They will typically not stop you JUST for window tint but if you’re breaking any other law the likelihood of you getting pulled over with darker than legal tint will definitely go up.

Sort of like no front plates are no big deal but if you’re speeding/driving a highly modified car/breaking some other law, the cop has more than one reason to pull you over.

i need to know what happened to OP to inspire this post bc "crack down on installers" is hilarious

I haven’t seen SJPD do any type traffic enforcement for years. I think window tinters are safe…

Never. As a bicycle rider, i fucking hate tints on car windows. I have the right-of-way but i have to stop because i have no idea if the driver of a car coming from a side road sees me.

When I lived in NYC the cops would pull you over for extensive tint. They would not ticket you. They would take a key and scratch an x into the tint on the side facing windows. Every time you rolled the window up and down it would tear the tint more. Sometimes community policing works better than court appearances.

Worst they will do is write you a ticket for illegal tint and send you on your way. I’ve had a couple but it’s probably been close to 20 years since my last one. Now I just tell them it keeps it cooler in the cab when it’s 110 in the Texas heat, and I’ll get a warning.

I’m registered in ohio. Had 35% on my truck and have gotten 3 tickets over 2 years. And every time I’ve been stopped if they didn’t ticket me they definitely said something about it

Window tinting laws vary by state, and while a truck may be registered in one state, it must still comply with the tinting regulations of any state you're driving through. Each state has its own limits on how dark the tint can be, especially for front windows. Even if your truck passes tint requirements in its registered state, you could face fines or be asked to remove the tint if it's too dark in another state. To avoid issues, it's important to know the tint laws for the states you'll be operating in.

From personal experience the Commonwealth of Virginia is NOT a pass-through state. Got a tint ticket with Texas plates.

You could try getting a letter from your eye doctor

Yes, in florida i had my whole day cab with limo and got pulled. It lasted about 4 months till i got pulled was told 70% and i said i might as well have none, so he pulled it up and showed me it has the UV protectant on it. I was let off with a warning.

TA's sell sheets of tint -like vinyl, 4 pack for like $12. Just spray water on window and squeegee it on...stays for about a week before I need to fix it/reapply water. Easiest and most legal solution I could find.

Got a fix it ticket in Missouri.

I don't know about the legality but wanted to comment on this. My Dad got skin cancer on the left side of his face after trucking for 20 years. Wear sun screen or tint the window and it may save your life. My Dad was diagnosed and passed within one year. He should have went to the doctor sooner so procrastination can be equally dangerous.

Sorry to ruin everyone's day with that information.

Got a $200 fine in Texas back in 2013. Probably more now

I bought a car with already tinted windows. I went somewhere and he was just like "you tinted the windows after I inspected it, right"? So there are places that just don't really care.

https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv80w.pdf

You have sunlight issues

It helps if you have a buddy who is also a mechanic.

Also, police are hypocrites, their vehicles have them too.

I got stopped once in Amherst in the 2 years I’ve had them. They were cool about it, no ticket.

You know, legally, you have to tell us if you're a cop, right?

Also, I don't think checking that the front windows are operable is part of a NYS inspection so technically you could probably just roll them down and pull the fuse 🤷‍♂️

I worked in a car place a long time and all my coworkers had dark tints. They just say they know a person who works somewhere that passes them. It's annoying considering I'm stuck with the sun blasting my face with a migraine, driving a giant aquarium because when I moved here from Pittsburgh they made me remove mine. The law clearly doesn't actually matter otherwise you wouldn't be able to just get them because you know a guy.

My vehicles windshields are tinted to about the rear view mirror level. Well worth it, and never had a problem in any state.

Yep they do it and don’t get pulled over. That doesn’t mean you will not as it is still illegal unless your doctor will require it for driving. And if you travel into CA good luck. They will ticket you and maybe even have you scrape it on the spot.

I got stopped in Winterheaven with the California Highway Patrol. Pulled me over for the tint. He tells me that then I told him I'm from Arizona. He let me go soon after. I was confused because I was already going back just over the bridge and I have a license plate that's Az. I have very dark tinted windows enough where you cant see inside.

I have all my windows tinted, I forget the % but the fronts are lighter than the back passengers, never got stopped anywhere in Arizona or California so far. Usually the tinter will let you know as well whats recommended but if you got an AZ license plate should be fine, is what im told LOL

I had my windshield tinted for a year before I was pulled over by adot for it. $375 ticket

I've tinted a lot of semi trucks in california. I always recommend the drivers not to go darker than 50% on sides and windshields. I advise not to even tint the windshields if the truck has a big drop-down visor on it. Even if you don't cross scales much, the dot officers can and will pull you over just for tint. This opens the door for them to also do an inspection on you and your equipment.

I've re-done a handful of trucks at least once a year for the past years because the drivers were cited for the tint. On some occasions, we've actually gone with a darker tint than what was on it, but the driver knows he's only going to get away with it for a few months if he's lucky. Most of the daycabs I've tinted are local trucks, mostly doing 250 to 300 miles daily, these guys have been the luckiest so far because they don't really encounter chp. I've done a few sleeper trucks that haul dedicated into the Los Angeles area, and they cross 2 scales daily. These guys have been lucky and don't get hassled much. They just roll the windows down when going through the scale.

So from my experience I would avoid darker than 50% on sides and front. Anything darker than that will attract unwanted attention and you will receive a citation for the tint

On a semi truck? You're probably fine.

Granted it's a semi and I'm in FL but I would encourage you to keep it simple. 20% all around and 50% windshield is standard where I live.

35% should be fine on a semi even in CA. No way they're looking at you for illegal tint.

Is there any particular reason for 5 in the back? 50% windshield has been perfect for me. 35% is light but it doesn't seem you want privacy, just glare protection so it will probably do. I still prefer 20 for that (I never felt that 35 did enough for the glare but again, FL) but I'm assuming you need to see curbs in a semi, granted you can just roll the windows down.

Btw, I love seeing tinted semis. Always looks awesome and makes sense considering you're on the road all day.

Not sure about your local cops but that is a fairly classy and light setup. Same setup basically on my personal car and never had an issue

A friend of mines has a freightliner cascadia that he put 35% on the 2 side windows. Said he was pulled over and they made him remove the film. Says federal law (US DOT?) is 70% VLT. Not sure if it would be any different in your case.

Drive like a idiot the don’t get any tint if you drive with in reason not like a idiot you hardly ever get bothered just for tint

If you want to be legal, your only options are Llumar AIR 90 or 3M Crystalline 90.

In reality 70% tint is not visible to the eye. My windshield has 70% ceramic with a 5% eyebrow while the front roll-ups have 35% and 5% on the rears. Except for the windshield my car is legal here in Arizona. I've been installing window tint for nearly 30 years, mostly in CA where theres no tint allowed on the fronts. Not one of my customers were ever ticketed for 70% up front. Yet it blocks over 40% heat and 99% uv

https://preview.redd.it/n48ayeo6y3gf1.png?width=864&format=png&auto=webp&s=018c4b603c3f4860460a4b4f4b26818566368f53

Find the shop you're going to use and ask them to make a small cut of both and test the tint percentage on your actual windows. My factory toyota tint with 80% on top still came in at 71%.

You will not be happy with any of the films that are legal. F you have 70% on your windshield now technically you are not legal. A 70% film combined with Theo layers of glass and the PVB that holds your laminated windshield together most likely will VLT at around a 64%

With that being said some states have more let's say enforcement then other. In California we install a lot of the LLumar AIR80 and also alot of LLumar IRX50.

The AIR80 is legal shade wise but in California it is illegal to install a sticker below the AS1 line so technically no window film is allowed on the windshield in the state of California.

Lots of states have sticker laws, we had a guy get a DUI and the offer in court used the California window film VC 26708 as his PC.

Not a lawyer, but my understanding is that they can’t conduct a search without probable cause so they can say “based on training and experience, I observed the vehicle appeared to have darker tint than allowed and at that time, I effectuated a traffic stop of the individual” or however it is cops talk.

US law always favors the rich but if you're not rich the officer just has to testify there was a fair probability that the tint was illegal and they can check it.

Make it part of the state inspection. Cant see in or out of the windows - car fails, to bad - so sorry.

Can roadworthiness be subjected to constitutionality tests?

I am not searching you but I do not deem anything less than clear glass safe

easy fix: ban all window tints on the front windows like wane countries

I've been considering writing an appeal to the NC representatives about this. It really does seem ridiculous especially with the changing climate. 32% is barely worth the tint and the incoming heat warped my dashboard a few years ago. I'd love to see NC at least match SC Laws at 27% on all windows for sedans if not uniformly setting the same current suv/truck laws for the rear windows on sedans.

I’m pretty sure it’s 35%. That’s what’s on my car. I take it to the dealer for inspection though not sure if that makes a difference.

Because they are considered trucks, used for transporting cargo. Think about a work van, no rear windows at all, or a cube truck. No visibility into the rear of the cab. Since there exists a exemption for the trucks with no windows, all trucks get the same exemption. Pretty sure the law was written before 1/2 the vehicles on the road were SUVs.

There's a medical exemption if you really have a condition, talk to your doctor.

I have a medical exemption for my darker tint specifically for migraine glare. See a doctor for this. You get a certificate and window sticker.

As a Yankee, you will need to learn about the good ole boy network.