sleeperI35

Ok I am sick of being pulled over for tint in NYS. I have 0 points on my license and adhere to basically all of the traffic laws in NYS and NYC. I hope this enlightens you all who live in NYS, and hopefully you don't start throwing this law around alot. I started researching what EXACTLY the law said about tint here in the city. I have 35% ALL AROUND THE CAR. (Including the front windshield) My father was a police officer here in the city for 32 years and NEVER wrote a traffic ticket in his life. He was too busy locking up robbery thugs and rapists unlike the money making political BS cops we have nowadays. I was driving through the cash lane on my way to work Tuesday morning, going through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, and the TOLL PATROL basically JUMPED in front of my car with his hands up and told me to stop. The guy started repremanding me about having front windshield tint on and asked me if I had a doctor's note... Basically I turned to him and said "doctor's note, what am I in school?" the look on his face was amazing. He never expected it. I basically told him to either write me the ticket or move from the front of my car so I could pass. He said "ok this time I will let you go, but if the tint is not removed and I see you again, I will write you a ticket for every window you have on this car including the small back windows" Yeah OK..I knew something was wrong and drove off. I had a minute downtime here at work today and looked this up...
Answer
Section 375 (12-a) of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law does not allow a windshield or front side windows that are dark. The windshield and front side windows cannot block more than 30% of the light. Seventy percent or more of the light from the outside must pass through the window. This law also applies to the rear window unless the vehicle has outside rear-view mirrors on both sides. The mirrors must give the driver a full and clear view behind the vehicle.
If the vehicle is classified as a station wagon, sedan, hardtop, coupe, hatchback or convertible, the rear side windows must also allow at least seventy percent of light from the outside to pass through the window.

It is illegal to sell, offer for sale, or install glass that does not comply with this law. It is illegal to operate a vehicle with glass that does not comply with this law.

If a medical condition requires a person to have tinted vehicle windows, they can request an exemption from the law. Request form MV-80W from a DMV Office or Call Center.

The text of this law is attached below under "File Attachments".



File Attachments
• tintlaw.rtf


Related Answers
• Get the History of a Vehicle
• How to Get the Insurance Information for a Vehicle that Was in a Collision
• A Registration and a Title Certificate for an Imported Vehicle
• I Did Not Receive My Registration Documents or My Vehicle Plates
• Partial Refund of 8-Year Driver License Fee


Back to Search Results

NOW may I ask you what in the hell is illegal about the tinted windshield?? in my eyes, The 35% is MORE than 70% light in the car and is good enough. Hope this helps anyone out there getting harrased with 35% tint.

Lovemycar

i have 20% tent on my max and it's so bark on a cloudy day you can'y even
see in my car and i've never been stop worcester MA and the law is 23

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

i think the way they're referring to it, 35% means that 35% of the light is blocked, so only 65% of the light comes through the window. but i think when most people give a %, it means the amount of light that comes through the window. for example when i went to get my car done, the guys said they were putting 5% on the back and 35% on the front. i actually regret the 5% now, and wish i had put 20% instead, b/c i can barely see **** at night out the rear, especially in bad weather.

00maxipad

iTrader: (1)

I'm alll for tint...but sometimes I can see why they have limits..I have 5% all around and 15 ON THE WINDSHIELD its dark as hell n in low light situations I can barely see out my windows...but its also for the officers safety so they can see u wen pull u ova...

Nomad

iTrader: (5)

This is hella dark. How do you drive on rainy days?

00maxipad

iTrader: (1)

when they say like 35% it means only 35% of light actually gets through the tint into car...so lower number = darker... ur tint 99% of the time will be 1 or 2% darker than what u get due to factory tint on all cars so 35= 34 or 33...some tint info for yall

Nomad

iTrader: (5)

Shiet 15% in front and you complaining about low visibility?

sleeperI35

LOL I see that this is a hot topic. MA is 23% law? Dammmmnnn Thats dark all round especially if you have a dark interior. I figured 35% was good enough for me, and you can see how dark it looks. Not that bad during the day but at night all around makes a difference.

00maxipad

iTrader: (1)

I don't complain it is my choice...it does suck...its on the sides where I complain I have to roll the windows down to back up sometimes...o well ....

00maxipad

iTrader: (1)

o yes mass law isn't 23 its 35...23 is an odd number wouldn't u say...u can't get 23 any where..lol...

UGAd13

The tint laws are put in place for the safety of the officers as well as others on the road. If you have dark tint on your car you can't see s#!t, and the officers can't see you. As far as the front windshield being tinted, the same applies. While 35% all around, including the windshield, doesn't seem like it is that dark by putting any tint on the big front windshield is allowing less light to enter your car making it appear that you have darker tint on all the other windows.

Also, I don't get where the "hahahahaha" comes from...b/c he didn't give you a ticket?

sleeperI35

No actually the Hahahah was because he didn't even know the law himself. he could have given me 6 tickets in total then let the judge throw it out. I am all for officer safety. Remember in my post..my father was a cop for 32 years before retiring. All of my family are police officers as well. 35% all around isn't that dark. I live in NYC and I was driving through the tunnel (Ummm the biggest terrorist target in NYC right now) I am merely stating the obvious here. The police officers up here nowadays are "power tripping" all of the younger drivers with quota's and such. If I am well within legal limits, why bother me to begin with???

00maxipad

iTrader: (1)

for u mass people also the ticket they can give u is 250 per window in violation so be aware...I have had many cops suggest the can do that to me..but knock on wood have not yet...

sleeperI35

Damn 250 a ticket?? ours luckily is only 120 for each ticket X5 or 6 whichever...

MaxedOut

iTrader: (4)

umass/mass police are the reason my front are 35% and the rear is 20%.. my interior is so light tho.. u cant tell its that dark..

some days i wish i went lower.. maybe i should do the windhsield also.. to make it seem alittle darker

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

Ha ha, You have the law all backwards. 35% means it LETS IN 35%, not it blocks out 35%. You are in violation by 35%. Not only could he give you a ticket, but they sure as hell would stand up in court. Now he may have been harrasing you, but you are still in the wrong.

hogey228

the lower the % = the darker the tint

it's the percent of light that comes through, not blocked

sleeperI35

I dont have it backwards tint is measured in %BLOCKED not let in...(well at least thats how its measured by the person who put my tint on) He can't give me a ticket, (well like I said he COULD) but it would not hold up. Regardless of the dispute, maybe I presented it wrong.

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

I just looked up the deffinition and laws that several states define...

Percentage Numbers represent amount of light transmission.
Example : 35% means 35% light transmission.
Also known as VLT or Visible Light Transmission.
Film - Amount of light that is required to pass through window film.
Example : 35% Film means that the film must pass through at least 35% visible light.

Don't get me wrong, I dont care what tint you have on your car, I just hope you truly understand the law, and not your own mixed interperatation of it. Some states use a special card to measure visable light, others are now switching to an electric light meter which is much more accurate.

5thgenmaxima

iTrader: (1)

1.) This thread sucks and I would have wrote your **** a ticket just for acting like a punk and not respecting his authority.

2.)35% is a lot less than 70%

3.) Glass automatically stops some light. IIRC, glass is tinted from the factory between 75-95%...Ever try to look at the sun outside. Then get in your car and look at the sun thru your stock windshield. It isn't near as hurting on the eyes.. In some cars even adding 80-85% tint on the front windshield could be considered illegal if the stock window already stopped 15-20% of the light.

MacAlert

iTrader: (1)

$120?! The last 2 times I got pulled over for tints I only paid $30+$30 surcharge=$60.

RocketMAX

iTrader: (1)

Just roll down the windows when they pull you over

nasalcedo03

Yea, sleeper you have it completely wrong. I think this is the first time I've seen it on these forums (lots of people on other forums were backwards like you).

The percent that tint is rate refers to the VLT or Visible Light Transmission level (the amount of light that passes through). The LOWER the number, the darker it is. 5% is commonly referred to as 'limo tint' because it is so dark.

If the law states that you are allowed to block only 30%, that means a VLT of 70%. You have 35% which means you are TWICE as dark as is legal. Now if your tint was really 35% light blocked (65% VLT, as you mistakenly say), you would barely be able to tell the car was tinted at all.

sleeperI35

TO 5th gen Max,
PUH LEASE.
Don't respect his authority??? He was a Transit Cop for gods sake.. What authority???? I see you don't live ANYWHERE NEAR NY, which is who I was directing the post towards. Maybe IA cops are "nicer" but the police here are on a power trip most of the time. They tag younger guys driving nice cars for money making "scams" that only bring $ to the city. (As if we don't pay enough taxes) As far ast he police being "scared to approach the vehicle" seriously if pulled over I roll down my window immediately. Usaully pulled over for no seat belt which they wind up letting me go anyway (because it's not that much of a ticket) I am not a depressed kid that uses daddy's pull here to get out of tickets. What I do wrong I pay for. Just to ask a dumb question...do YOU have tint on your windows??? Have you gotten any equipment violations before???