united-states california vehicle interstate-travel
Can states regulate the tint of rear side windows and rear windshields on a car?
<p>There is a list of North American tint laws over at <a href="http://www.iwfa.com/News/StateLawCharts-AutomotiveWindowFilm.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">International Window Film Association (IWFA)</a> (also <a href="http://www.solargard.com/window-films/automotive/tint-laws" rel="nofollow noreferrer">html</a>).</p>

<p>It is understandable why states might be interested in regulating the Visible Light Transmission of the tinting on the front windows -- to make sure the driver could be identified in case of accidents / hit-and-runs / other issues, by both the general public and the police.  This is, apparently, why some states, like California, dictate that VLT of the front side windows must not be below 70%, whereas all other windows -- back side and the rear one -- could be as tinted as one pleases, e.g., even limo-style 5% or below is acceptable.</p>

<p>However, other states seem to regulate all windows -- front side, back side, and the rear one -- and many mandate at least 35% VLT on all of the windows, whereas some north-east states like New York even go as high as 70% VLT on all windows, which, frankly, doesn't seem reasonable at all.  This is especially interesting in light of some vehicles not having any back side windows, nor the rear window.</p>

<p>What legitimate interests do the states have in regulating back-side and rear windows?  Are those laws enforceable?  Especially, as potentially a special case of the <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/513/window-tinting-rules-and-laws-in-visiting-jurisdictions">Window Tinting rules and laws in visiting jurisdictions</a> question, would someone with a 70%/5%/5% tint and California or Texas licence plates, where such tinting is legal, can be legally forced to pay fine and/or remove the 95% tint from the back-side and rear windows in a state where it's supposedly not legal?  What if it's a local vehicle?</p>

<p>The legitimate interests are officer safety - seeing into the car - and general driver safety - it's more difficult for a driver to see out of the car especially at night.</p>

<p>Yes, taking a car into a state where your tint is illegal can get you a ticket in the new state. In some (most?) states the statute applies to vehicles driven in the state; this applies to all vehicles. Anecdotally most cops won't write a ticket for an out of state car and driver but they could. </p>
