window tint

[Ron-Solo]

any fix it ticket is $25x3 i had 3 ontime because my front window tint, no front plates and i didn't have a copy of my geico insurance paper.. he had nothing better else to do ....

Those are all legitimate violations, so don't blame the cop because you chose to have tint applied to your windows, didn't have your required front & rear plates or you required proof of insurance.

Your fault, not his, take responsibility for your actions.

[JS89]

Im not buying the parked car argument since there is no law against covering windows on an immobile vehicle. I mean what about car covers? or sun shades? Where would you draw the line?

There's NO reason that a PARKED car needs to be fully viewable for anyone walking by even if it is a LEO.

Wrong, your vehicle must be vehicle code compliant when on ANY publicy maintained highway. This applies to vehicle that are parked or driven.

[rudigan]

Those are all legitimate violations, so don't blame the cop because you chose to have tint applied to your windows, didn't have your required front & rear plates or you required proof of insurance.

Your fault, not his, take responsibility for your actions.

If only. Getting pretty rare these days.

[G1500]

Almost all window film blocks out the bad UV rays, even clear film.

The tint blocks out UV, and the % is hot much visible light comes through

[Packy14]

i think i have 30 or 25% on the front..20% in the back. Cops don't tend to ticket if they can see in some or if you have a nice car.. If you have a 98 civic thats lowered and tinted, haha..ur toast. I also have never had a front plate on my car in 14 years, got one fix it ticket while parked about 12 years ago; i hate how it looks, and also cameras

[FLIGHT762]

My front windows are tinted, not the windshield, and the tint is not very dark. Just enough to filter out the sun.

I have had skin cancer issues after two deployments out in the extreme sun every day, so my dermatologist at the VA recommended I tint my front windows to filter direct UV rays.

I have a letter from the VA in my glove box. Which I received after I got a ticket, on my birthday last year

The Doctor's note does not allow for permanently applied tinting on the prohibited windows. The tinting must me of the removable type and removed during darkness. These devices allowed are the sun shades or louvers on stick on temporary mylar that is removable.

Paragraph 10 in 26708 lists what devices that are allowed.

<snip> 10) Sun screening devices meeting the requirements of Section 26708.2 installed on the side windows on either side of the vehicle's front seat, if the driver or a passenger in the front seat has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed physician and surgeon certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a medical condition, or has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed optometrist certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a visual condition. The devices authorized by this paragraph shall not be used during darkness. <snip>

Sun Screening Devices: Requirements

26708.2. Sun screening devices permitted by paragraph (10) of subdivision (b) of Section 26708 shall meet the following requirements:

(a) The devices shall be held in place by means allowing ready removal from the window area, such as a frame, a rigid material with temporary fasteners, or a flexible roller shade.

(b) Devices utilizing transparent material shall be green, gray, or a neutral smoke in color and shall have a luminous transmittance of not less than 35 percent.

(c) Devices utilizing nontransparent louvers or other alternating patterns of opaque and open sections shall have an essentially uniform pattern over the entire surface, except for framing and supports. At least 35 percent of the device area shall be open and no individual louver or opaque section shall have a projected vertical dimension exceeding 3/16 inch.

(d) The devices shall not have a reflective quality exceeding 35 percent on either the inner or outer surface.

Added Ch. 74, Stats. 1984. Effective January 1, 1985.


While your Doctor's note may help you, legally, your condition is addressed in the law and permanently installed tint is not allowed.

If you run into this issue in the future and have to remove the tint on the driver's compartment windows, there is a clear mylar with 80% VLT that blocks out the bad UV and complies with the law. I have a similar condition as you from working in the sun for decades. I have to wear hats and long sleeves in hot weather. I just came back from form my Dermatologist on Thursday for some Keratosis treatment and some possible skin cancer removed from my neck.

[Notorious]

Instead of blaming cops who have to enforce the law, why don't you guys take it up with the legislature who made the law?

[97F1504RAD]

Nobody is blaming the cops it is just Chicken sh#@ ticket in many of our opinions. Just because some of us have tint on the front sides does not make us bad guys or mean we =wish to hide anything from you.

And while I agree that going with a very dark tint on the front sides is not a good idea. I think if you go with the lightest tint available it should be allowed or at least not ticketed. Use some common sense. I know that with the lightest tint you can see in the windows day and night without issue.

[FLIGHT762]

Nobody is blaming the cops it is just Chicken sh#@ ticket in many of our opinions. Just because some of us have tint on the front sides does not make us bad guys or mean we =wish to hide anything from you.

And while I agree that going with a very dark tint on the front sides is not a good idea. I think if you go with the lightest tint available it should be allowed or at least not ticketed. Use some common sense. I know that with the lightest tint you can see in the windows day and night without issue.

Some of us do use common sense. I purchased a Laser Lab model 100 tint meter with my own money. http://www.laser-labs.com/products.php
It measures the VLT to within 2% accuracy.

I got tired of arguing with people over it. There was such an array of illegal tint being used, anywhere from 50% VLT ( Visible Light Transmittance) down to 2% VLT. I found that when I couldn't clearly see the driver, The tint was in the lower 30's VLT. If I couldn't clearly see the driver, I did an enforcement stop and measured the tinting. I usually cited in the low 30's or below. I've written a lot of citations for tinting below 20% VLT, which wouldn't be legal in any State (New Mexico has the lowest rating at 20%).

Personally, for me, I didn't stop anyone unless I couldn't clearly see the driver.

The solar tinting that comes in the glass from the factory is already tinted from about 80% to about 72% VLT. The solar tint on a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria was 74% VLT.

Unless you have a reliable measuring device, you don't know how dark the tinting really is.

So, my question is: Where do you draw the line in a State where the law says any tinting below 70% VLT is illegal? So when does it become a CS ticket or a reasonable equipment violation?

[97F1504RAD]

Some of us do use common sense. I purchased a Laser Lab model 100 tint meter with my own money. http://www.laser-labs.com/products.php
It measures the VLT to within 2% accuracy.

I got tired of arguing with people over it. There was such an array of illegal tint being used, anywhere from 50% VLT ( Visible Light Transmittance) down to 2% VLT. I found that when I couldn't clearly see the driver, The tint was in the lower 30's VLT. If I couldn't clearly see the driver, I did an enforcement stop and measured the tinting. I usually cited in the low 30's or below. I've written a lot of citations for tinting below 20% VLT, which wouldn't be legal in any State (New Mexico has the lowest rating at 20%).

Personally, for me, I didn't stop anyone unless I couldn't clearly see the driver.

The solar tinting that comes in the glass from the factory is already tinted from about 80% to about 72% VLT. The solar tint on a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria was 74% VLT.

Unless you have a reliable measuring device, you don't know how dark the tinting really is.

So, my question is: Where do you draw the line in a State where the law says any tinting below 70% VLT is illegal? So when does it become a CS ticket or a reasonable equipment violation?

I am curious to know if you think this tint is to dark? Also why worry about arguing with people and simply let it slide as long as it is not to dark. Why not worry yourself with real crimes? And while I understand that pulling someone over for tint may sometimes lead to something better. Just because someone has tint does not make them a bad guy. I just think you as LEO have bigger things you need to be worrying about.

[FLIGHT762]

I am curious to know if you think this tint is to dark? Also why worry about arguing with people and simply let it slide as long as it is not to dark. Why not worry yourself with real crimes? And while I understand that pulling someone over for tint may sometimes lead to something better. Just because someone has tint does not make them a bad guy. I just think you as LEO have bigger things you need to be worrying about.

Your tint may be in the 30's VLT, I would measure it and see. As I said before, I let tinting at 40% or above slide. Many times when I've stopped someone for an equipment violation, I hear the same thing "You should be catching Rapists and Robbers". Sometimes, I would be assigned to be a traffic enforcement car for the day. My job was to enforce traffic laws, that's what I did all day. The catching Robbers and Rapists was left to other units. It was my common sense and experience that led me to draw the line at under 40% VLT usually got a citation. If the violator was local, I'd give them a warning with the promise from them that they would remove the illegal tint within a few weeks. If I saw them again and it wasn't removed, they would be cited.

It's obvious you and I will not agree on this. I don't have any illegal equipment on my cars. The number one one reason is it's illegal, the #2 reason is I don't want to give L/E a pass to stop me anytime I'm on the road. I have nothing to hide, but I just don't want to be stopped for something like that.

I remember one person I was discussing this with after I gave him a warning to remove the tint. He told me he thought about it and decided he didn't want to give an Officer PC to stop him and if he had a beer after work, be doing FST's on the side of the road, only for being stopped for illegal window tint. He took the tint off.

Keep the tint on, I don't care, you're just taking the chance you'll be stopped at any time for it.

[97F1504RAD]

Your tint may be in the 30's VLT, I would measure it and see. As I said before, I let tinting at 40% or above slide. Many times when I've stopped someone for an equipment violation, I hear the same thing "You should be catching Rapists and Robbers". Sometimes, I would be assigned to be a traffic enforcement car for the day. My job was to enforce traffic laws, that's what I did all day. The catching Robbers and Rapists was left to other units. It was my common sense and experience that led me to draw the line at under 40% VLT usually got a citation. If the violator was local, I'd give them a warning with the promise from them that they would remove the illegal tint within a few weeks. If I saw them again and it wasn't removed, they would be cited.

It's obvious you and I will not agree on this. I don't have any illegal equipment on my cars. The number one one reason is it's illegal, the #2 reason is I don't want to give L/E a pass to stop me anytime I'm on the road. I have nothing to hide, but I just don't want to be stopped for something like that.

I remember one person I was discussing this with after I gave him a warning to remove the tint. He told me he thought about it and decided he didn't want to give an Officer PC to stop him and if he had a beer after work, be doing FST's on the side of the road, only for being stopped for illegal window tint. He took the tint off.

Keep the tint on, I don't care, you're just taking the chance you'll be stopped at any time for it.

That's cool and I did not mean any offense by what I said. I just view traffic enforcement such as that as a useless enforcement. Not saying stopping excessive speeders and reckless drivers is useless just stopping folks for some minor infractions such as tint or no front plate is petty in my book and you could be doing better things with your time even if on Traffic Duty. Which i think is a bogus way for cops to spend their time. Although I do know that some times those minor infractions lead to good misdemeanor or felony stops but i would venture to guess most do not.

Glad to hear and see you are a level headed one and use some common sense and do have some leeway. I also do not run a front plate on that car as it ruins the lines of the car for one and I am not drilling any holes in the bumper which is what would be required.

The car is not a daily driver anyway and it only sees light use in the summer months. And i would never complain about getting a ticket for it as I know that what i am doing is not allowed. I own a few other cars and none of them have tint on the front windows and all have front plates. Just not going to happen with that car.

[Spetsnazos]

Just not going to happen with that car.

lol no offense bro but thats not a ferrari.

I have to figure something out to shade the sun now that I have to remove my tint, anyone have any ideas? Legal ones?

[G1500]

lol no offense bro but thats not a ferrari.

I have to figure something out to shade the sun now that I have to remove my tint, anyone have any ideas? Legal ones?

Sun glasses?

[powerstrokemike]

how can the police ticket cars when some of there personal cars an some patrol / undercover cars are tinted.. i had done some work at serval pd stations an seen the cars myself... ?????????