According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), there are three (3) main legal restrictions for window tint on a car in the State of California:
1) Front windows cannot have after-market tint.
2) Front Windshield cannot have after-market tint.
3) If the rear window (rear windshield) receives aftermarket tint, the vehicle must have exterior rear view mirrors on both the left and right sides of the vehicle.

No need to measure tint, any tint is illegal on the front. OP fail for not knowing state laws.
If you want to have as little issues when pulled over. Before the office even gets to you car have your engine and radio off, your license registration and proof of insurance in hand, and both hand on the top of the steering wheel. At that point you never even have to say a word to them.

Know the law.......
If you break it, pay the law.
Don't give them any reasons especially if you black cause there slaughtering us like cattle and getting away with it. The only word I use with the cops is "Yes, No and OK".
Your tint is illegal..............."OK"
I need your license ............"OK"
Gonna write you a ticket......"OK"
Have you been drinking........"NO"
Is your licence valid............."YES"
Everything checks out, have a nice day, "OK"

:iagree:

Exactly how I handle the police too whenever I get pulled over.

As a former LEO, I agree with what you have said. In any situation regarding getting pulled over, it is better to just say the minimum required. Less the LEO can use against you, and less to change his demeanor. If the LEO decided not to write you a ticket, your bad attitude can change that in a hurry so why screw yourself?

Very true, not all cops are bad, in fact the majority of them are great guys and gals, but like anything else all there gonna trend are the bad cops and not the ones who will change a tire on the side on a busy freeway for a mother with a van full of soccer kids or the cop in my subdivision who locks down the streets and have his buddys come over off duty to make sure our kids are safe while they trick or treat during Halloween. Cops deal with a lot, I get that and so do civilians, it's all about respect and that needs to be established on both sides. The cop in this case was very professional and although the OP didn't like the outcome, the officer in question did his job.

:iagree:

I couldn't have said it better.

I know 2 people personally who I have known for closer to 11 years now, one is a CHP and one was a detective and then moved to CHP. Both are great guys in and out of the uniform. I say that because I have run into them while on duty before and seen how they are with others as well as myself.

It's all about the respect being held for the other person.

Think of the UFC: their objective is to kick the living crap out of the other person in the ring, but 9 times out of 10, almost 10/10. What do you see when the fight is over or the bell has rung in between rounds? The respect the fighters have for each other.

Exactly the reason I have (illegal) 20% tint; I was sick of people gawking in at me all the time. No hassles yet because to actually have a cop say something about your tint you usually have to be doing something like speeding, and then lip off to him for good measure.

Of course some cops are dicks, but I haven't had the misfortune of meeting one yet.

IMHO Most cops will not pull you over for the sole reason of tint. Most of the time that infraction is attached to another higher infraction such as what happened to the OP with no front plate. The reason why the OP got a "fix it" ticket is because the cop did not run a tint meter and knew it could get thrown out in court. Most cops do not even carry one in their cars anyways.

:iagree:

They usually have the speed gun and that is it. And most of the time the gun isn't calibrated correctly to be used to give a ticket anyhow.

A lot of people just are like well he got me on the speed gun, it must be right. Not always. But if he has the certificate of calibration for the gun, well then by all means write me up a ticket and I will pay it and do traffic school lol

That sucks

ive been pulled over too many times for tint and no front plates. never got cited, just got verbal warnings.

needless to say, neither one of my current hobby cars have tint and both run front plates. why? just got tired of getting pulled over and getting asked a bunch of wat mods have you done :D q's.. :ugh:

That is when you say all legal mods sir :P

But I can understand just not wanting to get pulled over anymore. The big reason my front license plate is off was because it blocks a lot of the airflow into the intakes and to cool the car.

Now my intakes are a completely different story :P I will never answer which way the filters are facing because they are facing the illegal way haha :owned::wtf2:
I flared the filers for the intakes toward the fenders for extra air intake, which the police don't like

. Lmao

:tup:

Where in Sacramento?