Minnesota Window Tint Law

[M51AB]

I’m having window tint put on my E39 this Saturday and wanted to know if anyone has opinions on the matter. I know Minnesota law requires 50% of light to get through, which isn’t a very dark tint. The salesman said he has 35% on the sides and 20% on the back of his car and never had problems. I looked at his car and you could clearly see if anyone was in the car, and that’s what cops are most concerned about.

You can see the regulations for all states by clicking on the link below:

http://www.iwfa.com/iwfa/Law_Chart/S...aw%20Chart.htm

If anyone out there has been pulled over in Minnesota for having 35% of less tinted windows, post a reply.

[///M3Turbo]

Haven't been pulled over in my M3 yet, which has 35% tint all around. I usually avoid driving by cops and if I do, I just roll down my front windows. Keeping my fingers crossed. I've been pulled over in my old Durango 20% tint but I just told the ref that I took the tint off already and he just dropped the ticket.

[jackgerhart]

I just got pulled over a second time in two weeks. I was out of town last week and hadn't had a chance to fix things. I understand there is some sort of chauffer's license that might allow for tinted windows?

[Dinan S3]

optomitrists (spelling?) can write you a perscription for tinted windows....just say your super sensitive to light and it gives you headaches.......im using the fact i had Lasik done to get mine.....plus i have an in at the office hehe

[The_Stig]

I've got 35% on the E36 and have never had any problems with it. When I got them tinted for the first time, I said I wanted the darkest legal tint. He said that 35% is illegal, but it's the darkest you can do without getting noticed. And it's worked out so far...

[MNgraugruen]

Ive got 30%. Ive got a ticket for it recently and it read 27% on the meter. I am keeping it that way. It is worth the price of a ticket every now and then. The color of interior and amount of daylight, if sunroof open, all can make it look lighter or darker.

[GEN3RIC]

This has been discussed a lot but there's no finding anything in that long ass thread I had 5 tickets before I ripped it off. It depends on the officer..trooper..sheriff..whatever. I had a sheriff after my ass for a whole week or so, pissing me off.

[Brandjas18]

I have 22% which I got when I lived in MI. I never had a problem in MI, but got pulled over here last summer. I was going the speed limit and a state cop pulled me over and used some sensor thing to test the light and of course it only let it 20% so he gave me a warning. Since last summer I havent had an issue, but if I did it over again I would do 35 or none.

[Reedo]

I just got pulled over a second time in two weeks. I was out of town last week and hadn't had a chance to fix things. I understand there is some sort of chauffer's license that might allow for tinted windows?

Yeah, you can classify your car as a limousine. The problem is that you'd have to get limo plates and your car would then be classified as a commercial vehicle. If your car becomes a commercial vehicle, you have to have special registration, safety checks, comply with certain regulations, and so forth. It's expensive and not very feasibly. Also, if you get caught driving after leaving the "19th Hole" or your favorite pub and you're over 0.04 BAC, you will get a DWI. State law is .08 BAC for normal motorists/motor vehicles, but only .04 BAC for commercial vehicles. For most people, that's one 22 oz schooner glass or beer from Buffalo Wild Wings. If you turn your vehicle into a limo, you'll probably get pulled over even more. Many police departments are trained in commercial vehicle inspection (CVI) and you're always subject to a safety inspection. You'd probably walk away with a couple hundred dollars in tickets, because CVI tickets are lucrative money-wise (and are paid by trucking companies/owners, not typically the drivers).

optomitrists (spelling?) can write you a perscription for tinted windows....just say your super sensitive to light and it gives you headaches.......im using the fact i had Lasik done to get mine.....plus i have an in at the office hehe

I had my optometrist tell me that whenever he gets asked to write a prescription for dark tint, he does it. He said that there is no medical way to tell if someone is truly sensitive to light or not, unless the person suffers from albinism (they're an albino). He said that basically, optometrists write the prescriptions as a way to cover their own asses from being sued. That's the easiest way, and since most health insurances grant you one free eye exam per year, why not do it? Just say that the light bugs you when you're driving in the morning to work or something.



As for tint enforcement, you'll find that it's going to vary by jurisdiction. Most police don't care, but some will use it as a reason to stop you to see if they can find something else (DWI driver, marijuana, drug trafficking, warrants, suspended/revoked DL, etc.). Then there are others that simply don't like it and will tag you for it. It's all about where you are and who is doing it. Sometimes it depends on who is driving the car and what kind of car it is. A Honda Civic with an 18yo driver is far more likely to get a tint ticket than a 50yo guy driving an M5. The police need a reason for the stop, and tint is an easy one. Most people who get off w/ warnings don't realize that the purpose of the stop wasn't the tint. They take it way too personally when they really shouldn't. If you watch COPS or other shows you'll see how much stuff the police get from traffic stops.

[GEN3RIC]

I always appreciate it when Andy posts.

[josephb983]

Cool to know. I don't like giving police an excuse to pull me over though. I double check all my light bulbs are ok before going downtown on weekends (been pulled over a couple times for those in the past). Even if they don't find anything it is a hassle.

[Reedo]

Cool to know. I don't like giving police an excuse to pull me over though. I double check all my light bulbs are ok before going downtown on weekends (been pulled over a couple times for those in the past). Even if they don't find anything it is a hassle.

That's just good driving etiquette. It helps to have everything on your vehicle working properly because, frankly, Minnesota drivers suck and that's one less thing that could cause someone to hit your car.

[MNgraugruen]

Dumb question but- why do trucks/suvs come from the factory with dark tint and cars cant?

[The_Stig]

Dumb question but- why do trucks/suvs come from the factory with dark tint and cars cant?

Sometimes it's an option, but thats because you can't tint the front windows on a truck. I guess that applies to cars as well. IDK for certain, but that's just what I remember hearing.

[Dinan S3]

you can tint the rear windows on a SUV or a Van as dark as you want

[josephb983]

Hmm, that is wierd... never really thought about it, but that is true. Limo tint on SUV rear windows is A-OK, but not on cars...?

[josephb983]

That's just good driving etiquette. It helps to have everything on your vehicle working properly because, frankly, Minnesota drivers suck and that's one less thing that could cause someone to hit your car.

Yeah, I like how my 5 series tells me when a bulb burns out. Left headlight went out the other evening, I quickly switched to fog lights, and shut off the headlights.

[Reedo]

The law regarding the tint on SUVs, trucks, and Vans is based more on cargo privacy and such. You can't tint the windshield at all, and the front side windows can be up to 50% tint. The rest of the car can be as much as you want. For cars, you're not allowed anything more than 50% on any window, and no tint on the windshield.
It's probably one of the most arbitrary and stupid motor vehicle equipment laws on the books, but that's what it is.

[Dinan S3]

how come cops can tint their back windows?

[Reedo]

For privacy of the occupants inside. Also, for unmarked cars to look less like a squad car.

[josephb983]

The law regarding the tint on SUVs, trucks, and Vans is based more on cargo privacy and such. You can't tint the windshield at all, and the front side windows can be up to 50% tint. The rest of the car can be as much as you want. For cars, you're not allowed anything more than 50% on any window, and no tint on the windshield.
It's probably one of the most arbitrary and stupid motor vehicle equipment laws on the books, but that's what it is.

You know, now that you mention it many cargo vans have no back windows, so it makes more sense... I haven't seen any windowless cars.

[MNsport528i]

I think my shop said 50% is the MN law (as mentioned above)...on their advice I had the front doors tinted 50% and the back doors and rear window 35%. My wife was pulled over in the car last summer and the officer tested only the front windows - which passed.

[FifthGear]

I think my shop said 50% is the MN law (as mentioned above)...on their advice I had the front doors tinted 50% and the back doors and rear window 35%. My wife was pulled over in the car last summer and the officer tested only the front windows - which passed.

Here is the exact change they just made to the tint laws ( i just got pulled over for it about 30mins ago)

CHAPTER 186--H.F.No. 2602

An act
relating to public safety; exempting police vehicles from window glazing
restrictions;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 169.71, subdivision 4.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 169.71, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
Subd. 4. Glazing material; prohibitions and exceptions. (a) No person shall drive
or operate any motor vehicle required to be registered in the state of Minnesota upon any
street or highway under the following conditions:
(1) when the windshield is composed of, covered by, or treated with any material
which has the effect of making the windshield more reflective or in any other way reducing
light transmittance through the windshield;
(2) when any window on the vehicle is composed of, covered by, or treated with any
material that has a highly reflective or mirrored appearance;
(3) when any side window or rear window is composed of or treated with any
material so as to obstruct or substantially reduce the driver's clear view through the
window or has a light transmittance of less than 50 percent plus or minus three percent in
the visible light range or a luminous reflectance of more than 20 percent plus or minus
three percent; or
(4) when any material has been applied after August 1, 1985, to any motor vehicle
window without an accompanying permanent marking which indicates the percent of
transmittance and the percent of reflectance afforded by the material. The marking must
be in a manner so as not to obscure vision and be readable when installed on the vehicle.
(b) This subdivision does not apply to glazing materials which:
(1) have not been modified since the original installation, nor to original replacement
windows and windshields, that were originally installed or replaced in conformance with
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205;
(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; or
(3) are applied to:
(i) the rear windows of a pickup truck as defined in section 168.011, subdivision 29;
(ii) the rear windows or the side windows on either side behind the driver's seat of a
van as defined in section 168.011, subdivision 28;
(iii) the side and rear windows of a vehicle used to transport human remains by a
funeral establishment holding a license under section 149A.50; or
(iv) the side and rear windows of a limousine as defined in section 168.011,
subdivision 35; or
(v) the side and rear windows of a police vehicle.
EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
Presented to the governor April 7, 2008
Signed by the governor April 10, 2008, 3:44 p.m.

[jreiman]

hey reedo, i just got a quick question... do you have the name, number and location of that optomitrist you went to?

[Reedo]

I don't remember the doctor's name off hand.
It was at the Park Nicollet Clinic at
15800 95th Ave. N., Maple Grove, MN - (952) 993-1440