# A MD car ticketed driving through VA for having too dark window tinting. Enforceable?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 31, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606 "2016-08-31T22:00:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/1 "2016-08-31T22:00:04Z")
I’m getting different answers to this. Per the above example can Virginia enforce a ticket issued for too dark window tinting that is out of compliance with VA law but in compliance with MD law for a MD car passing through?
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/2 "2016-08-31T22:12:55Z")
Why not? The driver of the car is violating Virginia law.
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### Author:  [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/3 "2016-08-31T22:15:31Z")
Of course. Why wouldn’t Virginia laws be enforceable in Virginia?
Wait. Was the MD car on a flat-bed, or for some other reason not driving on Virginia roads, so you could argue that the safety laws in Virginia do not apply. You may have a loophole!
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### Author:  [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/4 "2016-08-31T22:20:14Z")
I’m not sure, but it s seems asinine that they could. How could you expect travelers to be aware of such laws?
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/5 "2016-08-31T22:26:45Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> Why not? The driver of the car is violating Virginia law.
[Maybe impermissible burden on interstate commerce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibb_v._Navajo_Freight_Lines,_Inc.).
If each state were free to regulate how much tinting you could have on your car, a driver couldn’t freely travel from state to state.
[I’m not saying this is how a court would rule, but it’s an argument.]
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### Author:  [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/6 "2016-08-31T22:38:08Z")
> [@obbn](#):
>
> I’m not sure, but it s seems asinine that they could. How could you expect travelers to be aware of such laws?
How do you expect travelers to be aware of the age of consent as they travel from state to state?
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### Author:  [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/7 "2016-08-31T22:51:07Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#):
>
> How do you expect travelers to be aware of the age of consent as they travel from state to state?
Excellent.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/8 "2016-08-31T22:53:46Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#):
>
> How do you expect travelers to be aware of the age of consent as they travel from state to state?
You can adjust your behavior accordingly, concerning age of consent. I don’t believe you can adjust the tint of your windows.
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### Author:  [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/9 "2016-08-31T23:07:16Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> You can adjust your behavior accordingly, concerning age of consent. I don’t believe you can adjust the tint of your windows.
True. But the question was how are travelers supposed to be aware of the laws in the states they travel through?
Travelers will encounter a lot of conflicting laws as they travel from state to state. Left turn on red is legal in Michigan, but I don’t think it is in neighboring Indiana. Triple trailer trucks are legal in Indiana, but not in neighboring Illinois. But as far as I know, the burden is on the traveler to make themselves aware of the law. Whether the law is an impermissible burden on interstate commerce is a separate question.
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/10 "2016-08-31T23:09:15Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> You can adjust your behavior accordingly, concerning age of consent. I don’t believe you can adjust the tint of your windows.
Virginia is not forcing you to drive your noncompliant car into the state.
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### Author:  [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/11 "2016-08-31T23:10:02Z")
You could drive through the state with your windows rolled down.
Or don’t pay the fine and never return to the state.
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### Author:  [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/12 "2016-08-31T23:58:06Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#):
>
> Or don’t pay the fine and never return to the state.
That seems like a good way to get your license suspended. There is a reciprocity agreement between most of the states, including both Maryland and Virginia, for things like this.
For example: [http://www.mva.maryland.gov/about-mva/info/26100/26100-61T.htm](http://www.mva.maryland.gov/about-mva/info/26100/26100-61T.htm)
> [@](#):
>
> When the Maryland MVA receives a non-compliance notice from another state, we send the driver the original out-of-state non-compliance notice and a Maryland MVA notice of suspension. The notice of suspension includes information about the out-of-state citation (ticket) and whom to contact to resolve the problem. The notice of suspension also includes a suspension date. On or before this suspension date, the driver must submit proof to the Maryland MVA that the problem has been resolved or face the suspension of his or her driving privileges in Maryland.
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/13 "2016-09-01T00:22:12Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> I’m getting different answers to this. Per the above example can Virginia enforce a ticket issued for too dark window tinting that is out of compliance with VA law but in compliance with MD law for a MD car passing through?
[According to this](http://tintlaws.com/), if I am reading what those percentages mean, MD is MORE strict than VA. So whoever ticketed you was mistaken about his interpretation of the law.
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### Author:  [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/14 "2016-09-01T00:42:44Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> [According to this](http://tintlaws.com/), if I am reading what those percentages mean, MD is MORE strict than VA. So whoever ticketed you was mistaken about his interpretation of the law.
I don’t think you are reading it correctly
> [@Maryland Window Tint Law](#):
>
> Front Side Windows Must allow more than 35% of light in.
> [@Virginia Window Tint Law](#):
>
> Front Side Windows Must allow more than 50% of light in.
%
Or, in other words, in MD, the tint can block 65% (or less) of the light. In Virginia, it can only block 50%.
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### Author:  [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/15 "2016-09-01T01:00:52Z")
IANAL, but I think “ignorance of the (local) law” has been considered an invalid defense since Roman times.
> **[Ignorantia juris non excusat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignorantia_juris_non_excusat)**
>
> In law, ignorantia juris non excusat (Latin for "ignorance of the law excuses not"), or ignorantia legis neminem excusat ("ignorance of law excuses no one"), is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content.
> European-law countries with a tradition of Roman law may also use an expression from Aristotle translated into Latin: nemo censetur ignorare legem ("nobody is thought to be ignorant of t...
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### Author:  [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/16 "2016-09-01T01:23:58Z")
IANAL, but it was always my understanding that a car had to comply with the laws where registered, and a driver with the laws where driving. Which makes sense. What about front plate states vs. no front plate states? What about inspection rules and frequency requirements? Antique plate rules?
It would be utterly impractical to enforce many of these rules across states.
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/17 "2016-09-01T02:34:31Z")
> [@OldOlds](#):
>
> IANAL, but it was always my understanding that a car had to comply with the laws where registered, and a driver with the laws where driving. Which makes sense. What about front plate states vs. no front plate states? What about inspection rules and frequency requirements? Antique plate rules?
>
> It would be utterly impractical to enforce many of these rules across states.
I think you are generally correct. Inspection requirements are a good example. I drove for years in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts with a vehicle that was registered in Louisiana with an expired inspection sticker. I got stopped several times and the police in New England would not touch the inspection sticker violation even though they always commented on it.
Like anything with U.S. state laws, I am sure there are going to be countless permutations that would tale a very specialized lawyer to work out. I am a little surprised that a vehicle that is completely legal in one state can be considered illegal in another, especially a neighboring state but the idea isn’t that extreme. There are countless things you can do as an owner/driver that suddenly become illegal as soon as you pass a state line.
Darkly tinted windows fall into the vehicle modification category and lots of those like loud exhaust pipes are legal in some states or even cities but not others.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/18 "2016-09-01T02:34:40Z")
> [@OldOlds](#):
>
> IANAL, but it was always my understanding that a car had to comply with the laws where registered, and a driver with the laws where driving. Which makes sense. What about front plate states vs. no front plate states? What about inspection rules and frequency requirements? Antique plate rules?
I believe the general rule between states is that the car must be properly registered in its’ home state. Especially for things like this, which are equipmentt regulations. But things like window tint are operational requirements, they relate to the safe operation of the vehicle on Virginia roads, which must follow VA rules. (Just like the 55 mi/hr speed limit in VA applies to all cars, even one from Wyoming where there is no speed limit.)
In reality, a VA officer would probably just issue a warning to an MD car for this (unless the driver had otherwise annoyed the officer). In fact, this isn’t normally an offense that triggers a traffic stop all on its own.
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/19 "2016-09-01T03:08:44Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> I believe the general rule between states is that the car must be properly registered in its’ home state. Especially for things like this, which are equipmentt regulations. But things like window tint are operational requirements, they relate to the safe operation of the vehicle on Virginia roads, which must follow VA rules. (Just like the 55 mi/hr speed limit in VA applies to all cars, even one from Wyoming where there is no speed limit.)
I can easily control my speed on any given road but I can’t change my equipment (window tinting) easily.
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### Author:  [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-md-car-ticketed-driving-through-va-for-having-too-dark-window-tinting-enforceable/764606/20 "2016-09-01T03:20:06Z")
> [@Spiderman](#):
>
> I can easily control my speed on any given road but I can’t change my equipment (window tinting) easily.
That’s your problem, not Virginia’s.
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