Window tint in NY

You're allowed 70% on the side windows and any% on the back. 70% isn't much more than what comes with the car. The ticket, if issued, carries no points so you make the call.

 

I tinted my former 2004 all around, except the windshield at 70%. My wife 2008 is also tinted and never have a problem with the Law Enforcement. I'm planning to do the same in my PiP.

 

A couple of members here who live in New York have been cited for having tints on the front side windows so your hypothesis that you're less of a target for driving a Prius got thrown out of the window.

 

In WNY (Kenmore) you can add tint to the windshield as long as it is 6" or less and only at the top or bottom of the windshield. Why the bottom I have no idea............... I think this is seen more in big rigs.

The side windows have to allow for 70% light transmission to be legal, they come factory with a 15 to 20% tint already so have the installer check them with differing tints/colors.



I can tell you if you live in Kenmore, Buffalo, or Tonawanda they will target your tint no matter what car you are driving. I have been pulled over and ticketed twice in the Gen II for having side windows that measured 68% and 67%. I was just pulled over in Sep of this year with the Gen III for windows measuring 35% and 42% (I went much darker with the white car it looked cooler). Both cars had a 6” tint strip at the top for sun glare and back window tinting.



The only thing they are interested in is the side windows, at $75 for the front and $75 for the back each time the fines add up and is a revenue source for them as well as counts for the ticket quota(s). That is their only interest here is revenue. After paying these fines three times now in two cars I finally had the side window tint removed in the Gen III and bought better sun glasses.

I might add that all three times I was stopped for the window tint I was sitting at a red light with the cop facing me in the oncoming lane on the other side of the light.

 

I live in Rochester, NY and have always had tint on the side and back windows. Never on the front. Never got a ticket for the tint and never pulled over for the tint in over 20 years. I have always had the tint installed by a reputable shop and they advise me on what is legal and what is not. For my last vehicle, which wasn't a Prius, they matched the factory tint in the back which was quite dark.

I would recommend you go to a good tint shop and just ask them what's legal. Police will target you by the way you drive more than anything.

 

Was that the aggregated percentage? If so, their tint meter must've been way off on the conservative side as I can't believe they were perceptive enough to catch you with a non-existent clear 93.4% tint on top of Gen II's factory 72.8% front side windows (93.4% x 72.8% for an aggregate of 68%).

We already know it's illegal to have anything less than 70% on the front side windows in NY and they're already tinted 75% in the glass from factory. Unfortunately, NY isn't as forgiving as, say, California so you can't safely get away with a light tint.

 

It's a complete crapshoot. Wife's Sonata has all around tints for years with no trouble. I had mine on for 6 months. I drive a sky blue Prius in the slow lane going below speed limit but with the speed of traffic and was pulled over for having illegal front tint: 35%. I took off the tint. Paid the $25 fix-it ticket. And paid $10 for the cop to glance at my car for 2 seconds. Including the cost of the tint, that was $100 not well spent.

 

dyslexia again, that shoudl ahve said 86 and 76, measured with thier roadside meter

 

I did look on the DMV website and there is no limit to the tint on the rear window to the extent that you can block it completely. The only thing is if you go less than 70% you need side mirrors on your car. I suppose this is because some vehicles don't even have a rear window.

When I lived in Hawaii they would check window tint when they did your annual inspection. If it was too dark you would fail and be required to remove it. NY doesn't do this for some reason.

One thing I learned from a cop about being pulled over. After you stop, roll down your windows all the way and turn on your interior lights, especially at night. The cops don't like tint because they can't see in for hidden danger. They will feel more at ease and may give you a break or at least take their hand off their gun.

 

Window tint isn't considered a safety violation so NYS is not going to check that in an annual inspection.
They are only looking for two things: Smog and Safety (specifically: brake wear, tire wear, external lights out). In the last few years they also added a fail if your check engine light is on but that could (or could not) be due to a safety issue.

Tint is only an equipment violation like having a transparent license plate over your real plate. Cops don't like it because when they pull you over they cant see if you are doing something. In South Florida where tint is legal to a certain degree (still illegal to do limo tint and all that), they always wait for backup before they approach your car: 2 police cars for a traffic stop.

I have always had tint on my cars in NY. I have a 96sable with limo tint all around except for windshield (10% transparent). I had a 92 300zx that was like 15% transparent all around except windshield. I followed that same setup with my 08 prius and my 12 prius (coming from florida) has 30% transparent all around except for windshield.

I live in Nassau county NY, 30 miles from the city. I can say that in nearly 20 years, I have only received 1 ticket for tint on the sable and that was not a stand alone. I was going 83 in a 55 so that was the cause of the stop. Then I was issued equipment violation tickets to go along with the speeding ticket. Cops are not going to stop you for equipment alone. It is too much risk and paperwork for them to go through all the trouble when you can get the ticket dismissed in most cases if you just correct the violation and appear at the station in a few days. There are not license points associated with it and the fine (back for me was $50) but even now I do not think it is over $100. So even the value of the stop is too low to bother.

You can probably get away with this for a long time unless you piss a cop off and they reaaaaally want to get you or you do a moving violation and they are in a mood to load you up with everything they can.

 

If your only seeing one your driving too fast

 

maybe out there in the city, but in the rest of the state they don;t have much else to do and need the revenue.

 

window tinting state law