HB 1022: Motor vehicles; prohibit electric tinting

Georgia law already limits how dark vehicle windows can be tinted. This bill changes those limits: front side and door windows could let in no less than 28 percent light (down from 32 percent), while rear windshields and rear side windows would need at least 15 percent light transmission, a new separate category. The bill also bans 'electric tinting,' defined as materials like electrochromic glass or polymer dispersed liquid crystal film that use electric current to change how much light passes through, on front and rear windshields, with fines of up to $500 for a first violation and up to $1,000 for later violations. License plates could no longer be covered by electric tinting either. Separately, the bill pushes back from 2027 to 2032 the deadline for law enforcement officers to get equipment that can verify electronic driver's licenses. It also creates a new crime for willfully fleeing or eluding a pursuing vehicle or officer from the Department of Public Safety's Capitol Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, or Uniform Division, with escalating fines and jail time based on how far the person fled and whether aggravating factors like speeding or a crash were involved.

• Lowers the minimum light transmission allowed for front side and door window tint from 32 percent to 28 percent, plus or minus 3 percent.
• Creates a new 15 percent minimum light transmission rule specifically for rear windshields and rear side or door windows.
• Bans 'electric tinting' (electric-current-based tinting like electrochromic glass or liquid crystal film) on front and rear windshields, with fines of up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for repeat offenses.
• Prohibits covering a license plate with electric tinting.
• Delays the deadline for law enforcement officers to obtain equipment that can scan electronic driver's licenses from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2032.
• Creates a new crime (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-395.1) for fleeing or eluding a Department of Public Safety vehicle or officer, with penalties that increase based on distance traveled and whether the person sped, crashed, or fled multiple times.

Georgia drivers who tint their windows or use electric tinting products, vehicle glass and tint installers, license plate owners, law enforcement officers who must acquire license-scanning equipment, and anyone who flees or attempts to elude Capitol Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, or Georgia State Patrol officers.

Drivers with certain aftermarket tint levels or any electric tinting could face new fines or misdemeanor charges, while officers get five more years before they must have electronic license scanners. People who flee state police officers would face a specific new felony-track offense with penalties tied directly to how far they drove while fleeing.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 40-8-73.1, redefining 'electric tinting,' 'front side and door windows,' and 'rear side and door windows,' and setting separate light transmission minimums of 28 percent for front windows and 15 percent for rear windshields and rear windows.
• Section 1 also bans electric tinting on front and rear windshields and sets fines of up to $500 for a first violation and up to $1,000 for later violations, distinct from the general misdemeanor penalty for other tint violations.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-2-41 to bar covering license plates with electric tinting.
• Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-29 to move the deadline for officers to acquire electronic driver's license verification equipment from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2032.
• Section 4 creates new O.C.G.A. § 40-6-395.1, making it a crime to flee or elude a Capitol Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, or Uniform Division officer, with fines from $1,000 to $10,000 and jail time calculated at 30 days per mile fled, rising with repeat convictions.
• Section 4 sets enhanced felony penalties when the person speeds 20 mph over the limit, causes a crash, endangers the public, commits certain other traffic offenses, or leaves the state while fleeing.
• Section 4 bars suspending, probating, or reducing sentences for repeat or aggravated fleeing convictions under subsection (d) or certain repeat offenses under subsection (c).

1. 2026-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
2. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
3. 2026-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
4. 2026-02-17House Passed/Adopted (House)
5. 2026-02-17House Third Readers (House)
6. 2026-02-03House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
7. 2026-01-29House Second Readers (House)
8. 2026-01-28House First Readers (House)

• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)Primary sponsor
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-012)
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• Kimberly New (R, HD-040)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

   132 yea, 24 nay (7 not voting, 12 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #518

• window tinting laws
• traffic violations
• driver's license enforcement
• police pursuits
• vehicle regulations