http://www.tintdude.com/laws.html Good information.
Tinting Laws by state
- Thread starter Route 66
- Start date
Sip'n Diesel
Veteran Newbie
good stuff! too bad I didn't have this when I bought my car, only had 2 tickets so far though. ILL state is @#$%ing stupid with these laws
-Adonis-
Veteran Member
You're right... I've heard some ridiculous stuff.Sip'n Diesel said:
My dad's friend said that when she got pulled over for tinted windows in Illinois awhile back in her mustang, they made her start peeling it off right there on the side of the road or they were giving her a $200 fix-it-ticket.
Hell, They just gave me a fix-it-ticket that gave me 10 days to fix my tint in Michigan. And the local cop that pulled me over first just said get it fixed and didn't give me a ticket. I was a different city a little north of me when I got nailed. (St Joseph for those of you around SW MI.)
And to clear up the missing info for MI, the front side windows can have a 4 inch strip from the top (like the front windshield), or nothing at all. At least this is what I was told by the local Bridgman and St Joseph police officers. I'm sure it changes all over MI depending on the officer and the mood they're in.
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Umm... yea ive never heard of a cop making someone peel off tints on the spot, and I think that would be against most police policies. As sucky as IL laws are... they usually just give you a ticket. You used to be able to show up in court to show the judge you removed them (you would bring in a pic of the same model car without tints) and no fine. They got hip to this, and they actually check now...
I guess its ok we can have any % on the back... lots of states have restrictions on the back. Although... the front ones are key and I hate not having them. The front plate thing is cheesy too. It appears NO state allows anything darker than 15% on the fronts.
I guess its ok we can have any % on the back... lots of states have restrictions on the back. Although... the front ones are key and I hate not having them. The front plate thing is cheesy too. It appears NO state allows anything darker than 15% on the fronts.
cmitchell
Veteran Member
So how safe am I driving through Michigan & Illinois this summer? I have an official certificate stating that my tint is legal in Oregon... which is where the car is licensed and where I live. Or should I just plan a route that avoids these states? BTW the state laws page from the link won't load for me...
Sip'n Diesel
Veteran Newbie
100% safe. you are a resident of Oregon and you have Oregon tags... not an issuecmitchell said:
you can pass through freely without any worry. even if it was an issue you would still have to do something to get pulled over in the first place. in my experience, if you follow the rules of the road and don't give the police a reason to pull you over they won't... unless they're really bored. the reason for this is that these type of vehicle code laws, or whatever we're talking about here, only apply to those residents within said state
rotarykid
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2003
- TDI
- 1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
Any document on what is legal in your registered state is useless when you go afoul of another state's laws . Only reciprocal agreements are in effect state to state like the one that allows for states that don't have front license plates . Anything else it's home rule ...........
Best rule of thumb is if you plan to spend time in other states than your home state make sure your car passes what ever regs apply . And you really need to make sure you know the particular differences in driving rules and penalties state to state . What is allowed or over looked in many states can have zero tolerance in other states , I speak from close to 30 years of experience having traveled in 46 of the 50 states on this one . Every state can be like a different country when it comes to rules & laws
Tinting violations from state to state can be a tangled mess that can end you up at the gate of an impound lot . You should make sure your car can pass the regs in whatever states you spend time in , not just your home state . I've had to remove tint on cars I've purchased that was too dark to pass NC law more than once to make a car legal in NC . Studded tire laws is another law that varies state to state that can end your car in an impound lot for a violation .
Best rule of thumb is if you plan to spend time in other states than your home state make sure your car passes what ever regs apply . And you really need to make sure you know the particular differences in driving rules and penalties state to state . What is allowed or over looked in many states can have zero tolerance in other states , I speak from close to 30 years of experience having traveled in 46 of the 50 states on this one . Every state can be like a different country when it comes to rules & laws
Tinting violations from state to state can be a tangled mess that can end you up at the gate of an impound lot . You should make sure your car can pass the regs in whatever states you spend time in , not just your home state . I've had to remove tint on cars I've purchased that was too dark to pass NC law more than once to make a car legal in NC . Studded tire laws is another law that varies state to state that can end your car in an impound lot for a violation .
velociT
Top Post Dawg
For all Texas members, that website is wrong.
Texas is 25% front and Any % back and rear.
Texas is 25% front and Any % back and rear.
rotarykid, I think you might be wrong. If your car is legal in your state, you can drive it anywhere in the US. It stems from the "full faith and credit" provision in the Constitution. There is no pollution inspection where I live, but I can drive my car in LA. In the past, Alabama did not require auto insurance, while Georgia did, but uninsured Alabama drivers could drive legally in Georgia.
You mention having to remove tint that was legal in one state to make it legal in NC. If you move the car and want to title it in a different state, it has to meet that state's rules, not the rules where you bought it.
Commercial vehicles are different, at least in some respects.
You mention having to remove tint that was legal in one state to make it legal in NC. If you move the car and want to title it in a different state, it has to meet that state's rules, not the rules where you bought it.
Commercial vehicles are different, at least in some respects.
rotarykid
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2003
- TDI
- 1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
The reciprocal agreements essentially allow for you to drive state to state with home state registration plate or plates , DR license and with a home state insurance ( note , the insurance policy modifies to meet each states minimum requirement rules like No Fault or Liability ) . And they allow for all tickets to count against your home state DR license
Emissions regs for state to state travel are regulated state to state by Federal commerce rules and not part of the reciprocal agreement .
But Safety & driving rules state to state ( window tint , tires , lenses , ect.......... ) are all like speed limits & helmet laws , home rule . Technically you can be ticketed for anything that violates a state's safety regs & driving regs irregardless of what the rules are in your registered state . Push that one at your own risk .
I had a friend in the 80s that had a Supra registered in SC with tinted windows that ran afoul of NC rules that was always getting pulled over in NC . "Improper Equipment" was the ticket he received many times . Lucky for him that ticket carried no DR or Ins points and he got a lot of them . Just the $$$ was the price of being cool , and the fact that local a$$3s in blue loved to %^&* with him .
Like a I said if you are going to spend any time in any state not your own , which I do with regularity KNOW THE RULES & REGS OF THAT STATE .
And really Important !!! Know before hand how strictly they enforce their rules & laws before hand to avoid a lot of trouble . In close to 30 years of driving state to state I've learned on the book doesn't necessarily mean on the street . It's also a good idea to know how your state reacts to you getting a ticket in the other state DR license & Ins wise before you're faced with dealing with it . I Speak from experience on that one toooooooooo.............
Emissions regs for state to state travel are regulated state to state by Federal commerce rules and not part of the reciprocal agreement .
But Safety & driving rules state to state ( window tint , tires , lenses , ect.......... ) are all like speed limits & helmet laws , home rule . Technically you can be ticketed for anything that violates a state's safety regs & driving regs irregardless of what the rules are in your registered state . Push that one at your own risk .
I had a friend in the 80s that had a Supra registered in SC with tinted windows that ran afoul of NC rules that was always getting pulled over in NC . "Improper Equipment" was the ticket he received many times . Lucky for him that ticket carried no DR or Ins points and he got a lot of them . Just the $$$ was the price of being cool , and the fact that local a$$3s in blue loved to %^&* with him .
Like a I said if you are going to spend any time in any state not your own , which I do with regularity KNOW THE RULES & REGS OF THAT STATE .
And really Important !!! Know before hand how strictly they enforce their rules & laws before hand to avoid a lot of trouble . In close to 30 years of driving state to state I've learned on the book doesn't necessarily mean on the street . It's also a good idea to know how your state reacts to you getting a ticket in the other state DR license & Ins wise before you're faced with dealing with it . I Speak from experience on that one toooooooooo.............
rotarykid
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2003
- TDI
- 1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
And that insurance quandary you speak of that is also part of the Fed interstate commerce rules/regs . But in many states like NC we were required to actually reject Un/Under Insured motorist coverage a few years back . Or it was given automatically for an extra charge to deal with the issue of un/under insured motorists from other states .
Another one that is covered by interstate commerce rules that often comes up is SC doesn't require trailer tags & didn't give temporary tags . This has often lead to issues in bordering states . Now having or not having trailer lights rules in your home state aren't covered , protected by interstate commerce rules . My brother in-law lived in the upstate of SC for years and towed a boat in & out of NC regularly when I was younger so I have first hand experience with this one also . He could legally bring it into NC without a tag but all the trailer lights must work to legal on NC roads .
In the western US New Mexico was still a state without the requirement of liability ins. on all vehicles last I looked . They had what are called responsibility laws , if you can prove you can pay damages to a point no $$$ liability insurance is required . That was few years back so this might have changed though . This was the common car insurance law in many states US 20-30 years ago . I believe Alabama rules on coverage you speak of were similar at the time . Tenn. also had similar coverage rules years ago if memory serves .
Another one that is covered by interstate commerce rules that often comes up is SC doesn't require trailer tags & didn't give temporary tags . This has often lead to issues in bordering states . Now having or not having trailer lights rules in your home state aren't covered , protected by interstate commerce rules . My brother in-law lived in the upstate of SC for years and towed a boat in & out of NC regularly when I was younger so I have first hand experience with this one also . He could legally bring it into NC without a tag but all the trailer lights must work to legal on NC roads .
In the western US New Mexico was still a state without the requirement of liability ins. on all vehicles last I looked . They had what are called responsibility laws , if you can prove you can pay damages to a point no $$$ liability insurance is required . That was few years back so this might have changed though . This was the common car insurance law in many states US 20-30 years ago . I believe Alabama rules on coverage you speak of were similar at the time . Tenn. also had similar coverage rules years ago if memory serves .
dieselyeti
Veteran Member
I got stopped on the way to work last year for dark tint. The state trooper gave me a ticket to bring the car to the DMV for light meter testing. I knew the tint was darker than allowed, and had been planning on having it done lighter (when you have to open the window to read road signs at night it's too dark!) Turns out it measured 18% when the max allowed is 35%. So I had to pull the film off the side windows in the DMV parking lot. Lucky I had some safety razor blades with me. I'll have my new car tinted this spring but only to the legal limit - It's not worth the hassle. I guess if your car is respectable looking and not some riced-out Fast N Furious wannabe (with the requisite fart-can muffler) the cops normally won't bother you if the tint is borderline, just don't drive like an ass. (Common Sense Rule #1)
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J double R
Fail Train Conductor
key word.. i got popped by connecticut state police for my tint while driving normally on the freeway in the golf.dieselyeti said:
I didnt have my tdi for a month. I had already bought the plates when the 30 day wasn't even expired.
Didnt have a problem locally....still havent. However southern ohio was a different story. I had a statey pass me on the highway...no issue. Then i get to RT 7 by marietta and bam one comes from other side to get me. Measured to be 7%. Gave me a ticket. The fact i didnt install it and it came w/ the car didnt phase him.
I didnt get but 2 minutes down the road. Another helping w/ someone already pulled over jumped a curb to get me. He threatened to tow, issue another ticket blah blah. But said "since this ticket was just written i wont"
Never removed the tint, just paid the fine. Yet haven't been bothered since.
Didnt have a problem locally....still havent. However southern ohio was a different story. I had a statey pass me on the highway...no issue. Then i get to RT 7 by marietta and bam one comes from other side to get me. Measured to be 7%. Gave me a ticket. The fact i didnt install it and it came w/ the car didnt phase him.
I didnt get but 2 minutes down the road. Another helping w/ someone already pulled over jumped a curb to get me. He threatened to tow, issue another ticket blah blah. But said "since this ticket was just written i wont"
Never removed the tint, just paid the fine. Yet haven't been bothered since.
Sip'n Diesel
Veteran Newbie
I want some tints that can change opacity like those fancy eye glasses
http://en-us.transitions.com/
http://en-us.transitions.com/
TT71
Veteran Member
Sip'n I was just thinking about that going to work one day that it would be nice if the windshield did that because I was driving directly into the sun. But the rest of the windows I think that would be pretty slick.
Bayou_Flyer
Veteran Member
Mississippi is now 28% on the sides, and even the most run-down station has a new tint meter to "assost" with annual inspections. Of course, trucks/SUVs with factory tinted side/rear glass are exempt to only the front windows.
What's funny is seeing cars with 5% film running current inspection stickers, yet my 20% windows are a problem even though you can see into/through the car.
What's funny is seeing cars with 5% film running current inspection stickers, yet my 20% windows are a problem even though you can see into/through the car.
J double R
Fail Train Conductor
it's all about who you know.Bayou_Flyer said:
Bayou_Flyer
Veteran Member
Yes, it is. So far, I've had mediocre luck at finding "big picture" inspectors on the MS Gulf Coast. Of course, I'm always open to PMs from folks with recommendations.
Spn diesel, I think they make them for home windows, but I recall it being pretty expensive.
Sip'n Diesel
Veteran Newbie
bling bling