Tinted windows and state law

Factual Questions
1

I’m going to get my car windows tinted. Nevada allows you to block out 70% of the sunlight and given that your car gets up to about 5000 degrees in the summer, that sounds reasonable. But I also travel across the country sometimes with my car - and there are states I travel through which allow a lesser maximum tint.

So if I get it at 70%, and I drive through a state where the limit is 50%, could I then get tickets all day long?

It seems to me that there should be a law saying that the car is judged by whatever state the plates come from, but I have no idea if there’s anything like that. Does it vary by state, with some states allowing out-of-state cars to have greater tint if their home state allows it?

2

Let’s say some state has a 50% rule. Do cops in the field have a way to even measure that?

I doubt it would ever become an issue for you unless you were stopped for something else and the cop happened to notice that your tinting was stronger than allowed by law. Even then I think the fact the car is legally registered in your home state would get you off the hook… but I could be totally wrong about that.

3

Sure. At least here in Florida, every deputy has a tint meter in his cruiser. You roll the window down a bit, and slot the meter over the window to be tested; it shines a light through the glass, and a sensor on the other side tells you how much of the light is passing through.

4

Depends on the state and the law. Most states do not require out-of-state vehicles to comply with local law, as long as they are only in the state temporarily. However, in some cases- mostly safety-related- vehicles must be in compliance with local safety regulations. The federal constitution does not prohibit states from requiring out-of-state vehicles to comply with local law.

5

What is the law in Florida? I had my windows tinted when I lived in Florida then when I moved back to Maryland I got a ticket for it. (The law in Md., at least in 1989, was no aftermarket tinting was allowed.)

6

15.1% or more visible light transmission for the rear window and rear passenger windows, 28.1% or more for the driver and front passenger windows. Windshield can’t have any tinting below the AS-1 line (where the manufacturer’s visor tint ends).