can they do this?

Question

okay so yesterday im on my way home from work and a state trooper pulls me (florida highway patrol).....i wasnt doing anything wrong but he pulled me and said my window tint was too dark!....so he puts a meter on it and sure enough its illegal...I apparantly have limo tint and its too dark....so he writes me a $71.50 citation and gives me a 30 day fix-it-or-ticket, meaning ive got 30 days to have it removed or i pay the citation....nevermind that fact that ive got to do my window tint all over (and pay for it again) but my question is how is it that limos can have it but i cant and another question - can he pull me for window tint on his hunch that its illegal or does he have to pull me for something else (moving violation) and then address the issue of the tint?
i received no other citation.

Answer 1

He had perfect right. Limos are the only cars that are allowed to have tints at 5%. But it is only the back windows and not the front. It happens all the time. You are far from the only one who gets pulled over for having illegal tints. What you should do is get like(wow I just looked at the limit for your state and you are allowed 28%. I live in NY and we are only allowed 70%. But people in NY usually go for around 60-65% visiblility. Still illegal, but less noticable.). Just get 28%. Wish we could do that in NY.

Answer 2

Limo drivers don't have the dark tint. Its legal in Texas to make your windows other than the windshield and the front seat windows as dark as you want. Most likely, its the same in your state. Check the law, I bet you find that even on limos, the front passenger and driver windows cannot be darkly tinted. As for pulling you over, he had probable cause to believe you were in violation. Fix the problem and get the ticket dismissed, no use complaining about something you have no hope of winning.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, as cool as you think that tint is, it makes law enforcements job much more difficult when having to identify someone, and can be used by some to hide their illegal activities. We so easily gave up our civil rights, freedoms, and protections from unfair treatment by our own government when we alloweed the Patriot Act to be passed. This window tint thing is nothing. However, it is not a new law, is widely known about, and has good reason. As laws go, it's your responsibility to be aware of them, and to comply...or pay the price.

You can EXPLAIN to the judge that you did not know, but I advise you against using it as your EXCUSE, making sure you tell the judge it's NOT your excuse. APOLOGIZE sincerely. Change the tint, save the receipts, bring them to court, plead GUILTY. With no other citations, and proof that you complied with the law by changing the tint, and by NOT making excuses, the judge will most likely drop the charges. The law's concern is that you follow it willingly, and do not break it knowingly...it is not to punish people off-handedly and take their money. You DON'T need a lawyer, only this advice.

Answer 4

He can pull you over just to check the tint. Different states have different laws, but most say that the front windows can't be tinted at all, and back windows can only be a certain percentage.

Be thankful that you hadn't had a few drinks, or he could have given you a DUI as well even though he only pulled you over for the tint. Those are a lot more than seventy bucks.

Answer 5

Limousine service is a business and they are licensed to have that dark of a tint for privacy of clients. You unfortunately got hosed by the person who put your tint on...they should have known it was illegal(In the state of Florida). You absolutely can be pulled over for this, it is called suspicion of illegal activity.

You should look over your contract of whoever installed the tiunt and see if they will fix your tint free. Unless they advised you it is too dark and it is illegal but you said you wanted it put on anyways. Either way you need to fix it...sorry you had to go through this but alwyas make sure the modifications you are doing to your vehicle are legal for private vehicles.

Answer 6

That's happened to me once (here in California). It is annoying because there are road rage drivers (with a death wish) and they never get pulled over, yet one driving at a normal speed is where the cop opts to spend the taxpayer dollars for his service.

I want my money back!

Find out what the tint requirements are and have your tint person redo it (at no charge) to the legal limits.

If you know any friends in the law enforcement, they can reverse that ticket.

Also, if you show proof of the tint being removed they'll normally waive a portion of the fines. Well, that's how they do it in California; but, each state is different.

Answer 7

Limo's are a commercial vehicle. My problem is with the people that do the tinting. They should know what the laws are and most people have no clue that what they are doing is illegal. Sorry, there is nothing you can do except maybe complain to the company that did it and maybe they will give you a break. Good luck.

Answer 8

The officer did nothing wrong here. Not every window in a limo is tinted - only the back compartment. Obviously it is illegal in your neck of the woods.

I live in Oklahoma, and I've never heard of a case like this before.

Sorry that you have to redo your window tint. Best of luck!

Answer 9

Unfortunatly they can fine you - however you can also go back on the facility that tinted your windows - it is actually against the law for them to sell a tint over a certain percent.

A trooper can unfortunatly pull you over for any reason - there doesn't even have to be a reason - they can just do a routine traffic check to make sure everything is good...

Answer 10

Yes, they can do it. It's the same in CA. You will get a fix-it ticket for broken lights, dark tint, etc.

You can either pay the fine, and move on, leaving the tint as it is, and risk getting another ticket, or have it fixed. My friend never had hers fixed. She just figured that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and that it is unlikely that she'll get caught twice. It's been 4 years.

Good luck!