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RCW 46.37.530 and WAC 204-10-026

Washington eye protection law for motorcycles

If your motorcycle has no windshield, you must wear glasses, goggles, or a face shield of a type conforming to State Patrol rules. Almost no rider knows this requirement exists, and fewer know that the State Patrol rule sets real specifications rather than accepting any eyewear.

Updated July 24, 2026 · 3 min read · Reviewed by the WMST examiner team

Where the requirement lives

Yes, if your motorcycle has no windshield.RCW 46.37.530 requires glasses, goggles or a face shield conforming to State Patrol rules. A windshield alone also satisfies it.

It sits inside the helmet statute. RCW 46.37.530 makes it unlawful "for any person to operate a motorcycle, moped, or motor-driven cycle which does not have a windshield unless wearing glasses, goggles, or a face shield of a type conforming to rules adopted by the state patrol."

Two conditions. No windshield, and no conforming eye protection. Meet either one and you are fine. A windshield alone satisfies it. A face shield alone satisfies it.

What "conforming to rules adopted by the state patrol" means

This is the part nobody publishes. The State Patrol rule is WAC 204-10-026, and it sets actual specifications rather than accepting whatever is on your face. In broad terms it looks for eyewear built to the recognized VESC-8 standard, with a minimum light transmittance for clear lenses and a minimum field of vision to each side.

The practical translation: purpose-made motorcycle eyewear and helmet shields are designed to this. Fashion sunglasses generally are not, and a heavily tinted lens can fall below the light transmittance floor.

The night-riding trap

This is not merely a bad idea, it is prohibited. WAC 204-10-026 states that a tinted eye protection device "must not be used at any time from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise", and at any other time when insufficient light or poor atmospheric conditions mean people and vehicles are not clearly discernible at five hundred feet ahead. Tinted devices are required to be labelled for daytime use only.

So a rider running a single smoked shield year round has two problems after dark: the tint is not legal to use, and removing it leaves no eye protection at all if the bike has no windshield.

The fix is trivial and cheap. Carry a clear shield, or run a clear shield with sunglasses underneath, or fit a pinlock and photochromic. It is the least expensive problem on this entire list to solve.

Why this matters more than the ticket

A wasp, a chip of gravel off a truck tire, or a rain squall at 60 mph all produce the same reaction: your eyes shut. Everything you were about to do with the bike stops for as long as that lasts.

Chip seal season in Washington makes this concrete. Loose rock thrown off a road surface is exactly what unprotected eyes cannot cope with, and there is a lot of it here between late spring and early autumn.

Common questions

Does Washington require eye protection on a motorcycle?

Yes, if the motorcycle has no windshield. RCW 46.37.530 requires glasses, goggles, or a face shield conforming to State Patrol rules.

Do I need goggles if my motorcycle has a windshield?

No. The requirement applies to motorcycles that do not have a windshield.

Are sunglasses enough to satisfy the law?

Only if they conform to the State Patrol rule in WAC 204-10-026, which sets standards for construction, light transmittance, and field of vision. Ordinary fashion sunglasses often do not.

Is a tinted visor legal in Washington?

In daylight, yes. WAC 204-10-026 prohibits using a tinted eye protection device from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise, and whenever conditions mean people and vehicles are not clearly discernible at five hundred feet. Tinted devices must be labelled for daytime use only, so carry a clear shield.

Does a full-face helmet satisfy the eye protection requirement?

A full-face helmet with its shield down provides a face shield, which is one of the three options the statute names.

Gear questions before your first class?

We tell every student exactly what to bring, and the motorcycle itself is provided on our training courses.

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