) No person shall install any tinted film, darkening 113
material, glazing material or any other material upon the 114
windshield or any window of a motor vehicle which, after the 115
installation thereof, would result in such vehicle being in 116
violation of subsection (2) of this section. 117
(8) No label shall be issued for a vehicle on which the 118
windshield or any window of the vehicle has been darkened by the 119
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installation of tinted film or by other means, except as 120
authorized under this section. 121
(9) It shall be unlawful for any person to alter or 122
reproduce any label or certificate of medical exemption approved 123
by the Commissioner of Public Safety under this section for the 124
purpose of misleading law enforcement officers or motor vehicle 125
inspection stations, or to knowingly use any approved label or 126
certificate except as authorized by this section. 127
(10) Any person violating subsection (7), (8) or (9) of this 128
section, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more 129
than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or imprisonment in the 130
county jail for not more than three (3) months, or by both such 131
fine and imprisonment. 132
(11) Any violation of this section other than a violation of 133
subsection (7), (8) or (9) of this section shall be punishable 134
upon conviction as provided in Section 63-7-7. 135
(12) Violations of this section shall be enforced only by 136
law enforcement officers of the Mississippi Department of Public 137
Safety and municipal law enforcement officers of municipalities 138
having a population of two thousand (2,000) or more on the public 139
roads, streets and highways under their jurisdiction. 140
(13) The Department of Public Safety shall initiate a public 141
awareness program designed to inform and educate persons of the 142
provisions of this section. Funds for such public awareness 143
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ST: Motor vehicle tinted window; authorize
those diagnosed with certain condition by
optometrist licensed in the state to drive with.
program shall be available through the office of the Governor's 144
representative for highway safety programs. 145
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 146
and after July 1, 2026. 147