How often do you get pulled over for Tint?

[jkoya]

I got pulled over for window tint on Northbound I-680 in Walnut Creek, CA. I was in my former Honda CR-Z at the time and can't remember the tint percentage now, but it wasn't that dark and you could easily see into the car. CHP told me it was a "Fix It" ticket for the tint and I could pay online (plus additional credit card transaction fee added) or by mail.

Went to the Sac PD station near me and asked if they could sign my fix-it ticket off. SPD Officer asked why I got a ticket. I told him for window tint. He said, "What ? You got pulled over for tint ? That's crazy and I don't know why CHP is doing that. Give me the ticket son..". He signed it off with out even looking at the car.

The tint shop I was using at the time told me Elk Grove, CA is famous for pulling over cars for tint. He said on some days he gets more work for removing tint from tickets in Elk Grove then he does for installing tint...

 

[SDM44]

Yes, most people in Southern California has tinted windows. And yes, it's illegal in CA to have your front windows tinted more than 70%

However, if your car front side windows aren't pitch-black looking, or if your car has a front license plate on it, or if you're not driving like an a-hole that makes you stand out in a crowd of cars, then in most cases a cop won't care to pull you over for it. Just blend in with the rest of the cars and you will most likely not get noticed.

Most of the time when I see people get a tint ticket, it's usually because the cop was bored or upset at life and just wanted to ticket you to feel better about himself, or if they pull you over for something else and realize they don't have a good enough reason to ticket you for it and look for other vehicle violations (ie. tint or missing front plate are the 2 main ones).