"Hello, this is yet another question regaurding tinted windows. My car also came tinted.It was used in car shows. I recently got pulled over because there was no plate on the front. It had fallen off because the car is mostly plastic. I had ordered vanity plates and I had not heard anything yet. I told this to the officer and he wrote me a ticket. My windows were rolled down when I was pulled over.The tint stripe on the front was 6 1/4 inchs. I know that the law is 6 inchs so I can't say anything about that.I looked it up afterwards. Is this common practice to get a ticket without them seeing the tint? My whole problem is all states are different with the laws and I just don't understand why I had gotton a ticket for the plate when I explained they were ordered.. After that day the next day I drove around and saw 54 cars with tint and 10 with no front plate...Some cars were Escalades and Caddillac Devilles, Suv's ..I have a black TA..Is this a target? I actually talked to some of the people and they said they've never been pulled over for the tint/plate. But when I talked to owners of TA's and Mustangs,sports cars in general. they've all been pulled over..NONE FOR SPPEDING JUST FOR TINT.and it's always the same trooper. I also haven't had a ticket in 26 years. I understand troopers are doing their jobs and the laws the law and definitely don't get paid for what you have to deal with but if you look at it, it seems it's a little one sided. In the mean time I've made a appointment to get the tint off even if the car came with it on. I'm sure I will be pulled over again and another ticket issued because of the type of car I drive. I'm not the only driver who see'e this going on. Thank you in advance if you can shed some light on this.."
While most laws are similar, some vehicle laws and regulations vary from state to state. As Illinois residents, we are subject to the laws administered by our state's lawmakers. Many Police Officers will issue a warning for equipment offenses unless one has previously been given. In your case, you explained the situation to the Officer and he/she elected to issue a citation. Not knowing all the details of a specific case, I can't comment on why the Officer elected to issue a citation rather than a warning. You still have the right to go to court and explain the situation to the Judge.
I can only speak for the Illinois State Police, but our policy (and that of most Police Departments) is that we do not target specific types of vehicles or persons. As you can imagine, Police Officers can't stop every violation of the law that they see, but I can tell you that a large number of citations and warnings are issued for tinted windows or no front plate. Anyone who does not comply with these laws is then subject to the consequences. Again, if you have proof that you subsequently complied with the law, you may want to go to court and show proof of your compliance to the Judge.
To ticket you for tinted windows they have to be obstructing your view, and the officer must have proof of that. The ticket itself is for obstruction of view. If your windows were down the whole time then the officer cannot prove that they were obstructing your view, and thereby cannot ticket you.
From M/Sgt. Ness:
Your statement is incorrect in Illinois. The section, 625 ILCS 5/12-503, specifically prohibits "window applications, reflective or non-reflective material, or tinted film" on the front windshield, sidewings or side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver. No degree of tint is allowed, and no measurement of the degree of tint is mentioned in Illinois law. You are correct, however, in that the section is also applied for obstructions of view. For instance, if you have a sign or other material obstructing the driver's view in any manner, a ticket can be written also utilizing this section. Thanks for your comment.