Is it illegal to drive with a cracked windshield in Indiana?
Reviewed by the Skyview Auto Glass technical team — NWRD-, ASE- and DINITROL-trained technicians · Updated November 2026
Quick answer
Not by name. Indiana Code 9-19-19 never lists a cracked windshield as a violation on its own, but section 3(b) bars anything that obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway. In practice, a crack an officer judges to obstruct your view is the exposure, and a violation is a Class C infraction.
The statute never mentions cracks
Indiana’s windshield law is written around what blocks your view, not around damage. Indiana Code 9-19-19 does not make a cracked windshield a violation by name — the exposure comes from the obstruction the crack creates. Read this as a general explanation of Indiana law rather than legal advice.
How Indiana’s obstruction law reaches a cracked windshield
Section 3(b) of the Indiana statute bars any sign, poster, sunscreening, or other nontransparent material placed in or on the windshield that obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway. A crack is not a poster, but the reasoning transfers: the legislature cared about the driver’s sightline, and a fracture that crosses it produces the same problem by other means.
In practice, the question at a traffic stop is whether the crack obstructs your clear view, and that judgment belongs to the officer. A small chip in a corner rarely rises to it; a long fracture through the driver’s side of the glass usually does.
Violations of this chapter are Class C infractions. Indiana also requires windshield wipers to be maintained in good working order under section 6(b), which pairs with the obstruction rule the same way vision and clearing rules pair in every state.
Indiana windshield rules at a glance
| Question | How Indiana handles it |
|---|---|
| Is a cracked windshield a named violation? | No — Indiana Code 9-19-19 does not list it by name |
| What is the exposure? | A crack an officer judges to obstruct the driver’s clear view of the highway |
| What class is a violation? | A Class C infraction |
| Is there a legal crack size? | None appears in the statute |
| Does the state inspect glass? | No periodic safety inspection applies to most passenger cars |
Skyview serves Indiana from shops and mobile units across the state — see our Indiana page for service locations.
Indiana cracked windshield myths
There is a legal crack length in Indiana.
The statute sets no length. What counts is whether the damage obstructs your clear view of the highway, a judgment made case by case.
Any crack at all is illegal in Indiana.
A chip outside the driver’s sightline is rarely treated as an obstruction. The law targets what you can and cannot see through the glass.
Indiana inspects windshields every year.
Most passenger cars in Indiana face no periodic safety inspection, so glass condition is never graded at a counter.
More questions about cracked windshields in Indiana
Can you get a ticket for a cracked windshield in Indiana?
Yes, when the crack is judged to obstruct your clear view. The ticket is written as a Class C infraction under the chapter that covers windshield obstruction.
What is the Indiana windshield obstruction law?
Indiana Code 9-19-19 section 3(b) bars nontransparent material on the windshield that obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway, and a crack that blocks the sightline is treated under the same reasoning.
How big of a crack can you drive with in Indiana?
The code draws no line at inches. Chips to about quarter size and cracks to about six inches usually repair at a glass shop, and repairing early keeps the question from ever reaching an officer.
Related guides
More in Safety and the law
- Is it safe to drive with a cracked windshield?
- How does a windshield protect you in a crash?
- Does a cracked windshield affect the airbags?
- Can you sell or trade in a car with a cracked windshield?
- Should you replace the windshield after an accident?
- What should you do if your windshield cracks while driving?
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