Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
I was driving on Lee Hwy last night and an officer, R.O Jones, pulled me over for window tint.... Ha... I have 20% all around and he was telling me that it was 50% in the front and 35% in the back unless its a multi-use vehicle... that is dumb. Technically any vehicle can have multi uses. Anyways, does anyone know how much the first window tint offense costs??? I dont like people looking in my car because ive had friends gets shit stolen. As far as im concerned, im not doin shit about it until i get pulled over again. I think its totally unfair that virginia has this rule when other states, with a much higher crime rate than ours, dont. Please answer my question and let me know of any comments or suggestions you may have, other than smart ass ones lol.
I don't know what the law is, but if 20% is legal and that’s what you have on, go to court, they should clear it up. If not, then if you or anyone in your family has eye problems, go to a eye doctor and say the light bothers your eyes when you drive. They should give you a note, next time you get pulled over the cop should let you on your way.
The whole tint thing is ridiculous to me, just another reason for the cops to pull you over.
Officer Jones is correct 50% transmissivity in the front/35% in the rear. If its a truck or SUV, you can have as low as 5% in the rear but still need a minimum of 50% on the fronts.
IF you get a ticket for it, it is usually a fix it ticket - meaning you pay the fine AND you have to prove that the tint was removed (or modified to meet laws).
Technically, if you have a vehicle registered in a state that allows darker tint, once you cross into Virginia, you're illegal. Most coppers won't hassle you unless you are a permanent/semi-permanent resident (e.g. military with florida registration but Virginia address).
here is another kicker - ever notice how dark the tint is on cop cars? Pretty dark isn't it...
gesoffen Wrote:
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> Officer Jones is correct 50% transmissivity in the
> front/35% in the rear. If its a truck or SUV, you
> can have as low as 5% in the rear but still need a
> minimum of 50% on the fronts.
>
> IF you get a ticket for it, it is usually a fix it
> ticket - meaning you pay the fine AND you have to
> prove that the tint was removed (or modified to
> meet laws).
>
> Technically, if you have a vehicle registered in a
> state that allows darker tint, once you cross into
> Virginia, you're illegal. Most coppers won't
> hassle you unless you are a
> permanent/semi-permanent resident (e.g. military
> with florida registration but Virginia address).
>
> here is another kicker - ever notice how dark the
> tint is on cop cars? Pretty dark isn't it...
The above is 100% correct however, the reality is (and this is from decades of experience), if you have two side mirrors (and most cars now do), you can go as dark as you want - to include painting black, any glass behind the front roll downs.
The front roll downs are legal to 50%,35% w/ waiver, period.
duh Wrote:
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> Did R. O. Jones have his gun drawn when he walked
> up?
>
> I think they pass these window tint laws because
> cops HATE walking up to cars that they can't see
> what the occupants are doing.
This is why they usually turn on the hand controlled spotlight on the cruiser as it cuts through a window tint. I don't know about you but I don't like squinting in my mirror on the highway when some asshole in his silverado tailgates me with his aftermarket headlights. Most times they won't harasses you about the tint unless they want a legit reason to pull your over and suspect something bigger is going on or are feeling frisky and wish to lecture you on their vehicular statutory knowledge. I got pulled over for tinted windows in another state by highway patrol once and the cop also told me that the air freshener thing I had hanging off the mirror was another violation. Long story short I ended up going to three different departments/cops before I got one to sign the damn fix it ticket without removing the tint (i printed out the state law and highlighted it and handed it to the cops, each one had a different interpretation of it).
R.O. Jones said that it is one of his pet peeves.... so i can go to the eye doctor huh.... hmm.... wonder if i know any eye doctors.... good idea. i may do that.
I've gotten pulled over for window tint 3 times last year alone. If it's your first offense and you got pictures, you can probably go to court and get the ticket thrown out, if it isn't, or you wait til it isn't then u'll never get that leeway again. Me myself, I would never take my tint off no matter how many tickets I get. Too much trouble to go get it installed, then have it taken off, plus the money I paid would be down the drain.
The fee is $30 plus the processing fee, which I believe is $57.
Tinted windows scream "ghetto druggy." If you drive out of a bar with dark tinted windows expect to be pulled over. Cops see tinted windows as a way to hide illegal activity and a great way to chalk up a quick ticket for their sergeant. Plus, it gives them a great excuse to check for other violations.
A guy I know had tinted windows and he got stopped 4 times in three months. He finally removed the tint. I think he was ordered to by the judge on the fourth offense.
Just kidding there ugly people, oops I mean people.
My factory tint is pretty dark, but I would like to go a little darker on the driver window for those afternoon drives home. That sunlight gets in the way quite a bit.
I often have fishing, shooting, exploring, photography, etc...gear in my vehicle and the factory tinting serves me well in hiding my things from plain view. I'm not hiding my things from anyone except that thief who may come along while I am away from my vehicle.
Dark tint looks suspicious. Ghettolicious tinted windows draw attention to yourself while you are in the car doing drugs and drinking.
I'm not a cop, but if I was I would have to stay alert to stay alive, right?
Don't blame a cop because you complicated his duties by sitting behind heavy tinting when he pulls you over.
If you're gonna go black you better look back.
photoman Wrote:
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> Dark tint looks suspicious. Ghettolicious tinted
> windows
> If you're gonna go black you better look back.
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I have gotten 6 tickets, and each one is 89 dollars...this is a span of 6 years and 2 different cars. I have never bothered taking it off cuz I like the look of tint, and its crazy how much it keeps heat out. Anyways, I just found out my insurance company hit me with surcharges for every tint ticket, its called Safety Glazing Violation. Please believe I will be getting my tint to the legal limit, its crazy how much my insurance went up!
first charge is usually between $85-140.oo, its easier to just pre-pay. avoids court cost. There are NO points involved. its just quicktick. more $ for the county system. i work at a tint shop and trust me i have to remove tint for people everyday for having just below legal....anything darker than 43% is considered illegal for the fronts ....but im guilty as well...oh well
I have Safeco Auto Insurance, I guess they finally decided to hit me with all these charges because even though it is a fix it ticket, i never got it fixed....sucks though, im $1300 poorer...If anyone works for a tint shop and wants to do my tint for some side cash, let me know. I wanna do legal limit.
All you have to do is get a fake receipt for the removal of you tint and bring it to your courtdate and they will drop the ticket. thats what i have done in the past and i have not payed any fines for tint.
That'll work until you get the right judge who begins to doubt you and then sends the officer out to check whether or not its been removed. Next you are looking at a perjury charge or a contempt charge Hope its worth it! And, yes, I've seen this happen before.
Cruiser driver by and makes a U-turn or pulls out after you pass, pulling you over down the road.
You are asked to roll your window up partially.
Officer takes out a light transmission meter and (is supposed to) calibrates it (using the included, known value tinted strips).
Officer then slides the meter over your roll down glass, taking a reading.
~ 7% variance is allowed (last I heard) and if over that, plus the max allowed tint for your glass, they have the option of writing a summons (ticket).
Just out of curiousity, why are Fairfax County Police and Sheriff's Department vehicles allowed to have window tinting that does not comply with the state law that the rest of us have to obey?
Short answer is because the state usually exempts itself from most laws that it passes because it can.
There are probably 101 reasons that police, legislators and others will advance to support the notion that the police should be exempt, but most of those reasons would legitimately apply to non-state owned vehicles as well. Chalk it up to power has its privileges.
1) So the interior of my car stays cooler on a hot day- its a black on black car. I also happen to like the "blackout" look.
2) Since my car is a 2011 luxury model car- and I'm a young black person- driving around in unfairfax county- 'nuff said. The car is mine, earned with my legit IT paycheck for a government contractor- but the fact they see I'm black and driving it pisses them off. I tinted it so at least when I drive past the police now, they won't immediately pull me over.
Bought the car brand new Feb. 2011 and spend 90% of my time in fairfax county.
Within a week of me owning it, I was pulled over 2x (for them to "double check my temp tags"). and of course, everything was legit. Then here comes the "Are you a drug dealer with this nice car -how c an you afford this you're so young" questions.
After that, I got my proper hard tags. On average, I STILL got pulled over AT LEAST 2x a month. Thing is, they have never cite me for an actual moving violation "yeah I pulled you over because this car was described at the scene of a crime earlier today" or "looks like you swerved a bit changing lanes there"....BS. They simply pulled me over because I am a young black in an expensive car and they want to check me out. I ALWAYS refuse to searches (my principle, I don't do drugs anyway!) and this makes them madder and I have been late to work 2x because they want to make me sit and wait while they have 4 cop cars on me just to make sure my papers are legit (they are!) and try to come up with a reason to arrest me- but they can't.
So after being pulled over about 11 times in the past 10 months, i decided to tint it back in Janurary of this year.
I have not been pulled over since, since they can't see my race right off the bat.
Tint helps me. I find this sad I have to hide, and my only mistake is being black driving a luxury car. But if i didn't tint it dark I would continue to be pulled over.