Window Tint Limitations in New Jersey
When it comes to window tint darkness, there are specific rules for the windows of your vehicle. In New Jersey, the front side windows must allow more than 35 percent of light in . There are no window tint darkness requirements for the rear side windows or back window. The windshield is allowed a non-reflective tint that extends down to the AS-1 line or the top five inches from the top of the windshield, whichever is longer.
The Purpose of Tint Laws
The rationale behind window tinting laws goes beyond something that is simply cosmetic. The primary goal, in fact, is to ensure safety on the road and to help law enforcement professionals do their jobs.
Window tinting can, during the day, have an adverse effect on a driver’s ability to clearly see the road and surrounding area. When the sun comes through the glass, it can be very difficult for individuals to navigate. And, among those with subpar tint skills, having the tint cover the entire windshield can greatly reduce one’s visibility. From a safety perspective, this can be disastrous. In some cases, there have been horrific results.
The tint on the rear of the vehicle is also a significant issue from a law enforcement perspective. A police officer or other member of law enforcement may want to pull a driver over, but cannot determine what may be going on in the interior of a vehicle because of excessive tint. Law enforcement officers must, after all, act as the eyes and ears of society. This means that those behind the wheel, as well as any others who may be in the vehicle, must be visible in order to ensure the safety of all parties; including the officer.
It is also important for the driver to be able to see those in the rear or along side the car. Blind spots can be problematic on the road, and if the driver cannot clearly see those around them at all times, it can be a dangerous situation. Not surprisingly, some tint jobs may cover the front windows and back windows, but still result in the same safety issues.
And, there is the danger of not being able to see out at night. Making nighttime travel so dangerous that a police officer cannot really see you inside your car is a safety hazard. In order to deal with all of these issues, window tint laws are in place and must be followed by those living in New Jersey.
New Jersey Legal Tint Penalties
The consequences for possessing a window tint that is darker than allowed is an expensive and aggravating matter. As a general rule, penalties for violating the applicable motor vehicle statutes are governed by N.J.S.A. 39:5-30. This statute makes the violation of any statute that has no other specified penalty a "traffic offense" subject to a $50 fine. The only exception in NJ for an offense to be levied against within this section with respect to window tinting is the requirement of N.J.S.A. 39:3-75(2), which makes passenger van exceeding 24" from the ground not to exceed 35% visible light transmittance. Violations constitute a disorderly persons offense which carries a potential penalty of up to $1,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail.
The above penalties can increase, depending on the seriousness of the offense committed. However, unless the tint is somehow contributed with the injury or death of another, these cannot merit a DUI or DWI offense. This is because the defendant must have either been operating a motor vehicle in which the tint was displayed (which, in turn, satisfies the element of "operating an automobile while under the influence") and/or was present in any area in which the tint was displayed (which satisfies the element of "being in actual physical control of an automobile"). Therefore, the only penalty that can be levied is the $50 fine and/or imprisonment if the situation presents itself exclusively as a window tinting violation.
Make no mistake: if you have illegal tint your car (or have more than one incident of tinted windows), you may be pulled over by police one day. Police officers have both training and equipment to measure window tint and deem them illegal and then later violate someone for it. In fact, it is common practice to have civilians drive their cars to court where law enforcement secures a conviction for an illegal tint after measuring it from his or her own laser device without needing to involve a judge or a magistrate.
How to Test Tint Darkness
To measure the tint darkness on a window, technicians often utilize a tint meter to determine the percentage of Visible Light Transmission (VLT). VLT measures how much visible light passes through the tinted window. In essence, the lower the VLT percentage, the less light is able to pass through; therefore, the darker the tint appears. Since different cars have different glass thicknesses, the VLT number can change from car to car (typically the glass is thicker on the front windows due to use of laminated glass opposed to tempered glass in the rear windows and rear windshield). The DOT from the state of manufacture also plays a part in determining tint darkness.
Many times the meters utilized to test the tint darkness are calibrated to show "illegal" tint levels. Since typically for automotive purposes , the tint shades come in 50%, 35%, 20%, 15%, 5% and limo tint levels, most of the meters used will show the 50% level as legal. Then the meter will move down based on the level of darkness until it hits the legal limit and then jump to the next legal level before switching from a percentage to a general "illegal" reading. This is done as a way to show the owner what the legal limit is and what is considered to be illegal, without going through all of the levels below that reading. The following table will display the legal tint percentage limits as they apply to all vehicles registered in New Jersey:
Selecting the Best Tint for Your Car
When choosing the right tint for your vehicle, there are a variety of factors to keep in mind. First and foremost, it is crucial that you stay within legal requirements. In New Jersey, the law requires only the top three inches of the driver’s windshield be tinted, or "limo" tint, in legal parlance. Although some people opt to tint the full windshield, be aware that law enforcement officers may stop you for violating the tint law, especially at night when you’re getting out of the car. If you want front-side windows to be tinted, it is important to know that while New Jersey law no longer sets any requirements whatsoever for tints on those windows, some municipalities still do. The opinions of your friends and family are bound to come into play, as well. Many people prefer to have a tinted windshield, which is typically referred to as "limo" tint. Limo tint is one of the darkest materials available, and provides a high level of protection from sun’s rays. It also blocks most UV rays that can cause serious damage to your vehicle’s interior. However, the look of limo tint can be considered too dark for many. Still, if you believe that darker is better, limo tint is the route to take.
You may wish to tint the back windows. Even though the law does not regulate tint depth on these windows (as long as the tint doesn’t reflect more than 5% of light), police officers may search your vehicle if they cannot see through the tint. This is because some police officers assume that even the back side windows have to be as transparent as the front side windows. This is a general rule of thumb, and many police officers are quite lenient about it. Still, if the tint on your rear-side windows is extremely dark, you may find that it causes you to be pulled over. The last thing you should consider when purchasing window tint is whether you want to install it yourself or whether you want to hire a professional to do the job for you. Little time is saved by doing the installation yourself, and although you can save a couple hundred dollars, these savings may not be worth the time and effort. In addition, if your windows aren’t tinted properly, you may have to spend even more to have them redone.
Recent Developments & Tint Law Changes
With the evolution in technology, new scientific discoveries, and sometimes, just plain common sense, it is not unusual for different factions of government to alter their stance on laws. For vehicle window tinting in New Jersey, there is no exception. We would be amiss to not advise you about recent changes in New Jersey tint laws. On March 2, 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to permit auto manufacturers to state to what extent the glass material is tinted while providing a test of the transparency of window tint that is referred to as the Total Solar Energy Transmittance (TSET) in the text of N.J.A.C. 13:20-32.6. TSET measures the amount of visible light transmitted through the windows of the vehicle . The transmitted visible light percentage was decreased from 70 percent to 45 percent to match regulations set forth by the federal government according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Additional changes were made, requiring the Secretary of State to prioritize processing fees and/or fines collected in connection with an application for registration of a certificate for a tinted vehicle window system with to recommendation of appropriation of funds to the Department of Law and Public Safety for the Law Enforcement Officers "Body Armor Replacement Fund" to advance body armor replacement and forensic cost assistance.
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