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Auto repair owner, counsel outline inspection, enforcement problems tied to window tinting
Summary
During a House Transportation committee hearing April 30, an inspection station owner and legislative counsel described enforcement and implementation challenges if window-tint standards are reintroduced into vehicle inspections, including equipment costs, calibration, and federal visible-light standards.
West Ward, owner of West Ward Auto Repair in St. Johnsbury, told the House Committee on Transportation on April 30 that requiring stations to measure window tint during vehicle inspections would raise costs and complicate the inspection process.
The discussion came during a committee session that also covered multiple sections of a transportation bill. "We would have to obviously buy that same equipment and have it calibrated once a year just to make sure that it's working properly and then training involved with that as well," West Ward said. He added that extra equipment and work would increase inspection costs, sometimes turning a $75 inspection into one that can exceed $150 when tint removal is required.
Why it matters: the committee is weighing language that would restore a measurable window-glazing standard to state inspection requirements. Damien Leonard, legislative counsel, told the committee the federal safety standard cited in prior statute — 49 CFR 571.205 referencing ANSI/SAE Z26.1 (1996) — effectively requires a minimum of 70% visible light transmission for glazing used for driving visibility (equivalent to a maximum of 30% tint). "For something that is used for driving visibility ... it's that 70% light transmission," Leonard said.
Committee members and witnesses discussed two implementation problems. First, after-market tinting can be darker than factory-installed glazing, and enforcement would require either equipment to measure visible-light transmittance or subjective inspector judgment. West Ward said inspector judgment is inconsistent: "Sometimes, they will let window tint go 1 year and then the next year fail the car for that very item that passed the year before." Second, buying and maintaining testing equipment would be a cost to private inspection stations. West Ward said stations would need annual calibration and staff training to use the devices.
The committee also heard that the federal standard itself creates complexity because it covers multiple glass types. Leonard said the ANSI standard sets different allowable transmissions depending on whether the glass is used for driver visibility or is specialized (for example, ballistic-resistant glass). That distinction, he said, could make it difficult for inspectors to know whether a particular vehicle's glass falls under a different federal substandard: "There are actually multiple levels of visible light transmission under the federal standard depending on the type of glass. And the inspection mechanic is not going to know if you have a BMW 7 series protection with bullet resistant glass or if you're driving a standard BMW 7 series long."
Committee members asked whether removing tint entirely on front windows would simplify enforcement. Representative Wells asked, "Should we just get rid of no tint at all? Just make it easier for you guys and make it easier for law enforcement and just get rid of the tint on the front windows and the side front?" West Ward said eliminating tint would be easier, but noted that manufacturers are permitted under federal standards to install some light tint: "I know that there is a certain amount of tint allowed by the federal government ... that should be the only thing that's allowed."
The owner also described how tint enforcement can produce friction with customers: failing a vehicle solely for tint may require customers either to pay to remove tint or to return later, which in some cases leads to vehicles avoiding inspection. "A lot of cars that are coming in that have window tint aren't inspected at all," he said, adding that sticker-color continuity (same color sticker over multiple years) contributes to drivers not paying attention to expired inspections.
No formal committee vote was taken on tinting standards during the session. Members asked DMV and other witnesses to provide implementation and cost details before the committee decides whether to require measurable testing or to rely on policy-language tied to the federal visible-light transmission standard.
The committee recessed the topic to seek additional testimony on equipment costs, calibration, training needs and whether DMV would implement a measurable testing protocol within its modernization plans.
