un4getable

Watch out for the Carlsbad PD in San Diego CA!

This post is mostly to vent. I got pulled over this morning just because of my tinted windows. I was getting off the 5 freeway at Palomar Airport Rd, there was cop sitting in a parking lot, saw me get off the freeway and pulled me over. I am so MAD about this. There are far better things for the police to be doing then pulling people over *just* for illegal tint.

Does anyone know if I can just pay the fix it ticket and leave my tint on? What happens if you get the tint put back on after you pay the violation and then get another fix it ticket?

jlukja

What % tint do you have?
A fix-it ticket means you have to take the tint off, and then have the police department sign-off to verify that the tint has been removed. I don't know what happens if you put it back on and then get cited again.

gvtsx

Tint on the front windows I assume... I would take it off. You get caught again and it might just piss off the judge. I don't know what they can do to you for a second offense on tint but it is possible the judge would slam you with the worst.

In CA I don't think their is a limit on the rear windows.

un4getable

I have 10% on the back windows and 15% on the front two. I had this same combo before on my Jetta and was pulled over 3 other times for speeding and the cop never said anything. My car is going to look awful with the nothing on the front two windows...

jlukja

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/CA/

Looks like you can only put 70% on the front side windows.

ri0tnerrrrrd

As far as the ticket itself, it might not hurt to fight it by written declaration. I got a speeding ticket in Carlsbad on El Camino Real and the cop never filled out his written testimony, so it was dismissed. Worst case is you have to pay it anyways.

un4getable

Thanks for looking it up. I would have been somewhat more accepting of the ticket if A)I had been speeding and they had just tacked that on as well and B) the cop did not make a point of following me and pulling me over.

I have been searching the web to see what the fine will be if I have the tint reapplied and then get another fix it ticket but have not found anything.

jlukja

We have a couple of members who are current or former police officers. Give this thread some time and I'm sure one of them will chime in.

matvey

If you have the cash, just pay the ticket. How much is it? I doubt that it will increase your insurance, because it's not a moving violation, but I am not sure.

MBA

un4getable

I am not sure how much it is yet. I guess I have to wait until I get something in the mail b/c there is not an amount on the paper I got today.

Stevestr

Sure. Just don't drive through Carlsbad again.

Carlsbad is a town where the PD really has nothing to do other than check for these minor violations. Sorry you had to learn the hard way.

If you go through C'bad again, though, after reapplying the tint, I suppose they could have you on file in the DMV computer for the ticket and see that you still haven't removed it or have reapplied it and you may piss the officer off a bit.

If this is a fix-it ticket it should be $10-15. I know my expired registration many years ago was a $15 fix it and yes, someone will come out to your car and inspect it more than likely. I just went inside the PD office and showed my current registration and they cleared the violation.

You sure it was just the tint that caught his attention and not something else? He could have been being nice by just writing a fix it. Just asking.

Good luck.

Stevestr

I was cited by the SD Sheriff for speeding in an unoccupied construction zone and I fought by written declaration and won. I had to - had I got that ticket for going 10 over the 25 limit the fine + construction zone fine would have put the ticket both on my record and at around $340 by the time it was all done.

The cop never responded to my written declaration either and the ticket was wiped off my record.

un4getable

I work in Carlsbad so I have to drive in that city. I was actually not speeding when I got off the freeway and I did not pull a CA stop.

It seems like it would be impossible to fight this ticket since the tinting law clearly states that its illegal. I am not sure what my argument would be if I were to fight it. To all the people that have fought tickets and won - good for you!

Stevestr

The SD Superior Court says:

Equipment, Registration or License Violations

• Bail may be reduced upon receipt of proof of correction on many equipment, registration and license violations. Proof of correction may be verified and signed off by a law enforcement officer on the back of the traffic ticket or on the courtesy notice. If the violation(s) corrected involve registration or driver's license violations, clerical staff from the court or the Department of Motor Vehicles may also verify and sign off the correction. Pursuant to Government Code 26745.1, a law enforcement agency may charge $15.00 to sign off a correctable violation. The signed off correction must be submitted to the court by the appearance date along with an additional $10.00 transaction fee.
• If your traffic ticket is written for both an equipment and a moving violation and you attend traffic school, you must submit your proof of correction with your traffic school certificate and a check or money order to cover both the $10.00 transaction fee and the traffic school administrative fee.

Judging by what the rest of the site says, if you get caught a second time (in the insurance instance, not sure if this relates to your specific equipment issue) you will face a mandatory court hearing with no possibility of paying a bail and not appearing.

See http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/pag..._schema=PORTAL for more information.

Stevestr

The SD Superior Court Says:

(As of the 2006 bail schedule PDF located at http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/pls/portal...20SCHEDULE.PDF, page 32

Fines for violations of VC 26708 (which is what you would be cited under) are $25. There's also a possibility of additional court fees on top of that $25 of at least another $20 for court fees so you are looking at around $45. The PDF explains it all.

Stevestr

One more thing, here's some ideas if you do want to fight the ticket (from a similar case in Florida) but it may be easier just to pay the ticket.

http://www.240sx.org/faq/articles/tint.htm

The VC reference in my previous post comes from http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/streetlegal.html.

jlukja

Stevestr, I gave you rep points in Off Topic for your posts above. Very helpful and informative.

un4getable

Stevestr thanks for all the info, I really appreciate your help. At this point I will pay the ticket, get the tint taken off and then put back on but at a much lighter shade. This same thing happened to another person that I work with but in O’side. I am going to search on the web tonight some more to see if I can find anything about getting two fix it tickets for the same thing.

kaliraver69

I got a tint ticket in Santa Monica on third st. and promenade while my car was just parked! I paid the ticket and never took off the tint off of my 2000 Accord.