[Amini77]

I was on my way to work in the 818 area and noticed a cop behind me in the next lane over, I immediately opened my sun roof to let some light in the car so the tinted windows don't seem so dark since they're illegal in CA but it was sunset so it didn't help, also didn't want to roll them down because that would seem way to suspicious and he would have probably pulled me over to check them out. He pulls up behind me and turns his lights on and I roll the front windows down hopefully he doesn't notice.
So I get pulled over right across the street from work. Said my tags were expired I told him I just barely got my smog so they're still in the process of mailing my tags, first of all I don't see why he pulled me over for it because it's still November and don't I have til the end of the month to renew my tags? He then comes back with a fix it ticket also below that he wrote me up for my tinted windows they were rolled down and he didn't even check with the tint measure to see if they were illegal (legal limit is 35% in CA) or not. I didn't get a ticket, just a fix-it for my registration and a warning for my windows. And until December 28 to address the problems.

So I was wondering, what does the warning mean? Does it mean that I'm in the system and next time I get pulled over I'll get a ticket for the windows? Everywhere says the limit is 35% but he didn't bother to check..is this wrong? Also is there a way around it? Can I get a doctors note saying that I need tinted windows because my skin is sensitive to skin cancer? (kind of is, I'm fairly white and get lots of sun spots)
On the DMV website it says you need a surgeon or some type of doctors note which I can get, but is that all? It says that the tint/shade needs to be removed at night. Can I just tell them I'll roll the windows down at night? What does the warning mean
I was honestly considering going to the inspection office and during the day light, open the sun roof to let as much light shine in, turn on the interior lights, and tell them that this is 35% tint IF ALL ELSE FAILS..

Here is what it says on the DMV website:

(10) Sun screening devices meeting the requirements of Section 26708.2 installed on the side windows on either side of the vehicle’s front seat, if the driver or a passenger in the front seat has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed physician and surgeon certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a medical condition, or has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed optometrist certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a visual condition. The devices authorized by this paragraph shall not be used during darkness.

help guys, thank you. - Michael

[VTECaddict]

Legal limit is 70% VLT on the front windows and windshield. Not sure where you are getting 35% from.

[Amini77]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

Legal limit is 70% VLT on the front windows and windshield. Not sure where you are getting 35% from.

Are you saying 35% is too dark? Then people would be getting pulled over left and right, even factory tint is sometimes darker.

[Amini77]

Regardless..can anyone help with my other questions

[KwlAznKid]

lol i know you're probably mad at me still from the other thread but i thought i would give you my 2 cents since i've been in this situation before

i had a doctor's note (legitimate, real doctor everything) i took a fix it ticket to court thinking with the doctor's letter thinking i could use it, this is where the tricky part is. the note needs to EXACTLY SAY that you MUST have tint, (and i hear even if it says that it might not hold still). my note said something along the lines of something like he HIGHLY RECOMMENDS that I have tint on the front windows, that still didn't hold up in court and i was slapped with the ticket

now as for legality, what VTE is saying is correct, 70% is the darkest you can go in california for FRONT windows, back windows it doesn't matter and no cars (talking regular mass produced cars here) come with front tint darker than that

good luck

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/CA/

[VTECaddict]

Front windows basically cannot be tinted according to California law. Any glass behind the driver can be any darkness. So yes, everyone is driving around with illegal tint if they have any type of tint on the front windows.

Cops generally don't care unless they're super dark or they are already pulling you over for something and just want to tack on the tint ticket.

[KwlAznKid]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

Front windows basically cannot be tinted according to California law. Any glass behind the driver can be any darkness. So yes, everyone is driving around with illegal tint if they have any type of tint on the front windows.

Cops generally don't care unless they're super dark or they are already pulling you over for something and just want to tack on the tint ticket.

i always thought this too, but then i googled and it said 70% was okay, but i just checked the CHP site and yes you are correct here, NO TINT is the only way to go on the front and windshield

http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html

[VTECaddict]

70% net VLT is technically legal. The problem is automotive glass comes slightly tinted and has like 80% VLT by itself, so you would need like 90% tint to be legal.

[Amini77]

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

lol i know you're probably mad at me still from the other thread but i thought i would give you my 2 cents since i've been in this situation before

i had a doctor's note (legitimate, real doctor everything) i took a fix it ticket to court thinking with the doctor's letter thinking i could use it, this is where the tricky part is. the note needs to EXACTLY SAY that you MUST have tint, (and i hear even if it says that it might not hold still). my note said something along the lines of something like he HIGHLY RECOMMENDS that I have tint on the front windows, that still didn't hold up in court and i was slapped with the ticket

now as for legality, what VTE is saying is correct, 70% is the darkest you can go in california for FRONT windows, back windows it doesn't matter and no cars (talking regular mass produced cars here) come with front tint darker than that

good luck

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/CA/

Lol my bad I just get offended about my little n52 hahaha.

Okay so when they gave me a fix it ticket there was an address at the bottom where I have to get the car inspected for the tint. Is it a police station? court? inspection? What is it ? Do I just go there and show them my doctors/surgeon/physicians note that REQUIRES me to have tinted windows because of my skin sensitivity and proneness to skin cancer? Or take it to court? What should be written on the note?..literally I've gotten sun burned with no tint lol true story.

Also I don't understand why they gave you a ticket in court, couldn't you still meet the deadline of your fix-it before it became a ticket? is that like the consequence of taking it to court lol. And wow so everyone here in the valley is driving around with illegal tint -___-

[jvsxn]

I think there's a bit of confusion with the percentage. Some people view it as 30-35% being legal and others will look at it about 70%. Keep in mind it's the measurement of opacity -- the degree to which light is not allowed to travel through.

Edit: With it being a fix-it, you can take it to any officer, have them inspect it and sign off. There will still be a $20 or maybe it was $25 fee for the infraction.

[Amini77]

Sorry for bombarding you guys with questions lol but really need help and hopefully this thread will be useful to others lol but don't stop helping me out!! Can't afford to take this tint off

[jvsxn]

Originally Posted by Amini77

Sorry for bombarding you guys with questions lol but really need help and hopefully this thread will be useful to others lol but don't stop helping me out!! Can't afford to take this tint off

Pardon me for playing the devil's advocate but I'd say don't do it. Just find a chill cop to sign off on it like many have done in the past.

[Amini77]

Originally Posted by JT_Munkey

Pardon me for playing the devil's advocate but I'd say don't do it. Just find a chill cop to sign off on it like many have done in the past.

The problem is I don't know anyone that's a cop and don't think I can make a cop friend within the next few weeks lol I'm 18 too so doubt they would want to sign off a 18 year old kid driving a bmw :/ my manager was telling me the same but her sister is cop and she doesn't even work around here.

[jvsxn]

Originally Posted by Amini77

The problem is I don't know anyone that's a cop and don't think I can make a cop friend within the next few weeks lol I'm 18 too so doubt they would want to sign off a 18 year old kid driving a bmw :/ my manager was telling me the same but her sister is cop and she doesn't even work around here.

If all else fails, ask Facebook.

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by JT_Munkey

Pardon me for playing the devil's advocate but I'd say don't do it. Just find a chill cop to sign off on it like many have done in the past.

Then you'll get stopped again.....
It sounds like you are breaking the law so just remove it.

[ChasVS]

You've already spent more time trying to get out of this than it would take to remove the tint...

[Turb0Surge]

Lol. Dude i went through this on 3 of my cars. And a lot of the info here is false (at least for CA laws anyway.)

Here's the deal: You can tint the sh*t out of your back 3 windows. As dark as you want. However your front 3 MUST be untinted. Like 0%. If a cop pulls you over and sees ANY kind of film on your front windows you get a fix it ticket.


If you get a ticket for it (you did), just pull off the tint, get it signed off, pay the $25 correction fee, and tint it again if you wish. (no guarrantee you won't get pulled over again and have to repeat the steps. If you want to be safe, leave them untinted)

And there seems to be some confusion about this so I'll repeat it: You cannot have ANY percentage of tint on your front 3 windows (windshield and two front windows). 70%, 35%, 50%, 5%, whatever- it's illegal according to California's laws.

[upstatedoc]

[KwlAznKid]

Originally Posted by Amini77

Lol my bad I just get offended about my little n52 hahaha.

Okay so when they gave me a fix it ticket there was an address at the bottom where I have to get the car inspected for the tint. Is it a police station? court? inspection? What is it ? Do I just go there and show them my doctors/surgeon/physicians note that REQUIRES me to have tinted windows because of my skin sensitivity and proneness to skin cancer? Or take it to court? What should be written on the note?..literally I've gotten sun burned with no tint lol true story.

Also I don't understand why they gave you a ticket in court, couldn't you still meet the deadline of your fix-it before it became a ticket? is that like the consequence of taking it to court lol. And wow so everyone here in the valley is driving around with illegal tint -___-

when you get a fix it ticket you can take it to any cop to get it signed off, assuming you FIXED the problem (taken the tint off in this case), however if you decide to fight it, it'll have to be in court, a cop doesn't have the discretion to overturn another cop's fix it ticket nor will they. you have to get it signed off and pay the fee (when i did it i had to go to the courthouse to pay the fee, so that was annoying)

i didn't get a ticket in court, my bad if it sounded like that, what i meant was that my ticket was NOT dismissed even with my doctor's note, but this is all up to the judge like i said. the judge has the right to do whatever he/she decides is legal as far as the doctor's note goes, what i'm saying is don't assume a sure win even with a note. i don't believe this is a consequence for going to court to fight a fix it ticket, (this was MANY years ago when i was like 16) so i can't remember if i got slappd with a higher fee or anything.

[mike-y]

Originally Posted by Amini77

Can't afford to take this tint off

actually, removing the tints is free if you DIY. take them off, get your car signed off and be done with it. You can always tint them again later if you really want to.

[DevssrT]

Sounds to me like the cop was just looking for a "fill your quota" moment....

I went through a similar situation to yours here in NY...BUT I actually got written a ticket...luckily I am friends with the shop who did my tints...they wrote me up a work order saying the tints were removed...went to the court and presented the work order, ticket was dropped....

As for a warning with the exact date to get it fixed, I wouldn't worry about that too much....unless you see the cop constantly in your area...then you are S/O/L....

[Delusive]

Originally Posted by JT_Munkey

I think there's a bit of confusion with the percentage. Some people view it as 30-35% being legal and others will look at it about 70%. Keep in mind it's the measurement of opacity -- the degree to which light is not allowed to travel through.

Edit: With it being a fix-it, you can take it to any officer, have them inspect it and sign off. There will still be a $20 or maybe it was $25 fee for the infraction.

+1

Usually cops are cool with residents of their town like how they are here at my place, so try getting it signed off with a local cop first plus it's only $25 for a fix it ticket. Once you go pay for the fix it ticket and they see a cop signed it off in the back you won't even have to show evidence that you did correct your violation.