California Window Tinting Laws
Window tinting for your car has so many obvious benefits—it blocks out the sun’s harmful UV rays, it can help prevent theft, it cools your car down and not to mention it looks pretty great—but there are certain legal restrictions on window tinting in the state of California that you should know about. These laws are mostly put in place so that police officers are able to see the driver’s face clearly from the road, so it’s unlikely that you will get pulled over unless your tint is extremely dark.
Here are some window tinting laws you will need to be aware of before you tint your car’s windows in the state of California.
What Window Tinting is Illegal in the State of California
The windshield can in no circumstances be tinted with anything. It is illegal to adhere anything to the windshield except for parking stickers or anything required for military identification. Though some states have medical exemptions for window tinting, California does not allow this exception for its drivers.
California also doesn’t allow—as mentioned above—that window tint be any color like red, blue, or green, and does not allow mirrored or shiny tint, which could be distracting to other drivers.
What Window Tinting is Illegal in the State of California
The windshield can in no circumstances be tinted with anything. It is illegal to adhere anything to the windshield except for parking stickers or anything required for military identification. Though some states have medical exemptions for window tinting, California does not allow this exception for its drivers.
California also doesn’t allow—as mentioned above—that window tint be any color like red, blue, or green, and does not allow mirrored or shiny tint, which could be distracting to other drivers.
What This Means for Your Window Tint
Many customers are concerned that because dark window tinting isn’t allowed for the driver and passenger windows that there will be a big discrepancy between the front and back windows in the car, which can create an unattractive overall look.
However, experts say that as long as the front windows allow 70 percent of light to penetrate into the vehicle, it’s unlikely that you will get pulled over by a police officer. This window tint in the front will likely be several shades lighter than a dark tint applied on the rear passenger windows and rear window, but it will still guarantee a cooler car, protection from UV rays, and lower energy consumption.
For more information about window tinting or to learn more about specifics on California window tinting laws, contact SB Autosounds today!
*Note that this article is not intended to be legal advice. For more information on California laws, visit the California DMV website.