Texas 's auto window tinting Legalities
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Legislative Alert!
Pending Texas legislation will restrict tint
Proposed Texas legislation will restrict tint darkness laws even further.
Click here to learn more of what's in the works for you Texans out there. The new law will go into
affect September 1, 2009 and will have a significant impact on automotive window
tinting here in Texas that most won't be happy with.
Below
is for 2009 model cars and older: Texas has two sets of laws regarding window
tinting that have been amended as of 9-1-03 from a film
darkness law to a film net law (combined
with any existing tint already in the glass). Passenger cars go by one set of laws and and Multi Purpose Vehicles by another. They are
summarized as follows ....
Cars
(Passenger Cars)
This law restricts the amount of window film
darkness on all side windows combined with any existing tint
already in the glass to no darker than a number total of
35% 25%LT (LT = light transmission). If the car has 2 outside door mirrors (one
on each side) it allows any darkness on the rear wind shield. If the car has only 1
outside mirror the car is only allowed a total of 35% 25%LT on all
windows including the rear wind shield. It does allow front windshields to be tinted
measured down from the top of the windshield 5 inches or to the AS1 line which ever
measurement comes first (most cars have this AS1 line & some don't). Total of 35%
25%LT allowed here as well. 1987 and older are not excluded from this law any more.
M.P.V. (Multi
Purpose Vehicles)
( M.P.V.
) Multi Purpose Vehicle laws restrict the amount of window film darkness on the front
doors only combined with any existing tint already in the glass
to no darker than a number total of 35%
25%LT (LT = light transmission). If the M.P.V. has 2 outside door mirrors (one on each
side) it allows any darkness on rest of the rear windows (behind the front doors). If the
M.P.V. has only 1 outside mirror the M.P.V. is only allowed a total of 35%
25%LT on all windows combined with any existing tint already in
the glass. No part of front windshields are not allowed to be tinted at all in both cases.
It does allow front windshields to be tinted measured down from the top of the windshield
5 inches or to the AS1 line which ever measurement comes first (most M.P.V.s have this AS1
line & some don't). Total of 35% 25%LT allowed here as well. 1987 and
older are not excluded from this law any more.
Exemptions:
A vehicle that is: (A) used regularly to transport passengers for a fee;
and (B) authorized to operate under license or permit by a local authority.
A vehicle that is maintained by a law enforcement agency and used for
law enforcement purposes.
A motor vehicle that is not registered in this state.
Those individual drivers that present a written medical permit and/or a
letter of exemption from the Texas Department of Public Safety are exempt from inspection
requirements of sun screening devices.
It is not a violation to sell or offer to sell a vehicle with
uncertified window film.
More Links:
To
see the actual law amendment effective 9-1-03 click here.
To see the Texas
Vehicle State Inspection enforcement policy click here.
To see what almost happened to our tint laws and our window tinting rights
click here.
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