DEAR SGT. AL: WINDOW TINT ON MY CAR?

Thanks to Washington State Trooper Julie Startup, she's on the case checking a window tint to make sure it's legit! 

DEAR SERGEANT AL: Last month I was caught in a state police checkpoint trap in the middle of the day off an exit ramp from the state parkway and received a ticket for window tint being too dark.  The troopers used a tint-meter to measure the light translucence through my window. I took care of the ticket to learn my lesson, but what are the laws governing car window tint and what is the limit as far as I can go to install the darkest but legal limit when it comes to tinted windows? –TINTED WINDOWS ENCAPSULATE EXIGENT NECESSITY WHEN ONGOING LAWS FAIL

DEAR TWEEN WOLF: You bring up an interesting topic, but I’m sorry to hear about your window tint ticket to hope the fine wasn’t too steep. Some states make allowances to have your ticket dismissed as a correctible equipment violation, but other states are getting wise to the tactic of bait and switch window tints to hammer you right on the head with little wiggle room if in fact you get a ticket for too dark a window on your car.  Although you didn’t specify if you replaced the illegal tint with a legal one, my suggestion to those who do this is to make sure you go to a police or inspection station to have a government officer or agent check your windows with a meter to ensure that the replacement is in fact legal, and especially if the violation you were cited is in fact correctible. Remember that window tint shops are in the business of making money and are not necessarily looking out for your best interests. They also have limousine window tint to cater to that clientele, so they could care less whether the tint on your car is legal or not, so as long as you have the money for the kind of tint you really want. Depending on the law where you go to do the tinting, some shops will make you sign an exculpatory waiver on your receipt, some won’t even issue you one and demand cash when you come to have your windows tinted. Some states make such installation illegal.

Have you recently had a cataract, skin cancer, or even a mole or abnormality removed from your skin or eye(s)? Has a doctor recently told you to stay out of the sun? If so, regardless of what age you are, a doctor’s note is all it may take for you to get a medical clearance to get darker window tint on your car. Go talk to your doctor to see if he/she can give you a note for DMV clearance, and check your state for the appropriate exemption. Also if you drive a sedan, wagon/SUV or other kind of vehicle with rear windows, your state may have a provision that allows you to cover those windows with a darker tint, as long as you can see the front passengers through the front windows. Your car may already be equipped with built-in tinted photo-grey film that changes darkness with the intensity of the sunlight. Check with your owner’s manual or dealer. Know the window tint law and the law governing the shops that install them so that you are fully aware of your responsibility before you get pulled over for illegal window tint.

Unless this is in a state where this is legit, this car is not asking, it is BEGGING for trouble . . .

 The research I’ve done regarding state window tint laws vary all over the place, so there is no rhyme to any reason. My suggestion is to either click here to get a state-by-state rundown of what tint is legal, or follow this chart by Wikipedia to get an idea where your state stands when it comes to window tints:

U.S.

Tint Limits by U.S. state (when measured on the front side window)[5]:

State	VLT	State	VLT	State	VLT
Alabama	32%	Louisiana	40%	Ohio	50%
Alaska	70%	Maine	35%	Oklahoma	25%
Arizona	30% to 36 %***	Maryland	35%	Oregon	35%
Arkansas	25%	Massachusetts	35%	Pennsylvania	70%
California	70%	Michigan	70% State Law	Rhode Island	70%
Colorado	27%	Minnesota	50%	South Carolina	27%
Connecticut	35%	Mississippi	28%	South Dakota	35%
Delaware	70%	Missouri	35%	Tennessee	35%
Florida	28%	Montana	24%	Texas	25% state law
Georgia	32%	Nebraska	35%	Utah	43%
Hawaii	35%	Nevada	35%	Vermont	70%
Idaho	35%	New Hampshire	70%	Virginia	35%
Illinois	35%	New Jersey	70%	Washington	24%[6]
Indiana	30% state law	New Mexico	20%	West Virginia	35%
Iowa	70%	New York	75%	Wisconsin	50%
Kansas	35%	North Carolina	35%	Wyoming	28%
Kentucky	35%	North Dakota	50%	District of Columbia	70%

Current as of 17 July 2010

(Lower number is less light transmittance, thus darker tint)

I have a feeling this chart is not accurate and since it is from two years ago it has become outdated. I know that the New York entry might be incorrect, as it probably should read 70% not 75% (unless the law changed without my knowledge), so I suggest you go to the first link I provided, or call your state DMV. 

Finally, remember that when selling your car, illegal window tint can detract from the resale value. Especially if the tint was on the car for a while it might leave a residue that will be difficult to remove from the window once the tint has been removed. Unless the next buyer wants it, I suggest if you detail the car to have the tint removed so that the tint does not become an issue when determining a trade-in or resale price of your old car. You paid the piper TWEEN WOLF, but I’m citing everyone with a WARNING: be careful when you slap on window tint on your car, especially in a state where dark tint is illegal: it is an open invitation for the police to pull you over and ticket you! Drive carefully!