Tinted Windows

[x635 4,066]

Just curious if any agencies aggresively enforce tinted windows, and how? I've heard in order for the case to stand in court, the cop must have a "Tint-O-Meter" type of device?

What is the tint law in NYS and CT?

Seems like I see a lot of people with tints so dark you can't even see into the car. I assume this puts LEO's at risk when stopping a vehicle?

[20Truck 7]

Croton On Hudson Police has ONE Officer writes a lot of tint violations. From what I have seen, he never has the tint meter with him. I have never had a problem anywhere else.

[OnTheWheel 43]

Definitly a heavy enforced issue. Big time officer's safety problem. You don't need a tint meter, if it ain't stock it ain't legal! Police cars are right about legal, 70%. There is a section requiring the operator to carry a "tint certificate" from DMV stating their tint is legal or they are excused or somthing, I never read it. There are no excuses. It's also a safety issue for the driver, they have limited sight visibility looking through some tints, they cant see pedestrians or other obstructions, especially in bad weather.

[BFD1054 1,552]

Seth, good topic & questions!

20Truck...about 6 years ago i was a passenger in my buddies car when he got pulled over for speeding in Croton. The P.O. goes through the regular v&t stuff and then asks us to roll up our windows. He gets a "tint-o-meter" out of his patrol car and checks the tint percentage and issues a summons for the speeding and tint. I thought it was kind of an a-hole thing to do to ask us to roll the windows up just to check it and write a summons, but the law is the law i guess. Funny thing is we were on our way to a Croton PD officers house to pick his daughter up because we used to car pool to school.

OnTheWheel...I have plenty of friends and relatives who are on the job and i have the utmost respect for LEO's. I totally agree that there should be laws regarding window tint percentages, if for no other reason than officer safety! Some cars out there are just outright rediculous!

With that being said, the windows on my truck, and any other vehicle i have owned, are tinted lol! I have an extended cab pickup and it came with factory tint on the back windows. I just recently had the front 2 windows tinted to match the rear. I do not know the exact percentage of the tint, but they are not that dark at all and i believe they are in the legal range. Anytime i have ever been stopped, i ALWAYS roll down both windows, place my hands on the steering wheel, turn on the light if at night and never move around as to make the LEO nervous. I am well aware that if the LEO wants to, he/she could possibly write me for the tint. That is why i always roll down the windows for safety and to make the LEO a bit more comfortable as they approach my vehicle. I would advise anyone else with tints to do the same.

Question for the LEO's on this forum, is what i described above good practice as a driver during a traffic stop?

[Oswegowind 17]

I believe that the V&T specifies 35%. Anything darker than that is really not needed. A person who breaks into cars for a living will break your windows faster cause he can't see what you have left out inside...And if you are worried about the sun light, get a pair of sunglasses. Law Enforcement should have the ability to ticket places that actually violate the law and tint behind the permitted level, as well as the vehicle owner. This is a definite officer safety issue, just ask P.O. Timoshenko!

I know that a few officers assigned to the YPD 1st Pct. do enforce this section regularly and they have the meter!

[OnTheWheel 43]

All that stuff works, it helps. Unless you shot off at the mouth, you would have just gotten one ticket, probably the tint if you were cool. But, to each his own!

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

HOW DARK CAN WINDOW TINT BE IN NEW YORK?

Darkness of tint is measured by Visible Light Transmission percentage (VLT%). In New York, this percentage refers to percentage of visible light allowed in through the combination of film and the window.

Windshield Non-reflective tint is allowed on the top 6 inches of the windshield.

Front Side Windows Must allow more than 70% of light in.

Back Side Windows Must allow more than 70% of light in.

Rear Window Any darkness can be used.

I have heard of some Prick Cops making a person pull the Tint off right where they were. Although I don't really care about tint on cars it gives you good probably cause to pull the car over.

[OnTheWheel 43]

© Any person required for medical reasons to be shielded from the

direct rays of the sun and/or any person operating a motor vehicle

belonging to such person or in which such person is an habitual

passenger shall be exempt from the provisions of subparagraphs one and

two of paragraph ( of this subdivision provided the commissioner has

granted an exemption and notice of such exemption is affixed to the

vehicle as directed by the commissioner. The applicant for such

exemption must provide a physician's statement with the reason for the

exemption, the name of the individual with a medically necessary

condition operating or transported in the vehicle, the specific

condition involved, and the minimum level of light transmission

required. The commissioner shall only authorize exemptions where the

medical condition certified by the physician is contained on a list of

medical conditions prepared by the commissioner of health pursuant to

subdivision sixteen of section two hundred six of the public health law.

If such such exemption is granted, the commissioner shall make a record

thereof and shall distribute a sufficiently noticeable sticker to the

applicant to be attached to any window so shielded or altered pursuant

to such exemption.

(d) The commissioner may test any window for a person who has been

charged with violating this subdivision. If such window is found to be

in conformity with this subdivision, a small label attesting to the

conformity shall be affixed to the window tested.

Heres the section for the "sticker" or tint certificate I was talking about. Never seen one.

And contrary to poplular belief, tint is not a correctable summons, people come in all the time with tickets from different jurisdictions and were apparently told by the Officer that they could correct w/in 24hrs and get a correction form for dismissal.

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

I believe years ago it was 35%. but it's 70% now. Just to give you an idea. The window (sides) coming out of the factory with just the tempered glass on the side is 74%. So add anything to it, and your not going to pass.

[JetPhoto 626]

Yea you have to call DMV in Albany and they will send the form to you. Once completed they will give you a sticker that must be place between the window and the tint to let officers know you have a permit.

I do know someone who was pulled over for window tint on the front windows, the state trooper forced him to remove it right there and also gave him a ticket.

(that was the only reason he got pulled over)

[Guest]

I believe CT regulates 35% on any window, that was at least the law in when i got my tints put on in 2005. I have never been stopped specifically for my tints which are 20%. A few times officers have asked what precent my tints were when i was pulled over for something else but i have never been stopped soley for the tints. I was pulled over on a few days ago in Stamford and the officer very politely informed me to consider correcting my tints because of the recent NYPD shooting in Brooklyn a few months ago... He was really cool about it warning me that the Stamford Police in particular have begun to crack down since the murder of that officer because the suspect shot the officer through the tinted window. The problem with tints though is that over time the tinting gets lighter over time. When my tint was put on, it was 20%.... 2 years later they are somewhere around 28%.

[JJB531 652]

Oneyed pretty much summed it up....

In a sedan, all four door windows have to allow 70% of light transmittance

SUV's and Vans, only the front driver and passenger windows have to meet the 70% light transmittance, the rear driver/passenger windows can be as dark as the night.

FYI, a police officer can issued a summons for each window that is tinted.... not uncommon for someone to get 2 or 4 window tint summonses... at 60 bucks a pop it adds up....

[RWC130 594]

Croton On Hudson Police has ONE Officer writes a lot of tint violations

LOL....... Had the pleasure of meeting him!

He let me go but was not happy with my tints.

Yes, they are ILLEGAL and I deserve a ticket if I get one but I don't like people

looking in my car.

As a courtesy to Police Officers if I am stopped day or night front windows go down

and hands on the wheel, if at night dome light on too.

RESPECT goes a long way!

[20Truck 7]

LOL....... Had the pleasure of meeting him!

He let me go but was not happy with my tints.

Yes, they are ILLEGAL and I deserve a ticket if I get one but I don't like people

looking in my car.

As a courtesy to Police Officers if I am stopped day or night front windows go down

and hands on the wheel, if at night dome light on too.

RESPECT goes a long way!

Maybe hes had a bad expierence related to it? He transfered to Croton On Hudson Police in 2001. I can't imagine why you wouldn't want people looking in your car...with all the buff stuff, your a pawn shop's dream! j/k

You are completely right, when I am pulled over, all windows go down, interior light goes on, and I tell the Officer what Im doing...every move I make. These days, it seems smart to forget to mention your fire & EMS related affiliations...especially in some parts of the county.

[20Truck 7]

20Truck...about 6 years ago i was a passenger in my buddies car when he got pulled over for speeding in Croton. The P.O. goes through the regular v&t stuff and then asks us to roll up our windows. He gets a "tint-o-meter" out of his patrol car and checks the tint percentage and issues a summons for the speeding and tint. I thought it was kind of an a-hole thing to do to ask us to roll the windows up just to check it and write a summons, but the law is the law i guess. Funny thing is we were on our way to a Croton PD officers house to pick his daughter up because we used to car pool to school.

Mike,

I have this friend, that got stopped by a certain angry Trooper 6-7 years ago, on a certain roadtrip, going to SUNY Cortland, who was quite angry about the distance it took him to catch up to a certain white shaging wagon.

Angry Troopers are never good, especially when your license is expired! Thank god for the "Pop's a pig card!" (old inside joke)

[JJB531 652]

I also heard through work that NYS may pass a law that when you take your car in for inspection, one of the tests is gointg to be the windows. Excessive tint = Failed Inspection

[jayhalsey 6]

QUOTE

© Any person required for medical reasons to be shielded from the

direct rays of the sun and/or any person operating a motor vehicle

belonging to such person or in which such person is an habitual

passenger shall be exempt from the provisions of subparagraphs one and

two of paragraph ( of this subdivision provided the commissioner has

granted an exemption and notice of such exemption is affixed to the

vehicle as directed by the commissioner. The applicant for such

exemption must provide a physician's statement with the reason for the

exemption, the name of the individual with a medically necessary

condition operating or transported in the vehicle, the specific

condition involved, and the minimum level of light transmission

required. The commissioner shall only authorize exemptions where the

medical condition certified by the physician is contained on a list of

medical conditions prepared by the commissioner of health pursuant to

subdivision sixteen of section two hundred six of the public health law.

If such such exemption is granted, the commissioner shall make a record

thereof and shall distribute a sufficiently noticeable sticker to the

applicant to be attached to any window so shielded or altered pursuant

to such exemption.

(d) The commissioner may test any window for a person who has been

charged with violating this subdivision. If such window is found to be

in conformity with this subdivision, a small label attesting to the

conformity shall be affixed to the window tested.

Heres the section for the "sticker" or tint certificate I was talking about. Never seen one.

And contrary to poplular belief, tint is not a correctable summons, people come in all the time with tickets from different jurisdictions and were apparently told by the Officer that they could correct w/in 24hrs and get a correction form for dismissal.

Wonder whats on the list?

Vampirism?

[Remember585 815]

Mike,

I have this friend, that got stopped by a certain angry Trooper 6-7 years ago, on a certain roadtrip, going to SUNY Cortland, who was quite angry about the distance it took him to catch up to a certain white shaging wagon.

Angry Troopers are never good, especially when your license is expired! Thank god for the "Pop's a pig card!" (old inside joke)

Man.....remember all the ruckus caused by that White Love Machine and a certain Green Shadow back then?! It's amazing we aren't reading EMTBravo from a jail cell!!!

[20Truck 7]

Man.....remember all the ruckus caused by that White Love Machine and a certain Green Shadow back then?! It's amazing we aren't reading EMTBravo from a jail cell!!!

Do they allow EMTBravo in jail?

[Guest]

HOW DARK CAN WINDOW TINT BE IN NEW YORK?

Darkness of tint is measured by Visible Light Transmission percentage (VLT%). In New York, this percentage refers to percentage of visible light allowed in through the combination of film and the window.

Windshield Non-reflective tint is allowed on the top 6 inches of the windshield.

Front Side Windows Must allow more than 70% of light in.

Back Side Windows Must allow more than 70% of light in.

Rear Window Any darkness can be used.

I have heard of some Prick Cops making a person pull the Tint off right where they were. Although I don't really care about tint on cars it gives you good probably cause to pull the car over.

i've heard of cops making you take the tints off ifo them, but i had a friend who was in the northern westchester area a few years ago and a town Cop (no dept names) ripped the car owners tints off! after that he gave him the ticket and let him go on his way. now i'm almost 100% sure the cop was in the wrong, am i right or was he allowed to do so.

[OnTheWheel 43]

i've heard of cops making you take the tints off ifo them, but i had a friend who was in the northern westchester area a few years ago and a town Cop (no dept names) ripped the car owners tints off! after that he gave him the ticket and let him go on his way. now i'm almost 100% sure the cop was in the wrong, am i right or was he allowed to do so.

Ive seen people attempt to take off tints, both on the scene and after the fact and there is nothing easy about it. they dont come off in one strip and tear into little pieces which require the remover to use a variety of razor blades and liquid concoctions to get the glue off. Maybe this is a job for "Mythbusters" but I think its a wives tale to have someone take it off on the side of the road, its virtually impossible, if you ask me, the Myth would be "BUSTED".

[JetPhoto 626]

RWC130 - As a courtesy to Police Officers if I am stopped day or night front windows go down

and hands on the wheel, if at night dome light on too.

RESPECT goes a long way!

20Truck - You are completely right, when I am pulled over, all windows go down, interior light goes on, and I tell the Officer what I'm doing...every move I make. These days, it seems smart to forget to mention your fire & EMS related affiliations...especially in some parts of the county.

I agree with both of you, I do the same thing (a little advice from a police officer friend of mine). As far as mentioning affiliations, I got vollie plates and a couple stickers on the windshield. If they say something to me about them, I answer them about it. I learned not to say anything else but yes sir, no sir unless asked otherwise.

[NYCOP 0]

I believe years ago it was 35%. but it's 70% now. Just to give you an idea. The window (sides) coming out of the factory with just the tempered glass on the side is 74%. So add anything to it, and your not going to pass.

This says it all. Also like said before ANY tint added after market is illegal.