I have gotten pulled over three times and ticketed twice because of my window tint. All three times have been in St. Paul

Well, one would assume that you should a.) remove the illegal tint or b.)stop driving in St. Paul where they're notorious for enforcing the window tint laws.

Not driving in St. Paul is not an option as I live and work in downtown St. Paul

I was planning on changing my window tint out come fall when I was going to have the car in the body shop having some clean up work done to it anyway. I was just hoping to drive my truck for a month or so while the car is out of commission for paint, a new rear diff, window tint, a new trunk lid, plus some a/v work in the car.

The sad thing is I walk to work, and the only time I drive is when I am going out somewhere out of downtown, which has been a lot lately but its nuts, you would think I smoke a ton of pot with how paranoid I am getting about driving anywhere.

Not driving in St. Paul is not an option as I live and work in downtown St. Paul

I was planning on changing my window tint out come fall when I was going to have the car in the body shop having some clean up work done to it anyway. I was just hoping to drive my truck for a month or so while the car is out of commission for paint, a new rear diff, window tint, a new trunk lid, plus some a/v work in the car.

The sad thing is I walk to work, and the only time I drive is when I am going out somewhere out of downtown, which has been a lot lately but its nuts, you would think I smoke a ton of pot with how paranoid I am getting about driving anywhere.
Well, not to sound too cliche, but you gotta pay to play sometimes. You might try finding a doctor that will write you a prescription for darker car tint.

I got pulled over twice for window tint, both times I got warnings. I got the tint removed and had legal tint installed before I had to pay for that AND a ticket. Funny thing is, both times I got pulled over, the cop told me he wasn't going to pull me over until he noticed I wasn't running a front plate.

Does anyone ever fight it in court?

Does anyone ever fight it in court?
Typically not. It's a hard one to fight. There's not a whole lot you can say because the next step down from 50% tint is 35%, so you're not even going to be close with that +/- 3% exception. The only way that you could go about fighting it is if you went to the state supreme court and argued that it was unfair to allow SUVs to have dark windows past the B-pillar but not cars, and that's already been argued and lost I believe.
I'm just sayin...:D

I'm only wondering if anyone has tried to argue that their car falls under the states definition of a limo, which can be tinted as dark as you want. I just wanted to see if it works...

Subd. 35. Limousine. "Limousine" means a luxury passenger automobile that is not a van or
station wagon and has a seating capacity of not more than 12 persons, excluding the driver.

I wish I was paying for my playing, the kid I bought the car from had the windows tinted too dark in the first place. I never even thought about it until I got pulled over the first time.

I'm only wondering if anyone has tried to argue that their car falls under the states definition of a limo, which can be tinted as dark as you want. I just wanted to see if it works...

Subd. 35. Limousine. "Limousine" means a luxury passenger automobile that is not a van or
station wagon and has a seating capacity of not more than 12 persons, excluding the driver.
You would need to license the vehicle as a limousine and get LM plates. I think you also would need a personal license or certification from the Dept. of Commerce or some form of business endorsement if you're a "contractor" using your own vehicle. There are loopholes, but they're a pain in the ass. The problem is that if you decide to make your car a Limousine and get the LM plates, your car becomes a commercial vehicle and is subject to certain commercial vehicle laws. It would become a misdemeanor to possess a radar detector in the vehicle, DWI conviction would start at 0.04 BAC, and I'm drawing a blank on some of the others that might apply to you.

All in all, it'd just be easier and cheaper to shop around for an Ophthalmologist that would just write you an RX for darker than legal window tint.

All in all, it'd just be easier and cheaper to shop around for an Ophthalmologist that would just write you an RX for darker than legal window tint.

Wait you can do that?

Wait you can do that?
169.71 WINDSHIELD.
Subd. 4. Glazing material; prohibitions and exceptions.
(b) This subdivision does not apply to glazing materials which:
(2) are required to satisfy prescription or medical needs of the driver of the vehicle or a passenger if the driver or passenger is in possession of the prescription or a physician's statement
of medical need


There are plenty of eye doctors out there I'm sure that'll give you an RX for darker tint if you just say that the sun hurts your eyes when you wake up and drive to work or something... You may have to "shop around" but you'll probably find at least one.

I've been pulled over for speeding three times since my windows were tinted 35%, and the cops have never even mentioned the tint. As long as they can see in, you're fine. Just be smart and don't get dark tint. Hell I've seen cop cars that look like they have at least 30% tint all around.

You would need to license the vehicle as a limousine and get LM plates. I think you also would need a personal license or certification from the Dept. of Commerce or some form of business endorsement if you're a "contractor" using your own vehicle. There are loopholes, but they're a pain in the ass. The problem is that if you decide to make your car a Limousine and get the LM plates, your car becomes a commercial vehicle and is subject to certain commercial vehicle laws. It would become a misdemeanor to possess a radar detector in the vehicle, DWI conviction would start at 0.04 BAC, and I'm drawing a blank on some of the others that might apply to you.

All in all, it'd just be easier and cheaper to shop around for an Ophthalmologist that would just write you an RX for darker than legal window tint.

Yes exactly, but how is it then that people will just drive old limos as DD when its not a commercial vehicle? Just because you drive a limo you have to be considered a commercial entity?

Do the limos have standard license plates, or do they have a plate that reads " LM-xxxx " (x=numbers)?

Do the limos have standard license plates, or do they have a plate that reads " LM-xxxx " (x=numbers)?

i can't recall, but i think i have seen old limos with standard plates. I'm not sure if this can even be used as a valid arguement, i was just looking at a possibility.

i can't recall, but i think i have seen old limos with standard plates. I'm not sure if this can even be used as a valid arguement, i was just looking at a possibility.
If the limousine does not haev a license plate starting in "LM- ", then it's not legally registered as a limousine. You see lots of old people driving Lincoln Town Cars that aren't limos. The designation has nothing to do with the make and model of the car, but the registration and licensing of the vehicle.
I'm not saying don't go do it, but know that if you DO go and do it, there may be certain restrictions associated with it. The best way to get all the exact right information would be to contact the Dept. of Mptor Vehicles and perhaps the MN Dept. of Commerce.

I've had tint on my last 3 cars and never had a problem. I just keep my front windows down whenever I see a cop. I have 20% all around. I might change it to 35% soon when I put my black seats in.

Or you can go to your eye doctor and say your eyes are sensitive to the light and it hurts and gives you a headache when you drive so you got window tint and want a prescription for it. There is no test for light sensitivity on your eyes so they pretty much have to write it. I think I am going to go get one here shortly.

Or you can go to your eye doctor and say your eyes are sensitive to the light and it hurts and gives you a headache when you drive so you got window tint and want a prescription for it. There is no test for light sensitivity on your eyes so they pretty much have to write it. I think I am going to go get one here shortly.
If you do, you should post who the optometrist/ophthalmologist is on here for the rest of us. :D

call me an idiot, but if I were the court, I would counter than SUNGLASSES are legal and could be used by anyone claiming sensitive eyes, no?

Or maybe if the sensitivity to light is SO SEVERE, that sunglasses AND tint would be necessarily? Anyway, I see the statute specifically mentioning the doctor's note, so Im not debating whether its a valid "out" or not, just that the whole things is silly.....but then again, we're talking about the law.....

call me an idiot, but if I were the court, I would counter than SUNGLASSES are legal and could be used by anyone claiming sensitive eyes, no?

Or maybe if the sensitivity to light is SO SEVERE, that sunglasses AND tint would be necessarily? Anyway, I see the statute specifically mentioning the doctor's note, so Im not debating whether its a valid "out" or not, just that the whole things is silly.....but then again, we're talking about the law.....
There are lots of us that take up issue with many of MN's goofy laws.

My good friend has 20% on his GTI and has gotten pulled over a couple times for it. All he has to do is whip out the letter from his glove box and he is on his way. No questions asked!

Not that I EVER drink and drive, but it might be an issue if someone had a few drinks (even responsibly) and got pulled over JUST because of the tint, only to have an overzealous officer think he smelled alcohol, and lets just say the device's tolrrance ios +/- 1% and you register right at 0.08%).....thus ruining your life!

Not that I EVER drink and drive, but it might be an issue if someone had a few drinks (even responsibly) and got pulled over JUST because of the tint, only to have an overzealous officer think he smelled alcohol, and lets just say the device's tolerance is +/- 1% and you register right at 0.08%).....thus ruining your life!
If you went out knowing that you were going to drive home or just decided that you were going to drive and you get pulled over and blow a 0.08 BAC, you weren't drinking responsibly.

The PBT that you take in the field is not admissable in court, and it's much more accurate than +/- 1%. You would be taken to a jail or facility and given a test by the Intoxilyzer 5000 device, which is accurate to within approximately 0.001 % BAC. The only way to get the PBT accepted in court is to refuse the Intoxylizer, and refusing is a crime and is a violation of the Implied Consent agreement you entered into when you got your driver's license.

That being said, you don't have to be overzealous to smell alcohol in a vehicle or on a person. You could smell it on someone at 0.04 BAC if it's the right circumstances. I would hardly say that tint ruined your life if you get a 5th Degree DWI. What if you had been speeding, ran a red light, or had a headlight out? It's your own responsibility to conform to the MN vehicle laws (not that I'm saying you think otherwise :) ). If you don't, you're fair game. It's like wearing a mesh tank top or a pink shirt at a gay pride parade.

Most people are over the legal limit with two drinks in MN. I don't understand why people can't just sober cab it. Hell most the people I know don't drink outside of the general area they live in anyway. Over the last couple years a good number of them have taken to biking while drinking.

If you went out knowing that you were going to drive home or just decided that you were going to drive and you get pulled over and blow a 0.08 BAC, you weren't drinking responsibly.

The PBT that you take in the field is not admissable in court, and it's much more accurate than +/- 1%. You would be taken to a jail or facility and given a test by the Intoxilyzer 5000 device, which is accurate to within approximately 0.001 % BAC. The only way to get the PBT accepted in court is to refuse the Intoxylizer, and refusing is a crime and is a violation of the Implied Consent agreement you entered into when you got your driver's license.

That being said, you don't have to be overzealous to smell alcohol in a vehicle or on a person. You could smell it on someone at 0.04 BAC if it's the right circumstances. I would hardly say that tint ruined your life if you get a 5th Degree DWI. What if you had been speeding, ran a red light, or had a headlight out? It's your own responsibility to conform to the MN vehicle laws (not that I'm saying you think otherwise :) ). If you don't, you're fair game. It's like wearing a mesh tank top or a pink shirt at a gay pride parade.


You obviously know quite a but more about this than I do. While its really easy to say that "if you blow 0.08% your weren't drinking responsibly" most of the general public HAS NO IDEA what 0.08% represents, drink wise - and it will vary considerably from person to person based on weight, metabolism and rate of absorption (which is affected by food).

Anyway, all of this is obvious, and the real message is dont drink AT ALL if you're going to drive, cause you might be above the limit and not even realize it.... and as a related concept, why call undue attention to yourself from LE by simply having tint?