Window Tint Citations? How did you deal?

CoachKatie

CoachKatie

Addict
Feb 15, 2006
957
0
#1
Last night I got pulled over solely for my window tint. I knew it was illegal. It metered at 34% when the legal limit in Minnesota is 50%. It was my first time ever being pulled over and the officer wrote me out a $128 citation which was considered a "moving violation". I would have felt the citation was more justified if I had been going 11-15 mph over the speed limit because it comes with the same charges. The officer said something along the lines of, "You're the fifteenth one today I've gotten!" and I don't understand if this guy was just out on a powertrip to help save society by cracking down on window tint violators or what. I don't understand why I didn't just get a fix-it ticket. I paid $220 for my tint... now I have a $128 citation, removal of my tint is $100 and re-tint (50%) is another $169. Have any of you had experience with this type of situation? Do you think I should go to court and try to fight it? Another problem is next week I start my new job, Monday through Friday 8:30am - 5pm... and the "courts" are only open M-F 8am-3:30pm. I'm lost. Any advice from you ladies? :sad2:
 
#2
Oh dear - sounds very expensive!:blink:

We've got window tint on our car...we were told when it was fitted that we were only allowed to do the back passenger windows and back window for legal reasons.
However, when we looked in to it further, my OH (works for the police) discovered that it is actually legal to have tint the whole way round the car (not the windscreen) as long as it's at the correct resolution, but the company who fitted ours insisted they were right...and refused to put any tint on the front.:blink:
So we've got a half tint car which looks kinda odd, but is a great sunscreen for my son!;)
The officer who dealt with you was most likely told to set up to do tint pulling for the night - usually it's a boy-racer thing though!
 
#3
In Minnesota our laws on tinting are very funky. In a car, you can have 50% all the way around, except for the front windshield... but if you're in an SUV, van, or truck, the front two windows have to be 50% or lighter but the rear windows and rear windshield can be as dark as you'd like. That really puzzles me. You can see through my tint, and you can do a lot more sketchy things in an SUV or van than you can in my little Sunfire. Lol
 
#4
It's really weird that that officer gave you a moving violation for the tint. We're you speeding too? Maybe they were cracking down on tint violators at that time. My DH and I have gotten 2 tickets for our two cars since we've had them tinted. But both had been fix it tickets. We didn't take the tint off but just paid the bail. It's usually less than $200. We've been really careful now and lower the windows when driving by cops. We're in CA and there are more of me out there.
 
#6
Pnay71 said:
It's really weird that that officer gave you a moving violation for the tint. We're you speeding too? Maybe they were cracking down on tint violators at that time. My DH and I have gotten 2 tickets for our two cars since we've had them tinted. But both had been fix it tickets. We didn't take the tint off but just paid the bail. It's usually less than $200. We've been really careful now and lower the windows when driving by cops. We're in CA and there are more of me out there.
Click to expand...

I was not speeding. I pulled out of a parking lot to a stoplight... the light turned green (he was behind me in an unmarked car) I made my left-hand turn and he flicked on his lights. I've driven next to cops, in front of, and behind... I even know a few! I've NEVER had a problem. I wasn't snotty or anything to him, if anyone was snotty... it was him! He put the meter on my window and was like, "Can you read that number?! It says 34%! That's illegal!" It sucks because it's a moving violation and with one more my insurance will sky rocket.
 
#8
organic said:
i suppose you could try to fight, but it doesn't seem like you'll win.
Click to expand...

See, I have NO problem with the fine... what I have a problem with is it's a moving violation? Moving Violations are for people who speed, run red lights, fail to yield, or fail to yield to a pedestrian... all of which I was not guilty of doing...
 
#9
I think you may be able to fight this one because it really shouldn't be a moving violation. Maybe you can talk to cops you know and find out what they think. Cops here don't even use meters. They just tell you to roll up your window and then decide if it's too dark or not.
 
#10
Pnay71 said:
I think you may be able to fight this one because it really shouldn't be a moving violation. Maybe you can talk to cops you know and find out what they think. Cops here don't even use meters. They just tell you to roll up your window and then decide if it's too dark or not.
Click to expand...

You're lucky. Here they have a fancy little meter they slip over your window and it reads the amount of light that passes through. I really want to fight it, but the crappy part is... I start my new job next week (you have to wait ten business days to take it to court) and I work M-F during the hours that the hearing officers are available.
 
#11
BF got pulled over for his tint once in PA but he's not from PA so they let him go. His brother have uber dark tints. Got pulled over various times. Removed them each time and brought it over to get verfied and the tints go back on. He's done this a couple of times over the past 5 years. It's the only way to have tints.
 
#13
if his car was completely unmarked, he shouldn't have legally been able to pull you over, you might want to check the local laws on that. also check to see what constitutes a moving violation. if both of those aspects are legit, i wouldn't fight it, he caught ya.
 
#14
amanda said:
if his car was completely unmarked, he shouldn't have legally been able to pull you over, you might want to check the local laws on that. also check to see what constitutes a moving violation. if both of those aspects are legit, i wouldn't fight it, he caught ya.
Click to expand...
as far as I know, unmarked cars can pull anyone over in their own jurisdiction in every state. If he was off duty, that would be a different story. I was pulled over one night for speeding by an officer in his cruiser, in his flannel pj's. The court threw it out immediatly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back