AutoGlassHammond.wikiA sourced reference on Low Price Auto Glass in Hammond and on car glass in Northwest Indiana

Indiana windshield laws

From AutoGlassHammond.wiki, a sourced reference on Low Price Auto Glass, Hammond, Indiana, and on windshields in Lake County weather

Compiled by the Auto Glass Hammond Wiki editorial team · First published · Updated

In brief: Indiana requires a front windshield and working wipers, bars material that obstructs the driver’s view (except items up to 4 inches square in the far lower corner), and limits tint to at least 30% light transmittance. It sets no specific crack size[1][3][4][2].

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Must a car have a windshield in Indiana?

Yes. Indiana Code 9-19-19-2 says a motor vehicle, except a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, required to be registered with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles “must be equipped with a front windshield”[1]. Section 9-19-19-6 requires a device for clearing rain, snow and other moisture from the windshield, operated by the driver, and requires wipers to be maintained in good working order[2].

Is it illegal to drive with a cracked windshield in Indiana?

Indiana’s windshield chapter does not set a maximum crack size[1][3]. The working rule is the obstruction section: a person may not drive with “a sign, poster, sunscreening material, or other nontransparent material” on the windshield, side wings or side or rear windows that “obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway or an intersecting highway”[3]. A crack is not named in that list, but damage that blocks the driver’s clear view is the kind of condition an officer may treat as unsafe, and the obstruction rule shows what the law protects: the driver’s view. Indiana has no routine safety inspection that would flag a crack. A long crack in the driver’s line of sight should be fixed promptly regardless.

Where can stickers and devices go?

Under section 9-19-19-3, signs, posters or other nontransparent material “not larger than four (4) inches square” may be placed on the windshield, side wings or side or rear windows only “in the lower corner farthest removed from the driver’s position”[3]. Decals required by the U.S. Department of Defense on military-related vehicles are exempt.

What are Indiana’s tint limits?

Section 9-19-19-4 bars driving with a windshield, side wing, front-door side window or rear back window that is covered or treated with sunscreening material with total solar reflectance of visible light of more than 25% (measured on the non-film side) and light transmittance of less than 30%[4]. Factory tint or glazing that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205 is exempt, but proof of compliance from the manufacturer, supplier or installer must be carried in the vehicle. There is a medical exemption with an annually renewed certificate from an Indiana physician or optometrist. A car may be stopped to check compliance, but not searched or detained solely for a tint violation[4].

What glass must be used?

Indiana defines safety glazing materials as glass made or treated to reduce substantially the likelihood of injury from outside objects or from the glass itself when cracked or broken[5]. New vehicles may not be sold or registered unless they have approved safety glazing wherever glass is used in doors, windows and windshields[6]. Federally, all replacement glazing must meet FMVSS 205, which incorporates the ANSI/SAE Z26.1 standard[7]. See laminated and tempered glass.

Summary

Indiana Code chapter 9-19-19 at a glance
SectionRule
9-19-19-1Defines safety glazing materials
9-19-19-2Registered motor vehicles must have a front windshield
9-19-19-3No view-obstructing material; items up to 4 in square only in the lower corner farthest from the driver
9-19-19-4Tint: no more than 25% reflectance and no less than 30% light transmittance on listed windows
9-19-19-5New vehicles need approved safety glazing
9-19-19-6Driver-controlled wipers, kept in good working order

This is a summary, not legal advice; read the statute text[3][4].

Questions and answers

Is it illegal to drive with a cracked windshield in Indiana?

Indiana law sets no crack size limit, but it bars anything that obstructs the driver’s clear view, and damage in the line of sight can be treated as unsafe.

Where can I put a toll transponder or sticker in Indiana?

Items up to 4 inches square may go in the lower corner farthest from the driver.

What is the legal tint limit in Indiana?

Light transmittance of at least 30% and reflectance of no more than 25% on the windshield, front side windows and rear window.

Related articles

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Indiana Code § 9-19-19-2, front windshield. Justia (Indiana Code). Checked 9 November 2026.
  2. ^ a b Indiana Code § 9-19-19-6, windshield wipers. Justia (Indiana Code). Checked 9 November 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e Indiana Code § 9-19-19-3, decals, signs, posters, sunscreens, or other nontransparent material. Justia (Indiana Code). Checked 9 November 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Indiana Code § 9-19-19-4, tinting, glazing, or sunscreening vehicle windows. Justia (Indiana Code). Checked 9 November 2026.
  5. ^ Indiana Code § 9-19-19-1, safety glazing materials defined. Justia (Indiana Code). Checked 9 November 2026.
  6. ^ Indiana Code § 9-19-19-5, safety glazing on new vehicles. Justia (Indiana Code). Checked 9 November 2026.
  7. ^ 49 CFR 571.205, Standard No. 205: Glazing materials. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Checked 9 November 2026.