Bart McCoy had asked about Window Tint in another thread and I had just looked up tint earlier today as I wanted to get my Driver and Passenger doors done. My Durango has Privacy Tint already everywhere else so thats all I need. I was gonna post this here because tint does come up allot here and ther. One thing I read which may give us an edge is that FOR HIRE vehicles do not have to adhere to the 35% all the way around the car. I found this page which was put out by the Berwyn Heights, MD Police Dept addressing window tint and colored lighting per Maryland State Statutes. Here ya go:
1) TINTED WINDOWS -The 35% Window Tint Law in Maryland means that the TOTAL amount of light being transmitted
through the glass of a motor vehicle cannot be less than 35%. In other words, it doesn't make any difference what percentage
the actual window tinting film is rated at, you still cannot exceed 35% total Light Transmittance Value, or LTV for short.
The problem here is that many people purchase a window tint film that is rated at 35% and think it's automatically okay to put it
on their car windows. A 35% window film will guarantee you that your vehicle will be illegal, and here's why:
ALL vehicles come from the factory with a certain percentage of tinting incorporated into the glass. In most cases it blocks out
approximately 20% of the available light, which means that 80% is still passing through.
That is an LTV of 80%, and there's no problem there.
An after market window tint film rated at 35% means that the film allows 35% of the available light to
pass through, and blocks out 65%. (This is known as 35% LTV Film) And again, there's no problem with that.
Here's where the trouble begins. When you place a 35% window tint film over a vehicle window that is already blocking out
20% of the available light, you have now reduced the LTV to 28%, which is ILLEGAL! Why is it now 28%? Because you
started with a piece of glass that was already blocking out 20% of the available light, and you are now placing a
35% tinting material on a piece of glass that only had 80% availabe light to start with. (.35 x 80 = 28%)
That means you are now blocking out 72% of the available light, leaving only 28% to pass through.
You now have tinted windows with a 28% Light Transmittance Value,
and remember that the State of Maryland requires an LTV of at least 35%.
(Windows that are tinted darker than 35% are very obvious to police officers.)
We want you understand the law completely because there are many Window Tint Shops out there who are telling their
customers that a 35% window tint film placed on their vehicle glass is legal, which it isn't . (And you just saw why.)
Additionally, many shops will just tint your windows without even telling you what is, and what is not legal in Maryland.
Be forwarned that if you get stopped with illegally tinted windows, it's YOU that gets the $50.00 ticket, not the shop that installed it.
Plus you'll have the added cost of having it removed from your vehicle, which is probably as much as it was to have it put it on!
Why take the chance? Read the actual law below regarding tinted windows in Maryland, before you have it done to your vehicle!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATE OF MARYLAND VEHICLE WINDOW TINT LAW
Section 22-406 of the Maryland Transportation Article
Class "A" Registered Vehicles #13-912 (Passenger Vehicles & Station Wagons) - May have add-on
(aftermarket) window tint on any window except the windshield, provided that the tinting material
allows a minimum of 35% light transmittance through the glass.
Class "B, E, & M" Registered Vehicles #13-913, 13-917 & 13-937 (For Hire Vehicles, Trucks & Multi-
Purpose Vehicles) - May have add-on (aftermarket) window tint on any window except the windshield,
provided that the tinting material on the windows to the immediate right and left of the driver allows a
minimum of 35% light transmittance through the glass.
The remaining windows have no percentage requirement.
* In addition, No tinted windows (no matter what the degree of light transmittance is)
may have a "mirrored," "reflective," or "one-way" effect.
Violations of the above laws subject the vehicle operator to a $50.00 Traffic Citation under Section 22-406 i1
of the Maryland Vehicle Law and/or a Safety Equipment Repair Order.
If a Safety Equipment Repair Order has been issued for a window tint violation, the problem must be corr-
ected and the vehicle re-inspected within 10 Days, by a member of the Maryland State Police Automotive
Equipment Safety Division. (A.S.E.D.) (Garages cannot certify vehicles for window tint violations.)
Members of the A.S.E.D. are available for vehicle inspections at the Largo MVA (Route 202 near Rt. 214)
on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, and the Beltsville MVA (Route 1 & Ammen-
dale Drive) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:30 am to 10:30 am.
1) TINTED WINDOWS -The 35% Window Tint Law in Maryland means that the TOTAL amount of light being transmitted
through the glass of a motor vehicle cannot be less than 35%. In other words, it doesn't make any difference what percentage
the actual window tinting film is rated at, you still cannot exceed 35% total Light Transmittance Value, or LTV for short.
The problem here is that many people purchase a window tint film that is rated at 35% and think it's automatically okay to put it
on their car windows. A 35% window film will guarantee you that your vehicle will be illegal, and here's why:
ALL vehicles come from the factory with a certain percentage of tinting incorporated into the glass. In most cases it blocks out
approximately 20% of the available light, which means that 80% is still passing through.
That is an LTV of 80%, and there's no problem there.
An after market window tint film rated at 35% means that the film allows 35% of the available light to
pass through, and blocks out 65%. (This is known as 35% LTV Film) And again, there's no problem with that.
Here's where the trouble begins. When you place a 35% window tint film over a vehicle window that is already blocking out
20% of the available light, you have now reduced the LTV to 28%, which is ILLEGAL! Why is it now 28%? Because you
started with a piece of glass that was already blocking out 20% of the available light, and you are now placing a
35% tinting material on a piece of glass that only had 80% availabe light to start with. (.35 x 80 = 28%)
That means you are now blocking out 72% of the available light, leaving only 28% to pass through.
You now have tinted windows with a 28% Light Transmittance Value,
and remember that the State of Maryland requires an LTV of at least 35%.
(Windows that are tinted darker than 35% are very obvious to police officers.)
We want you understand the law completely because there are many Window Tint Shops out there who are telling their
customers that a 35% window tint film placed on their vehicle glass is legal, which it isn't . (And you just saw why.)
Additionally, many shops will just tint your windows without even telling you what is, and what is not legal in Maryland.
Be forwarned that if you get stopped with illegally tinted windows, it's YOU that gets the $50.00 ticket, not the shop that installed it.
Plus you'll have the added cost of having it removed from your vehicle, which is probably as much as it was to have it put it on!
Why take the chance? Read the actual law below regarding tinted windows in Maryland, before you have it done to your vehicle!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATE OF MARYLAND VEHICLE WINDOW TINT LAW
Section 22-406 of the Maryland Transportation Article
Class "A" Registered Vehicles #13-912 (Passenger Vehicles & Station Wagons) - May have add-on
(aftermarket) window tint on any window except the windshield, provided that the tinting material
allows a minimum of 35% light transmittance through the glass.
Class "B, E, & M" Registered Vehicles #13-913, 13-917 & 13-937 (For Hire Vehicles, Trucks & Multi-
Purpose Vehicles) - May have add-on (aftermarket) window tint on any window except the windshield,
provided that the tinting material on the windows to the immediate right and left of the driver allows a
minimum of 35% light transmittance through the glass.
The remaining windows have no percentage requirement.
* In addition, No tinted windows (no matter what the degree of light transmittance is)
may have a "mirrored," "reflective," or "one-way" effect.
Violations of the above laws subject the vehicle operator to a $50.00 Traffic Citation under Section 22-406 i1
of the Maryland Vehicle Law and/or a Safety Equipment Repair Order.
If a Safety Equipment Repair Order has been issued for a window tint violation, the problem must be corr-
ected and the vehicle re-inspected within 10 Days, by a member of the Maryland State Police Automotive
Equipment Safety Division. (A.S.E.D.) (Garages cannot certify vehicles for window tint violations.)
Members of the A.S.E.D. are available for vehicle inspections at the Largo MVA (Route 202 near Rt. 214)
on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, and the Beltsville MVA (Route 1 & Ammen-
dale Drive) on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:30 am to 10:30 am.
