Opinion ID: 2326912
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Tinting Requirements

Text: The ultimate Fourth Amendment issue presented hinges largely on the Maryland law governing the tinting of vehicle windows, and that requires some explanation. There are Federal regulations adopted by the National Highway Traffic Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation governing glazing materials (windows) used in motor vehicles. The Federal regulations adopt American National Standard Z26, which, in pertinent part, requires that windshields and front side windows installed in passenger cars by automobile manufacturers transmit at least 70% of the light striking them. [1] See 49 C.F.R. § 571.205 and ANS Z26. The Federal regulation applies only to the windows installed by the manufacturer, not to post-manufacture tinting, and it does not apply to rear windows of passenger cars. The post-manufacture tinting of motor vehicle windows, which is normally done through a plastic film or metallic laminate applied to the interior side of the window, is regulated largely at the State level, and the standards vary from State to State. In Maryland, post-manufacture tinting is governed by statutes found in titles 22 and 23 of the Transportation Article of the Maryland Code, which deal with vehicle equipment and inspection, and regulations adopted jointly by the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) and the Automotive Safety Enforcement Division of the State Police (ASED). With exceptions not relevant here, § 22-101 of the Transp. Article prohibits a person from driving on any highway a vehicle that is equipped in any manner in violation of title 22. Violation of § 22-101 constitutes a misdemeanor. See Transp. Article, § 27-101(a). Subtitle 4 of title 22 establishes the requirements for certain kinds of vehicle equipment. Of special relevance here is § 22-406, which governs glazing material in motor vehicles. The first part of that section concerns shatter-proof safety glass. Subsection (i) deals specifically with tinting. With an exception not relevant here, § 22406(i)(1)(i) prohibits a person from operating a passenger vehicle on a highway of the State if there is affixed to any window of the vehicle any tinting materials added to the window after manufacture of the vehicle that do not allow a light transmittance through the window of at least 35%. Section 22-406(i)(2) provides: If a police officer observes that a vehicle is being operated in violation of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the officer may stop the driver of the vehicle and, in addition to a citation charging the driver with the offense, issue to the driver a safety equipment repair order in accordance with the provisions of § 23-105 of this article. Two other statutes are pertinent, both in title 23, which deals with the inspection of vehicles. Section 23-104(a) provides, in relevant part, that every vehicle driven on the highways in this State must have glazing equipment meeting or exceeding the standards established jointly by the [MVA] and the [ASED]. Section 23-104(b)(2) requires those agencies to adopt regulations consistent with Federal law for that kind of equipment, and they have done so. Section 23-105(a)(1), mirroring § 22-406(i)(2), provides that, [i]f a police officer observes that a vehicle registered in this State is being operated with any equipment that apparently does not meet the standards established under this subtitle . . . the officer shall stop the driver of the vehicle and issue to him a safety equipment repair order. Such an order requires the owner of the vehicle to have the equipment corrected as necessary within 10 days. Section 22-406(i)  establishing the 35% transmittance requirement  was enacted in 1995. Four years earlier, MVA and ASED had jointly adopted a regulation dealing with post-manufacture tinting. See 18:2 Md. Register 184, 186 (Jan. 25, 1991); 18:6 Md. Register 686 (Mar. 22, 1991). That regulation, in substantially the same form, remains in effect. See COMAR 11.14.02.14. [2] The regulation, which relates to the vehicle inspection program, is set forth in two columns, one entitled Procedures and the other entitled Reject Vehicle If. The Procedures column directs inspectors to inspect all glass for tinting that is not incorporated into the glazing and states that, for passenger cars, [t]his type of added tinting is only acceptable if it meets six requirements: (1) it is not reflective; (2) it is not red, yellow, or amber in color; (3) when used in conjunction with the safety glazing the light transmittance is at least 35 percent; (4) a label provided by the tinting material manufacturer ½ × 1-½ inches containing the manufacturer's name and the percentage of light transmittance is permanently installed in the . . . lower left of rear windows when viewed from the outside; (5) the label is installed between the tinting and glazing materials; and (6) the vehicle is equipped with an outside rearview mirror on each side. Consistently, the Reject Vehicle If' column directs the inspector to reject a vehicle if [t]inting is not incorporated into the glazing except as noted in the procedures and as permitted by federal law. The amalgam of these statutes and the MVA-ASED regulation is that (1) post-manufacture tinting is permissible provided that it allows at least 35% light transmittance and the other conditions set forth in the regulation, including the requirement that a label stating the percentage of light transmittance be permanently attached to the window between the glass and the tinting material, are satisfied, but (2) if a police officer observes a vehicle being driven on a highway that is not in compliance with those requirements, the officer may stop the vehicle and issue both a citation for the traffic offense and a vehicle equipment repair order.