WINDOW TINTING
The purpose of this FAQ is to inform and educate the
general public on the laws pertaining to sun-screening
within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Effective September 28, 1996, the Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation adopted new regulations
pertaining to the use of sun-screening (window tinting).
Operation of a vehicle with illegal sun-screening is a
summary traffic offense in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
FACTS:
-
Window tinting is not a part of annual vehicle
safety inspection criteria. If your vehicle
passes an annual safety inspection, this does not
mean that your tinting is legal for use upon the
highways of Pennsylvania.
-
Laws pertaining to window tinting can vary from
state to state. If your vehicle was previously
registered in a state with laws differing from the
laws in Pennsylvania, you must bring your vehicle
into compliance with Pennsylvania law when you
register the vehicle in Pennsylvania.
-
There is no exemption for colored sun-screening for
medical purposes. There are exemption
certificates for medical purposes, however, these
exemptions only allow for colorless (clear)
sun-screening.
-
Exemptions are available after application and
approval by Penn DOT, for vehicles which were already
equipped with colored sun-screening and were
Pennsylvania registered prior to September 8, 1984.
-
Most vehicle windows have a small amount of tinting
already in the glass. Factory glass typically
has light transmittance levels between 70% and 85%.
Federal law prohibits auto manufacturers from making
passenger cars with light transmittance levels lower
than 70%. Some auto dealerships equip new cars
with tinting prior to selling the new vehicle.
This is not factory tinting, and is still required
to meet these requirements.
-
The chart below is designed to assist in determining
the law as it pertains to different vehicles.
The transmittance level means that of the 100% of
light hitting the outside of the window, at least
70% of that light must pass through the window to
the inside of the vehicle. Effectively, the
70% light transmittance requirement means that you
can not put any tinting on the window, as even the
lightest tinting that you can buy will cause the
transmittance level to be below 70%.
|
VEHICLE
TYPE |
WINDSHIELD |
FRONT SIDE
AND
WING
WINDOWS |
REAR SIDE
AND
WIND
WINDOWS |
REAR
WINDOW |
|
1998 AND
NEWER
PASSENGER
CARS |
70% |
70% |
70% |
70% |
|
1997 AND
OLDER
PASSENGER
CARS |
70% |
70% |
70% |
VESC-20
REQUIRED
(1) |
|
TRUCKS AND
MULTI-
PURPOSE
PASSENGER
VEHICLES
(2) |
70% |
70% |
NO
REQUIREMENT |
NO
REQUIREMENT |
|
MEDIUM/HEAVY
TRUCKS AND
BUSES |
70% |
70% |
NO
REQUIREMENT |
NO
REQUIREMENT |
|
ALL OTHER
VEHICLES |
70% |
70% |
NO
REQUIREMENT |
NO
REQUIREMENT |
(1) A label permanently installed
between the sun-screening material and the window to
which it is applied. The label shall contain the
name of the material manufacturer, or a registration
number, and shall contain the statement "complies with
VESC-20." The VESC-20 standard has nothing to do
with the transmittance level of the sun-screening.
The VESC-20 sticker must be affixed in order for
sun-screening to be legal on this window.
(2) For the purpose of this FAQ,
multi-purpose passenger vehicles are defined as those
built on a truck chassis or those which are specifically
designed for occasional off-road use. Mini-vans
are also included in this category.
 |
