brewkp4

I know there has been a lot of talk about tinting , but I was wondering if someone could help me out. Does anyone know what the tinting laws are in CO? How about NC? I ask for both states because I live in CO and go to school in NC. If the two states have different tinting laws would I get a fine if I go with one and it is too dark for the other? Most likely I would go with the CO laws since my car is reg there, but would that hold up in NC? I dont know if that makes any sense but I bet you can kind understand what I am getting at. Thanks for all your help.

shaolin

iTrader: (2)

i know in CA you are not suppose to have any tint in the front..... but i find most of people tint anyway but lighter in front and darker in rear..

if you are a young young kid then the cop will get you just for the hell of it.

jlin101

http://www.tintdude.com/laws.html
I would think it goes with the state where the car is registered.

TimboIS

I don't think I would trust that site (tintdude.com). They are wrong for California. From the California Vehicle Code...

Transparent Materials

26708.5. (a) No person shall place, install, affix, or apply any transparent material upon the windshield, or side or rear windows, of any motor vehicle if the material alters the color or reduces the light transmittance of the windshield or side or rear windows, except as provided in subdivision (b), (c), or (d) of Section 26708.

(b) Tinted safety glass may be installed in a vehicle if (1) the glass complies with motor vehicle safety standards of the United States Department of Transportation for safety glazing materials, and (2) the glass is installed in a location permitted by those standards for the particular type of glass used.

I think the tint law applies to the state the car is currently being driven, not registered. I know people from AZ, where they allow dark tint, getting ticketed in other states with stricter tint laws.

cmusic

I live in KY and the legal limit is 35% on the front doors and as dark as you want on the rear sides and back if you have two side mirrors. In the area I live police generally overlook tint unless they pull you over for more serious offenses and want to add some more insult to injury. My last car I kept for 5 years with 5% tint all the way around and never had a problem, even with city, sherriff, and state police looking at my car. I have friends that have been driving for years with 2.5% on the sides and rear and 20% covering the entire windshield and never had a problem. Also we don't have state vehicle inspections unless you buy the car out of state and try to register it here.

I had a friend move to NC from KY a few years ago. He had 35% tint on his car. When he went to register his car in NC he had to take his car to a state inspection station (mandatory every two years I think) and was imediately failed. He had to remove the tint, that was legal in KY, and have the car re-inspected.

I have also had friends that have traveled to places where the cops are really bad, like Daytona Beach, FL during spring break, with KY legal tint and get tickets for having illegal tint according to their state laws.

BTW I think the windows on the IS are already tinted to 70%, which is the legal limit in many states. My IS's windows have a slight tint to them.

RA010324

I live in NC......the darkest you can get is something like 35%. I've already got my A4 tinted and I really wish we could do darker. I never understood why they put this restriction on people......are the cops to assume we're all criminals???? I'll have to snap some pics of ours so you can see how dark the darkest legal tint in NC looks on an S-Line

HokiPoki

simple google search...

35% NC

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver_serv...nspection.html
Window Tinting:
Vehicles with after-factory window tinting must pass the 35 percent visible light requirement during an annual vehicle safety inspection.
In addition to the annual safety inspection fee, there is a $10 charge for any vehicle that has an after-factory tint. If you have any questions about window tinting, contact your nearest DMV Enforcement Office, or call (919) 733-7872.

Not sure on if Colorado might be updated or if you can find it on the DMV website but here is a link.
27% CO
http://home.pcisys.net/~bpc/auto_law/tint/tint_co.html

It probably follows where the car is registered so you might be able to get by with the darker 27% in Colorado. Also remember that there is probably some tint already in the factory windows so if you add some tint on then make sure who ever does adds only to 35% or the 27% if you want to go extra dark.

I would go with 35% since it plenty dark and you might just get hassled by the man for no good reason.

I bought a used Mini Cooper S in Florida that already had about 30% tint on it. When I got back to NC I had to have the front windows redone at a lighter shade. I think the rest is at 30% or so but the inspection station let me pass after i spent $90 or so to get the front windows stripped and redone to 35%. It would have cost alot more to do the rest of the windows and the antenna and rear defrost might have been damaged.

BobsGX

As they say, "Guilty until Proven Innocent".

brewkp4

Just out of curiousity......how much does the normal fine cost for having illegal tints? Thanks for everyone that helped. I know that i could have done an easy/simple google search and I did do that. I just did not know whether I could trust some of the sites I went to because they all seemed inconsistent with one another. If I have my license and car reg in the state of CO I think i would be able to get by in NC while I am at school with CO tints- or at least talk my way out of the fine.....hopefully...

mcfly

When you're operating your vehicle in a state other than that which it's registered in, you're subject to that states laws. This doesn't just apply to your vehicle by the way... it's anything. It'd be like trying to break into a liquor store in MA on a Sunday and claiming that "well, in my state it's legal to buy liquor on Sundays, so I figured I'd help myself". Doesn't work.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Yep, 35% max for NC tint. Lexus glass (at least the ones I have) supposedly has something like 3% tint imbedded in it, so the tint shops use 32% tint.

You NC guys please check my signature for a meet in Charlotte next month

codex57

Actually, the tint dude is right. When you read a law, read ALL of it. You quoted a certain section of the CA vehicle code. That's all fine and good, but you left out the exception. Direct your attention to CA VC Sec. 26708(d) et all.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat if the following conditions are met:

(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.

(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS-14 glazing, as specified in that federal standard.

(3) The material is designed and manufactured to enhance the ability of the existing window glass to block the sun's harmful ultraviolet A rays.

(4) The driver has in his or her possession, or within the vehicle, a certificate signed by the installing company certifying that the windows with the material installed meet the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the installing company and the material's manufacturer by full name and street address, or, if the material was installed by the vehicle owner, a certificate signed by the material's manufacturer certifying that the windows with the material installed according to manufacturer's instructions meets the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the material's manufacturer by full name and street address.

(5) If the material described in this subdivision tears or bubbles, or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed or replaced.

WANT AN IS

tinting laws suck in IL! We can't have ANY tint on our driver and passenger front windows. I tinted 20% all around on my BMW 328is and after 6 tint tickets I had to take the tint off the front windows. BTW, there was no fine for the tint, but I had to go to court for each ticket!

brewkp4

I know this tint law thread is a little dated, but I found the info I was looking for. At this website I found that, at least for north carolina, there are exceptions to the tint laws: exception (10) " A window of a vehicle that is registered in another state and meets the requirements of the state in which it is registered."

I found this information at http://www.tintdude.com/ntoo.html

wawawa

So does that mean, as long as I have "a certificate signed by the installing company certifying that the windows with the material installed meet the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the installing company and the material's manufacturer by full name and street address" in my car, I can tint my front windows with 70% light transmittance legally in CA? This is different from what I heard from most people!!! But hey, this is better than no tinting at all !!! Thanks for the info !!!