Introductory Comments on MA Tint Laws
Window tint laws are a means of controlling the amount of light that passes through a car’s windows, ultimately ensuring a safer driving experience for both you and those who share the road with you. As you can imagine, lighter tint on your vehicle’s windows allows more light to enter, whereas darker tint blocks out more, providing for a clearer view of the road. However, while lighter tint is better for visibility, it offers less in terms of privacy and protection from the sun, which is why many car owners prefer darker tint on their windows.
Window tint laws in Massachusetts are in place to ensure a safer driving experience by allowing law enforcement personnel to see into other vehicles during the day for purposes of identifying a driver and any potential passengers they may be able to identify . State police and local law enforcement utilize these windows as a tool for apprehending drivers who commit crimes, helping to keep the Massachusetts roadways free of danger.
Tinting your windows is an excellent way to avoid sunlight blindness as you’re driving, while also maintaining your personal privacy and protecting your vehicle’s interior from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays. However, these tinting factors should not come at the expense of your safety or the safety of those around you which is why it’s important to familiarize yourself with Massachusetts’ window tint laws before proceeding with a tint application.
Allowable Tint Percentages in MA
Massachusetts tint laws are very strict when it comes to the allowable light transmittance levels on your vehicle’s windows. If you have been pulled over you know already that Massachusetts tint laws are heavily enforced, which means that you need to abide by these laws to avoid being cited for a police warning and/or ticket.
Massachusetts tint laws state that you must not have a total solar reflectance greater than 35% on your front windows or windshield. In addition, you may have a windshield strip that directly above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line in the windshield that is no more than five inches wide. On the rear side windows you may have tint with any level of visible light transmittance as long as it is not metalized. On rear windshields Massachusetts tint laws state you can have any level of visible light transmittance as long as it is not mirror finish or metalized. All the tint materials used on your vehicle must comply with ASTM standards for reflecting and transmitting visible light and infrared energy. All window tint materials must be certified sticker that is permanently attached to the tint or window in a non-tinted area and must also include the manufacturer name, film name and VLT VLT %.
Exceptions to MA Tint Rules
Exemptions to tint laws vary in Massachusetts. Exceptions may include individuals who have medical conditions or specific vehicle classifications that allow for darker tint to be legally added to their windows. An exemption will grant you permission to add darker film that a typical person would not normally be allowed to apply.
Massachusetts law does state that an individual must apply for a waiver or exemption from the tint law to allow for darker tint. If certain medical conditions are documented and presented to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), they may consider letting you add a darker tint to your window glass.
Specific conditions that may warrant an exemption are listed below: If you have one of the medical conditions listed above, you will have to apply to the RMV to get the proper waiver form. Once you are granted an exemption to tint laws, the document will be sent directly to your home address. It is important to note that you should never drive without this waiver in your possession.
When it comes to tint exemptions for vehicles, there are further restrictions based upon vehicle classification. For example, commercial vehicles allowing for tinted windows include buses and campers. However, the permitted exemption might be different for a recreational vehicle (RV), such as a window van. A window van in this case might be a cargo van, cargo truck, panel van, flatbed truck, step truck, shuttle bus, pumper truck, empty moving truck, including trucks with a built-in cargo space, such as a Suburban, down-sized RV, or a truck containing a machine or tank, such as a water tank.
Since the tint law differs from state to state, it is always best to search the tint laws of the states you are traveling to. The tint laws for Vermont and New York are certainly different than those in Massachusetts.
Penalties for Tint Law Violations
Lack of awareness can often lead to more than just fines. In the instance of tint laws, ignorance or even want of compliance can lead to the police pulling you over, leading to them inspecting your vehicle further. Say for example you have a non-compliant tint, and they find something else that you have in your car that is not in line with the law. If it is serious enough, they will seize it on the spot. Some of these more serious items include, but are not limited to, alcoholic beverages, pyrotechnics, weapons, or contraband in general.
Failing to pass an inspection sticker can also be costly. Massachusetts law requires that all cars be inspected yearly. According to M.G.L. c. 90 ยง7D, you must have your car inspected within seven days after registering it in Massachusetts. Anyone who fails to obtain a sticker is subject to a $35 fine. If you fail to have your car inspected within seven days , the fine will increase to $50. Failure to properly display the sticker is an additional $25 fine. If your tint doesn’t pass inspection, then you cannot legally drive your car and may be fined for that as well. If you are already stopped for a tint violation, the officer may be less likely to give you a pass for lacking a sticker.
Falling prey to tint violations may also lead you to receive points on your license. If you do not go to court and pay your fine, it will show up on your criminal record, leading to three points on your record. If you do try to fight your tinted windows in court and lose, you will end up receiving two points on your license. These points can mean increases to your insurance rates and other potential consequences to your record. Failing to appear for court could also result in the Court issuing a warrant for your arrest.
Checking Window Tint Compliance
For the do-it-yourself enthusiast, there are a couple of alternatives to having your vehicle parked outside or after the fact. Before doing anything, however, it is in your own best interest to read the law and then review several tint meters available in retail establishments or from online sources. Such tint meters will be able to measure the percentage of tint present, based on infrared light passing through the glass.
If you see that your tint is above the legal limit in Massachusetts, you should not continue to read this blog post. Leave the tint alone and move on with your life. It does not matter if your neighbor’s vehicle, a friend’s car or someone else’s vehicle was "done" at the same time as your vehicle. You now have a tint violation nothing more and nothing less. Ignorance of the law by you does not make you any less responsible.
If, however, you with to test the tint yourself, there is a much easier method to determine if compliance is or is not present. In are going to list the easy option to the one involving purchasing equipment to perform a tint test.
Simple method: The State Police have many locations throughout the state. Reach out to one of those stations, not all of them will allow tint testing, and inquire if you may pay for tint testing. As of this writing, the cost is $15 per vehicle and $5 per additional window. The tint check will be performed without making a note in their computer system if your tint contains violations. If compliance exists, you will receive some paperwork from the State Police proving this fact. It is always a good measure to ask for a receipt, so if stopped you have receipt proving you had the tint tested even if the tint turns out to be in compliance. Then again, if not, it will be your word against the officer about the tint testing at the time and place you are stopped. Do not wait until you need the tint tested to visit the State Police barracks, otherwise you will be paying someone else to perform the tint testing for you. More than this simple method, tint meters are used by law enforcement officials when they pull someone over with suspected tint that violates the law. Consequently, if stopped after a tint test fails the tint meter may be introduced into evidence.
We will discuss tint meters, their use by law enforcement as well as tint meters in commercial establishments in our next post.
Staying Abreast of Changes to MA Tint Regulations
Just like any other state, Massachusetts’ tint regulations are subject to change. Therefore, it is important to remain informed on any updates to state laws involving window films. You can keep updated with any changes in Marsachusetts tint laws by visiting the Massachusetts Vehicle Check Website . You may also regularly check the Official Massachusetts Legislative Website for any new laws that are planned to be passed or have been passed. Typically, when a law has been passed for a state, they will provide a brief explanation on the Official State Legislature Website. It would also be beneficial to follow us here at Limousine-Tints on our Twitter and Facebook for any changes to regulations within tinting!