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.