I have 15% tint all around but the front.

I am planning on driving to GA, and then to NC. My tag is from FL.

Should I be worried about being pulled over because of tinting?

 

In one word, yes. But they will follow the FL laws on tinting, if I'm not mistaken. You should be worried in FL though, too. I think it's 28% on the sides.

 

Generally they won't bother you if they see the out of state tags

Most cops don't even know tint laws in their own state let alone in another state

 

I drive from Boca to NYC all the time. 4 different cars all had 15%. I never had any issues. Strangly enough the only tint ticket I got was in FL on the turnpike in West palm. Damn trooper with nothing better to do. That was like 3 years ago.

 

Oh yes they do! Here in NJ, tint is illegal on the front driver/passenger windows in any form so they know!

 

They absolutely do know the laws in the other [nearby] states or are suppose to.

Whether they bother to do anything about them, probably not.

A cop in one state cannot write you a ticket in his state for violating the LAW of another state, regardless of which state you reside in. If Missouri requires a front licence plate and Kansas does not and you are a Missouri resident visiting Kansas, then Kansas trooper will not ticket you for no front plate.

A cop can pull you over for anything. Some love to "harass" out of state drivers, others look the other way.

When you are in the visiting state, you should abide by the rules of the state in which you are in. If you break those rules, you'll be subject to the penalties. You're probably asking what does this mean? It means if you are required to display a rear licence plate in your home state AND in your visitor state, you will probably be stopped and ticketed for not doing so in the visitor state. Of course there are exceptions. But to my knowledge, there are no exemptions.

I think there are laws on the book that apply to state registered vehicles only.

 

So what you are saying is, when I go to New Jersey I should pay the $100 to get my tint taken off so I don't break the law, then when I get home to MD I should pay to have it put back on how I want? I think that with minor laws like this, cops will let you slide. Why should I have to know all the laws for all 50 states when I go there???? Seems a little crazy if you ask me.

 

No, not at all. States recognize other states rules. In New York where tint is legal, a driver coming to NJ from NY is not subject to NJ laws unless he attempts to register his car in NJ.

 

It depends upon the state. The Municipal Regulations for Washington, DC, technically don't allow any car on DC roads, parked or moving, to have tinted windows, including AS3 factory tint (crazy stupid law). Will they give tickets to a minivan or explorer with factory tint, probably not. Will they give a ticket to a VA or MD driver with tinted windows, probably not. Will they ticket a DC car with aftermarket tint, maybe, but not likely unless they can't see in the back rear window.

Will they tow and impound a car with VERY dark tint (5% all around) parked on the street even if it has out of state plates, YES, especially if it is outisde a government or federal building.

I have been pulled over in MD for having tinted license plate covers, but I suppose that is a bit different than window tint-

 

That happen to me in NYC. But my car was parked on a side street & 2 undercovers gave me a ticket. I was coming out to move the car at 1am & saw them. Wrote a letter to the NYC DMV & it was dismissed.

 

Some states CAN definitely pull you over for violating their tint laws, even if you are an out-of-state motorist.

This site has been around for while: http://home.pcisys.net/~bpc/auto_law/tint/
I believe most of the info there is quite accurate.

It specifically lists several states (do a keyword find for "out-of-state" on that page) that have the legal right based on their own state's law to pull you over and ticket you for illegal tint, regardless of your state's registration. California is one such state that requires ALL vehicles driven within the state to be in compliance with their tint law. Of course, enforcement is always at the discretion of the officer.

In regards to the original post, it appears that both GA and NC honor the tint law for the state in which the car is registered. So you're all good Zamo.

 

I don't suggest you do that. Just follow the law and you'll be fine. It is exactly your responsibility to comply with all the laws of your home state and all the visitor laws. These are minor laws, breaking them doesn't make you a "criminal." It's not that big of a hardship.

 

Ken is right about law enforcement respecting other states' laws.

A second issue is to what constitutes residency and when you have to have plates changed. Obviously, passing through one state to another, or vacationing in one state while you have an address in another state doesn't require that you register the car in the new state.

But, if you get a new address in a new state you do have to register your car within a specific time table (and abide by that state's rules). In California, you have 10 days to register your car from residency. What does that mean? Technically, if you are driving with out-of-state plates and the police officer figures out that you have a local address and have been there more then 10 days, you can be in for a few fines.

Obviously, we're getting to the nitty-gritty of rules that are not typically enforced. Just be careful when they are.