Tint % question
 

I got a ticket recently in NYC for having my tints below the legal limit.

I did my research before getting them installed and thought my tints would be legal. Maybe I'm reading the scale backwards, but the officer put the tint reader and it read 31%. And for some reason in my head I thought, 'it should be legal as long as it's above 30' but the cop said it had to be ABOVE 70 by the cop.

I also asked the installer if the % I was getting installed was legal at the time and he said yes.

I'm pretty sure that 1 out of every 5 cars in NYC has tints darker than mine, so what's going on here? My friends said he was probably trying to meet his quota, which I think is BS 'cause that's like giving somebody a ticket for jaywalking in nyc. Anything I can do about this short of getting my tints removed... especially in the middle of summer?

Fight the ticket. If the legal limit is 30%, the cop can't give you a ticket for 31% unless he doesn't understand how tint percentages work. In either case, if you're sure the legal limit is 30% for front side windows, you can fight it and get away without paying for the ticket or getting your tint removed.

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Hate to burst your bubble:
http://www.tintlaws.com/

Looks like the cop is right if you go by the letter of the law. It is 70% for the side windows (rear is whatever you want). Which means tinting your windows is pretty useless if you want to be legal in NY.

My windows read 75% with the glass meter before the tint was installed so NY is allowed a very, very light amount of tint. Wow, if you think about it, 5% less light transmission than stock wou;d hardly be noticeable!

Go to your eye doctor and see if he will give you a notarized medical affidavit stating you need darker tint, I know it's a long shot but it may work. That is what I had to do, but my eyes are actually photo-phobic according to my Dr.

Yeah, I thought Minnesota was bad with our 50% law... I stayed at 50% for my sides and 35% for my rear. The cops here don't mess around. I got pulled over in my previous car but got off with just a warning (windows were 35%) because I had just moved here.

Dam that sucks, in colorado its 27 + or - 5%

Yes, you are reading the scale backwards. Tint is measured in visible light transmittance, meaning that 5% (referred to as "limo"), will allow 5% of visible light to pass through (don't forgot about the 99% UV protection as well!). In NY, the minimum is 70% VLT, so there is 30% light blocking. Unfortunately for you, the cop was correct in this case, his ****ishness for giving you a ticket for this right before temperatures are going to reach over 100 degrees aside. :mad0260:

Either your installer didn't know what he was talking about (doesn't seem likely if they knew what they were doing), or just flat out lied (I swear, it is legal...in New Mexico!). There are only 9 states where 30% or less is legal and NY isn't one of them. :(

That's just how the law works man. You could be going 85 next to someone who is doing 95 and there's a chance that you would be the one to get pulled over. Sometimes police officers, like any other group of people, will take the path of least resistance. :sigh:

The good news is that if you took it to a reputable shop they will remove the tint for free. Hell, they may even install the maximum available tint for you afterwards if they value their clients.

Good luck to you buddy!

That's the best thing to do, I did that with the 10% all around on my 2007 Mustang GT and I've never had any issues from law enforcement. I don't know if you have to have it notarized as medical prescriptions are usually good enough.

It's worth a shot IMO.

-Nick C.

Sorry to hear, I live on long Island. I read that the legal tint here is 75% (it might have been 70% but I thought I read 75%)
The lower the number the darker the tint. So 30% is a super no no. :(
fortunately for tints here its a fix it ticket.
I plan on getting 30% but thats because I like to live dangerously.. And the medicine I use for my yucky face acne shouldn't be in sunlight :/ *shrugs* ny fucking sucks

that mean's i've lived dangerously for a whole year. Pretty sure this ****wad of a cop was meeting his quota. Last day of the month too :bs:

I don't know about other states, but in Oregon it has to be a notarized affidavit. I had a prescription and I still got a fix it ticket, all I had to do was get the proper papers and they dropped it.

man, colorado seems super relaxed compared to these other states. I have had 20% on my car and been sitting right next to cops (mostly local pd) and they dont seem to mind. i even have a muffler delete and still have no issues. of course i dont gun it in the city or do anything that would be a danger.

I don't think the FRS/BRZ are really considered a cop magnet yet, like Mustangs and Camaros

-Nick C.

Alright, so I'm a little confused at this point.

I went to dmv.ny.gov to see what needed to be done except I get the message below saying that the traffic ticket is not in the DMV's files yet.

I recall the cop saying "I'm giving you a warning" but being that this is a fix-it ticket I wasn't really sure what that meant, so I asked the cop - "what happens now?" He replied with an attitude and said just "follow the directions in the back of the ticket. Everything is there and you have 15 days."

So in my head I'm thinking "so this is a warning?... but I have 15 days? do I need to pay a fine or just get the tints removed?" So I go on the website as the directions say in the back of the ticket, but the site says my tickets not there and I already double checked the information I entered. Now I'm at a loss of what needs to be done. Obviously I don't want to contact the DMV to have them 'file' the ticket, so maybe this way it can get lost in their system hopefully haha.

Anybody with more background knowledge care to provide some insight? Thanks

They never answer your questions about how to handle these tickets. It's pretty annoying, especially when you get a speeding ticket and ask where you can go for online traffic school to avoid having points added. Last ticket I got the officer was like, go online and find online traffic school. I was like where...? Idk just online he says lol

-Nick C.

Does it say you have to go to county court or a local municipality? If you have to go to a local municipality they usually can't be paid online in my experience

Got yanked over in Buffalo 3 times in 1 month with 35% tint (meaning 65% of light is blocked out).. All three cops told me I'll keep getting yanked with anything darker than factory stock tint (which is not very dark at all, of course).. Had the tints taken off after the 3rd time getting pulled over.

PA is exactly the same the windshield can't be tinted but all other windows can but they have to let 70% of light in.

no it doesn't say squat.. as of right now i'm not even sure if i have to remove it.

I remember the cop saying something like "I'm just giving you a warning, so just follow the directions on the back of the ticket, and pay the fine."

Warning and Fine do not go together. I'm still not sure what he gave me. It's definitely written on a real ticket though... that I would know lol

on the back I think theres a space that says something like respond to, or appear here, that will let you know

Ya thet can be pretty chill about it.

yea it says "tickets for equipment violations may only be dismissed if you mail a receipt for repair, showing that the repair was made within one business day of the violation" pfffttt one business day

but my point is my violation isn't even showing up in the DMV records

no not what I'm talking about, theres a space the officer wrote in what courtroom to appear in or something similar. That will tell you whether it'll show up/can be paid on dmv website for sure