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Knowing your rights: Window tint

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Lean L

Lean L

Diamond Member
Hypothetically, you get pulled over for a dark tint.

The cops don't have the right to demand to check your tint percentage without a warrant no?


Scenario 2: You park your car at the end of the street just close enough so that no part or your car is in the painted crosswalk. You leave your car there for a week and then they give you a ticket the 8th day. WTF? This is a meter maid patrolled area. Contest?
 
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Why wouldn't they have a right to check your tint without a warrant? Are they invading your privacy by doing so?

It's not like they're breaking and entering...
 
My mom's car's windows are tinted darkly. She was pulled over for it once, told it was a ticketable offense, and had to produce the aftermarket receipt indicating percentage tinting as well as a prescription from a dermatologist to avoid having to pay the ticket. I'm not a legal scholar, but I don't think warrants are ever required to simply issue a ticket, and then the onus is on you to contest it.

Of course you should contest the second scenario if it's worth the time and effort.
 
Scenario 9: You apply a 100% supereflective gold tint on your windshield. Can you still drive to Burger King for lunch?
 
Lean L said:
Hypothetically, you get pulled over for a dark tint.

The cops don't have the right to demand to check your tint percentage without a warrant no?


Scenario 2: You park your car at the end of the street just close enough so that no part or your car is in the painted crosswalk. You leave your car there for a week and then they give you a ticket the 8th day. WTF? This is a meter maid patrolled area. Contest?
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In Maryland if you get pulled over for illegal tint they write you a ticket, and either A) You pull it off yourself and goto a state police station or B) Goto the state police station and get it checked for percentage.

Problem is in Md is 35% which is a dang on joke
 
bignateyk said:
Why would they need a warrant to check your tint? Do they need a warrant to pull you over for speeding?
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Because it requires you to roll your windows down to a certain position. I think I've heard something like they need a warrant to check tint. I guess they can ticket you either way but if you don't let them check and were not speeding, you can probably get it revoked.
 
Lean L said:
Because it requires you to roll your windows down to a certain position. I think I've heard something like they need a warrant to check tint. I guess they can ticket you either way but if you don't let them check and were not speeding, you can probably get it revoked.
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You're required to roll your window down when issued a speeding ticket.
 
They just need your window cracked to check the tint.
You have to crack your window to talk to the officer when you get pulled over.

Scenario #2 - Good Luck. It's your word against theirs.
 
Down here, cops have a handheld device that they could check for the tint darkness.

They could give you a ticket and then you have to remove the tint if the tint was too dark, unless you have a doctor excuse.

<<---love to have dark tint all round in his black vehicle but couldn't.
 
'Reasonable suspicion' for a window tint ticket can be established just by looking at the car. From there a meter or an inspection order... straight up. You can try, but I doubt you'd get very far trying to fight it.

Same kind of thing for noise: If the cop can hear you before she can see you, your sh*t's too loud. (This, from experience with my motorcycles.)


Regarding the second: Good luck with that...
 
The second part of your question is yes they can ticket you for not moving your car in X number of days. That is usually a city ordinance and it does not need to be posted on the street.

My mom passed away and her car was left parked in the spot she always had parked. (no street sweeper day enforced no parking) She had parked in that same spot for over 30 years. However once they noticed the car wasn't being moved they counted the days and bam a ticket.😡
 
edro said:
They just need your window cracked to check the tint.
You have to crack your window to talk to the officer when you get pulled over.

Scenario #2 - Good Luck. It's your word against theirs.
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You can roll your windows all the way down so they can't check. You have to have the window pretty much at halfway for them to check. I don't think they can legally force you to do that without a warrant.
 
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If you want dark tint. Just get a doctor note, all it takes is suffering from "migraines" and glare is part of your trigger.

I have not done this and wouldn't but I see people do it all the time.
 
Cops can pull you over and cite you for any perceived violation of the law. Where it gets murky is search and seizure.

In California you can tint the rear window and the rear door glass as dark as you want, the driver and passenger doors and the windshield cannot be tinted at all. Still, many people do tint these windows but you can be pulled over for it and ticketed.

As for the car being parked there may be some local ordinance about leaving a vehicle parked in the same spot for more than 1 week.
 
If it's in plain sight, they don't need a warrant. i.e. if they see a beer bottle in your hand inside the vehicle, they don't need a warrant. I think it's pretty obvious that they can see the tint on your vehicle.

I'm rather amused that you made a thread about this. Are you trying to fight the man? Did he infringe upon your God given American rights?
 
DrPizza said:
If it's in plain sight, they don't need a warrant. i.e. if they see a beer bottle in your hand inside the vehicle, they don't need a warrant. I think it's pretty obvious that they can see the tint on your vehicle.

I'm rather amused that you made a thread about this. Are you trying to fight the man? Did he infringe upon your God given American rights?
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They'd see it subjectively.

Be amused. I've never gotten pulled for a window tint although there would be some government factions that would disappear overnight if I had my way.
 
Scenario 1024: Suppose you install a 72" plasma TV where your windshield is, and feed from a HD camera on the hood of your car?

Would they pull you over for that?
 
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Here is the justification:

States may differ, but just about universally - your state requires that any automobile driven upon the public highways in that state - be maintained in a safe, operable condition, having appropriate signal lights, and able to be driven without damaging property or persons.

Your window tint is visible from the outside. If your jurisdiction has regulations regarding the amount of permitted light transmission, any officer upon visual inspection has reasonable suspicion, and is therefore permitted to "chek yo tint".

Its just like if he's driving behind you and a tail light is out. He can inspect THAT and see that its broken and cite you.

Scenario 2: You park your car at the end of the street just close enough so that no part or your car is in the painted crosswalk. You leave your car there for a week and then they give you a ticket the 8th day. WTF? This is a meter maid patrolled area. Contest?
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Are you somehow implying that estoppel could apply?
 
I don't think they can legally force you to do that without a warrant.
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Sure they can. If you refuse, the offense becomes resisting arrest or tampering with evidence. In either case or even without an arrest they can simply impound the car and have it inspected in the impound lot. See "safe and reasonable operation" above.

Your recourse - petition the court for a redress of grievances to get your car back, and sue the police if no conviction was made.
 
OP you are a idiot.

no they don't need a warrant. They can see it standing outside enough to justify rolling down the window or whatever.

but hell fight it and piss off t he judge hehe
 
Lean L said:
They'd see it subjectively.

Be amused. I've never gotten pulled for a window tint although there would be some government factions that would disappear overnight if I had my way.
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Consider yourself lucky.

I've been pulled over for no front license plate and tinted headlight covers.
 
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