We all have preferences about which cars we want to drive but also importantly, how they should look like. And tinting comes in in relation to the latter aspect.
Of course there are more reasons as to why people tint– and we will look at them later– nonetheless, regardless of what it is that yours is, it is important that you know what the law expects of you if you live in Arkansas.
The first attempt at regulating this part of life in the state was in 1993 though there have been a couple of amendments in the intervening years usually because of developments in technology and how those have changed perceptions of stakeholders.
Mindful of this, I have made sure that I look out for the provisions that still stand i.e. leaving out those that have since been repealed.
You can expect then to learn about aspects of window tinting darkness and reflection, exemption to the general tinting laws, penalties for those that fail to heed to the legal requirements etc.
As matter of fact, Arkansas is easily one of the harshest states when it comes to the very last attribute so you want to be very kin as you go about appreciating the other parts window tint laws.
As usual, I have endeavored to use simple language that scraps the different provisions of their legalese their by making them easy to understand for persons that did not go to law school.
Otherwise, I hope you find the article helpful.
Window Tint Darkness Regulations in Arkansas
Window tint darkness is the first broad aspect of any window tinting regulation/code out there. It also relates to the most famous aspect of tinting i.e. that in which people dress their cars in film that is dark enough to block a significant degree of lighting as well as heat from entering the car.
These laws are promulgated around a quantity known as Visible Light Transmission (also VLT). VLT refers to the percentage of light that the tint on a car allows through the window where it is attached.
The higher the VLT of a given tint, the more amount of light it will allow through. 90% VLT will therefore allow in more light than say 30% or 40% VLT.
As to what proportions of VLT will be asked of certain cars and not others, there are majorly two things that determine them. First, is the type of vehicle indeed.
Factors like its structure and the purpose for which it is employed go a long way in guiding law makers on what is to be asked of it.
Given the risks of painting a car in very dark shades thus, it is likely that laws are much more conservative in relation to vehicles that carry bigger numbers of passengers.
The second issue regards the position of particular windows on cars. There are for different kinds of windows here i.e. the windshield, front side windows, backside windows, as well as the rare shield. Understanding that the windshield plays a much more crucial role whilst driving for instance, laws often stipulate high VLT levels for it as opposed to the other windows.
That said, what the law eventually becomes is not always the same. Some states may ignore one of these factors, others follow them but ask of different percentages etc.
For Arkansas though, the law is considerate of both car types as well as window positions. Below are the particulars;
- Tint darkness for Sedans
Windshield: tint is to only be used for the top 5 inches of the screen.
Front side windows: the minimum VLT expected is 25%.
Backside windows: the minimum VLT expected is 25%.
Rear window: the minimum VLT expected is 10%.
- Tint darkness for SUVs and Vans
Windshield: tint is only to be used for the top 5 inches of the screen.
Front side windows: the minimum VLT expected is 25%.
Backside windows: the minimum VLT expected is 10%.
Rear window: the minimum VLT expected is 10%.
Window Tint Reflection Regulations in Arkansas
Window tint reflection is lesser known twin of window tinting. Make no mistake to confuse this for inefficiency. Window tint reflection works just as well if not better than window tint darkness in some case.
The only difference regards how each of these two goes about reducing light penetration into the car. Whereas the tint darkness blocks part of the rays coming its way, tint reflection would divert them instead. This is the case because these different kinds of tint film are composed of material that is different.
Window tint reflection can be categorized in three ways. First is about the colors in which a vehicle’s windows are shaded. As you might know already (even outside tinting), different colors have varying degrees of reflection.
Sometimes laws will therefore ban the usage of colors that they perceive to be overly reflective and thus having the potential to highly distract traffic. Interesting enough though, Arkansas all colors to be used.
The other important issue relates to the material that is used in the manufacturing of tint. These vary so much that their shinning differs considerably. Law makers often bar the using of tint that give off too much lighting in reflection.
This because you do not want to blur the vision of road users that would be coming towards or from behind a particular vehicle. In regards to this attribute, Arkansas disallows of tint made from metal.
The degree of light that tint reflects is crucial too. Legislatures will usually strike a balance between ensuring that the percentage finally settled on is enough to protect reasonable wishes of car owners but also not too much to become disconcerting to everyone else.
In some sense, the other two aspects are measured by this standard. Arkansas has here allowed tinting so long as it has no mirroring effect.
Like window tint darkness, laws will apply the three aspects dependent on the type of car in question as well as the places on which different windows occupy on the car.
Rear windows and window shields are often considered as much risky by this account. That said, Arkansas law entirely ignores this factor.
Other Window Tint Regulations in Arkansas
Away from window tint darkness and window tint reflection general provisions, there are yet a couple more provisions that you should appreciate if you are going to know the full picture to work with.
Most of these are either in complement of the two broad aspects of the law discussed already or they regard enforceability issues.
That is to say that if I was to tackle each provision of the law, I would end up boring you– moreover, for no good reason. Here are our top picks then;
- Side mirrors: often, states will requires that if you are to tint your rear window in a pretty dark way (e.g. with the sedans and vans VLT at 10%), that you must install on the car two side mirrors as a way to counterbalance the risk of being unable to see the cars and other objects behind you. Arkansas is liberal enough though that they do not require this.
That being the case though, I would encourage you to have these side mirrors if you are using 10% VLT both for the sake of good citizenry but also safety.
- Stickers and certification: again, unlike other states, Arkansas does not require certification of tint films by manufacturers. The form of accountability present instead is stickers. One should be attached on the driver’s window between the tint and vehicle glass. Among other things, it must show that the tint used complies with the state law requirements.
- Medical exemptions: the numbers and explanation given under window tint darkness and tint reflection above apply generally. There are people however, who owing to their health cannot stand them. Common examples of these are individuals with complications with their skins and eyes. In such cases therefore, Arkansas law allows room for special treatment e.g. working with tint that has much lower VLT percentages.
If you are one of these folks, then all you will have to do is approach a physician to and ask them to issue you a document that attests to the condition in question. Tint installers will upon reading the same tint your car according to the darkness or reflection that suits you best.
If pulled over by law enforcement, you would still show them the doctor’s testimony and they would let you go.
Arkansas approaches things different here again i.e. it does not require of drivers to apply to government officials first thereby avoiding the bureaucracy the same creates in other places in the country. That said, note car windows even in their normal state tend to block ultra-violate rays of the sun to an extent. Ascertain first then that the same is not enough protection for you before beginning on application under the medical exemptions.
- Wearing tint: if tint starts to peel off, crack, or bubble in a way that disrupts its functioning thereby making it to contradict the law in ways that it did not do when it was new e.g. by blocking more light, you will be presumed to be perpetrating an illegality should you be pulled over.
It is thus salient that you monitor the windows from time to time so you can replace your tint once it has outlived its purpose. Buying quality tint goes a long way too as you would not have to buy more of it time and again.
- Penalties: the formerly open ended approach that we have talked about as existing with Arkansas’ window tint regulations hits a rock when it comes to penalties which is why you need to be careful here. One sees the justification for this since if things were easy all through then there would be an incentive to disregard these regulations altogether. As such, violations under window tint law are considered to be Class B misdemeanors.
Punishment comes either in form of a fine or jail term with a maximum of $1,000 or 90 days (3 months) in prison respectively. Things are worsened by the fact that a car is a big thing that moves everywhere and that tint is placed on its most revealing parts. It is thus very hard to escape being noticed if at all you are violating the stipulated law. Unless you intend to keep your car parked at home of course.
That said, the fine and jail term stated above are maximum penalties so it is not likely that most people who are found to be in contravention of the tinting legal provisions will face either. Everything will depend the particular circumstances of the case at hand. A first time offender will for instance usually meet very light punishment or even a mere cautioning.
Conclusion
Window tinting laws do not operate in a vacuum. In this section thus, we will explore some important practical aspect of tinting itself.
That way you can be equipped with additional knowledge when the time comes for you to decide what tinting you will use for your vehicle (s).
- Material: we have already talked about the fact that Arkansas will not let you use metallic tint. In that case, the best option left for you would be polyester. It is a dynamic fabric indeed combining strength, clarity, potential to bind on other things which are essentially the properties that are required of tint that works.
- Choosing the person/company to help you with tint installation: there will be many entities out there presenting themselves as the best in tinting so it is not easy to know which one of them to trust. And of course, a lot depends on the choice that you eventually settle with.
My advice is that you first establish the experience of the options available to you. More often than not, a dealer that has been in the business for a good time is less likely to blander if contrasted with their compatriots.
Moreover, these personnel will be well acquainted with market dynamics including parts of the law. From here, you can find out what the drivers whose cars the said businesses have worked on have to say about their services.
- Subtle benefits: when we talk about tinting, most people quickly think about privacy and esthetics. Those who do find interest in either thus quickly dash away from this aspect of car welfare. While the two aspects are important however, they are only but a small portion of the true possibilities available to folks that tint.
Other unique ones include the fact that by reducing the penetration of rays into the car, tinting keeps the inside cool. This is therefore one alternative to air conditioning which is an application that is not environmental friendly and is also high on your car’s energy consumption.
Moreover, heat reduction reduces the wearing and tearing as well as rate of the car’s inside parts.
Arkansas State Info
Made up of approximately 3,000,000 people, Arkansas is found in the southern region of the United States. It sits on roughly 133,000 km sq of land with its capital as Little Rock.
One of the things that Arkansas is most famous for is its physical features. It is thus home to highlands (e.g. the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains), water bodies (e.g. part of the Mississippi), and vast chunks of heavily forested land (e.g. the so-called Arkansas timberland) among other things. Because of this, Arkansas has been nicknamed the “nature state”.
The state is therefore a destination for many tourists. Should you be more urban oriented however, you should still not worry yourself as there are still many cities in the state.
They include; Harrison, Mountain Home, West Memphis, Mena, Eureka Springs, Searcy, Heber Springs, El Dorado, Benton, Russellville, Arkadelphia, Bella Vista, Van Buren, Springs, Pine Bluff, Rogers, Mountain View.
Cities in Arkansas: Little Rock, Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Fort Smith, North Little Rock, Bentonville, Jonesboro, Eureka Springs, Conway, Pine Bluff, Springdale, Rogers, Russellville, Searcy, El Dorado, Mountain Home, Hope, Lexa, Texarkana, Harrison, West Memphis, Sherwood, Mountain View, Mena, Cabot, Arkadelphia, Benton, Batesville, Bella Vista, Heber Springs, Van Buren, Siloam Springs, Paragould, Jacksonville, Ozark, Blytheville, Stuttgart, Maumelle, Kingsland, Pennys, Magnolia, Delight, Camden, Murfreesboro, Green Forest, De Witt, Calico Rock, Forrest City, Bryant
Counties in Arkansas: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonuke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Quachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Francis, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, Yell
Tint law references:
Arkansas Section 27-37-306: Light transmission levels for the tinting of motor vehicle windows