Pulled over for tinted windows

That's false. Your tint must only be compliant to the state law in which your car is titled. Any ticket issued from another state you are traveling through or visiting (even if it's a bordering state) will not stand constitutional muster. It's like saying your motorcycle endorsement from one state isn't valid in another because your state doesn't test to the same standards to issue the endorsement.

While you might get pulled over for the tint, a ticket will be null and void if your tint is compliant with YOUR state law. If the officer can't verify state law (or can't tell if your tint exceeds any state law), he/she would be wrong to issue a citation.

As always, the officer can treat you via "felony stop" procedures if they can't see you well-enough to know what you are doing inside the car once you are stopped.

I'm pretty certain that's not so. VA allows more than 50% on front-side windows and rear and rear-side must block more than 65%.

Unless you mean 15% as in "blocks 85%."

 

The OP said 15-percent ATR.

I'll be honest.
I've never heard of that TLA (Three Letter Acronym) , but I inferred from the pictures of the car that we're talking about VLT, or Visible Light Transmission (Lower number is less light transmittance, thus darker tint.)

 

Just another reason why we left California and moved to Nevada.

 

Your wrong. You have to obey the state law. If we keep with your motorcycle example; if it's legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet in your state and you come to California on your bike you have to wear a helmet or you will get stopped and cited.

 

The answer is in between. Some states have reciprocal agreements about tint and others don't. In reciprocal states, if the tint is legal in your home state you won't get a ticket. But if the tint doesn't comply in your home state, you can get a ticket anywhere.

 

Not quite the same thing. Helmet laws are individual...to the person. A better comparison is that a car/bike in any other state does not need to be CA emissions-compliant to legally operate in CA and you can own a non-CA complaint car in CA if you owned it before moving into CA (of course, most cars are now 50-state compliant).

On motorcycles, it's like having an exhaust mod illegal in one state, but legal in your state. The most they might cite you for is violating a noise ordinance, but they can't cite you for an illegal exhaust system.

Tint is no different. Ftl said it best...most states have reciprocal agreements, and any cop wanting to make a fuss when he/she knows the law in your state says you're good is an idiot who shouldn't be on the job in the first place. There are bigger fish to fry out there.