Troopers vow to shine legal light on unlawfully tinted windshields

The N.C. Highway Patrol is cracking down on window tint that exceeds the legal limit. Troopers have recently been issued new meters to check the tint percentage — some troopers had taken it upon themselves to purchase their own.

Trooper D. Hollars is one of the officers who had purchased his own. “Window tint is an officer safety issue. If the tint is too dark, we cannot see the occupants of the vehicle as we walk up onto the car,” Hollars said.

The meters are important to ensure an accurate reading of window tint opacity, he said.

In North Carolina, all windows in a passenger car must be at 35 percent opacity.

The windows behind the driver of a pick-up truck or sport utility vehicle may be darker.
There can be no tint on the windshield below the AS1 line — a small marker on the outside of the windshield. North Carolina does not allow reflective or colored window tint.

The 35-percent limit has been in effect for many years, though Hollars noted this has been a recent increase of dark window tint.

This violation can cost $170 and there is no warning ticket. A motorist may take the tint off the windows, request a highway patrol officer inspect the windows, and have the citation dismissed, Hollar said.

Hollars explained there are motorists who are unaware their windows exceed the limit, having purchased the vehicle already tinted. He explained some vehicle dealers will illegally tint the windows to make the vehicles more attractive. “It is your responsibility to ensure the legality of your vehicle,” Hollars said.

When shopping for window tint, Hollars recommends specifically stating the 35 percent.

It is not illegal to sell or place the darker tint, but as soon as a motorist pulls onto the roadway with dark windows, it becomes illegal.

Inspection stations should have a tint meter, and will check the windows in a vehicle. In fact, a vehicle will fail the state inspection if the tint in too dark.

There are repercussions for inspection stations that overlook window tint.

During the last few months of stricter law enforcement, there have been a few inspection stations to lose their license because of this issue. When a driver is issued a citation, the inspection sticker is also examined. The station is then reported to the division of motor vehicles.

“Beyond the safety of officers, window tint that is too dark allow impairs the visibility of the driver,” Hollars said.

There have been a few accidents caused by this visibility issue.

Hollars issues an average of 20 tint citations per week.

Note: As a policy, state troopers do not provide their first names to the media.