Starting in the early 90s, the motor vehicle industry took to aesthetics as a major part of doing things. This because the debate about whether cars worked or not had been settled even for the worst critics. One of the areas that would gain traction in the new dispensation was the tinting for the windows.
Subsequently, countries jumped in too to proclaim what levels were permissible for them and in the United States, this aspect was left a preserve of individual states.
For Delaware, the very first legislation to come up was passed in 1992. As things have continued to change however, there have been amendments and modifications in order to keep up. Indeed, the details are a reflection of research made across time in order to enable me to share with you only the provisions that remain in force.
You can expect details on how window tint darkness and window tint reflection are regulated, provisions on enforcement, and exemptions to the general standards among other cases.
Towards the end the essay also shares knowledge which though not about the laws per se is incidental to them and I trust will prove instrumental in the contextualization of the legal positions.
Being a live to the fact that the field in which I write about (law) tends to be obscured from accessibility for ordinary people due to the professional jargons that are often employed by lawyers, I have tried to break this down in language that does not necessitate one to be a law student first or to have gone through law school in order to understand the content of the article.
Finally, you can trust to find instances of comparison with other states in relation to specific issues so as to give you a picture of where Delaware stands.
Delaware Window Tinting Darkness Laws
Window tinting darkness is the tinting that most people will think about wherever the topic of tinting is brought about.
Like its name suggests, it realizes this through dark shades that are painted on a car’s window to block the amount of light that can enter on the inside of a car.
The situation of window tint darkness is even more nuanced though as different tints of this sort will emit varying degrees of light into the car.
This is where the concept of Visible Light Transmission also VLT comes in. VLT refers to the percentage of light that a tint in question allows in the car whose windows it is attached.
The higher the percentage VLT of a tint, the more amount of light it will allow into the car. 90% VLT thus, is very close to a car without tint at all and therefore allows into the car more light that 5% VLT (which is the percentage of tinting that comes with limousines).
There have now been established two factors that are usually determinative of the amount of visible light transmission that law makers will ask that some cars have as opposed to others and the first regards the car itself.
Hereunder, legislators will be concerned with the structure of the vehicle as well as its purpose. You could imagine for instance, that it is more unlikely for laws to allow that cars that do public transportation opt for darker shades of tint since they carry a lot of people and therefore lighting would be important for everyone to see the people they are travelling with.
On the other hand, this is not important for private cars since people will already know whom they are travelling with.
The other determinant often rotates around the position of the window on a car. Different windows play different roles so it cannot be that they will all be expected to do the same thing.
Legislatures are especially concerned by the windshields which are the screens through which drivers view the road.
These are often asked of a high VLT percentage and in most cases, they are not to be tinted at all. If you are keen enough, you will have already noticed this variation with the cars around you.
Now, it is not always the case that laws will consider these attributes. Sometimes they are ignored totally and in other cases only one of them is picked. In the case of Delaware, only the window positions matter. Here are the real figures:
- Windshield: tint is only allowed above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line.
- Front side windows: no after-market tint is allowed. This is such a very restrictive requirement. Hardly any other state has it. A minimum of 70% VLT should be used for factory-installed tint. Again, this is way too high if compared to other states.
- Backside windows: there are no restrictions whatsoever on the VLT% to be used. Here Delaware is more liberal than most states.
- Rear window: there are no restrictions whatsoever on the VLT% to be used.
Delaware Window Tint Reflection Laws
Window tint reflection is the less know of the branches of window tinting. This should not make you think for one second though that it is less effective.
If at all, it is better than window tint darkness in some respects. I would encourage you to try it out for yourself if curious.
Rather than block light from entering your car, window tint reflection functions by deflecting the light rays coming its way to somewhere else.
This phenomenon is salient because recognize that unlike window tint darkness whose abuse directly impacts the car owner e.g. when they fall into an accident because they cannot see clearly, poor window tint reflection places the immediate burden on innocent third parties since its them that will have their vision distorted.
As a result, car owners have no incentive to heed to proper standards if the law does not reign in.
We explored the determinants in law of what VLT percentages are demanded of different cars under window tint darkness. These still accrue under window tint reflection i.e. the kind of car that one would be looking at as well as the place on the car that a given window occupies.
The difference here is that we would be looking at the amount of light that is being reflected rather than the visible light transmission. In effect then, depending on the car one is looking at or the window on the said car, the two factors make it such that different light reflection is desirable.
Again, different legislatures decide to settle with either of the factors, both, or even none. In the case of Delaware, window tint reflection is only allowed for front side windows and backside windows.
As for the variation in cars, it is a factor that does not matter. Whether you are driving a van therefore, a sedan, SUV, or truck, the same expectations accrue. These are that window tint reflection may be used provided that it is non-metallic and that it does not create mirrored appearances.
Other Delaware Window Tint Laws
Having read at the laws relating to window tint darkness laws as well as those relating to window tint reflection, you now know the most salient aspects of tinting law in Delaware.
That said however, there are other provisions which without knowing you would still be missing out a lot something that I do not wish for you. Here are those provisions;
- Restriction on colors: it is usually the case that states ban colors the most notorious of laws like these being red and amber. The rationale usually centers on the fact that colors of this sort are overly reflective.
In Delaware however, a driver is free to paint their vehicle windows with any tint colors they wish. This is another incident of the state falling on the liberal side of tint legislation.
- Side mirrors: in Delaware, drivers must drive cars with both side mirrors being installed on them should their rear windows be tinted. This is to be the case even when the tint used is of a low VLT percentage.
Here Delaware goes back to its rigidness yet again. While many states will ask that cars have side mirrors installed on them when their rear windows are tinted, this usually only accrues when the tint adopted is 0% VLT since in such scenarios there is no immediate way for the drivers to communicate with road users coming from the car’s behind.
- Law enforcement exemptions: vehicles used by law enforcement are not to have the standards mentioned under window tint darkness and window tint reflection apply to them. Important to note is that we are talking here about cars designated for these purposes and not private cars driven by police officers.
This is the case because of the unique roles that these cars play that are contingent on secrecy one of them being transporting classified material. Other related exemptions are K-9 unit and collector vehicles.
- Certificates and stickers: in Delaware, there is no requirement that manufacturers issue certificates upon selling tint films. They are expected to give out stickers though.
Certificates in the window tinting sense are documentation given out by manufacturers confirming that the tint they have given out to a buyer complies with the state laws of the area in which they operate.
Related to certificates, are stickers. These are smaller material which indicate the same details as the certificates but bringing with them the advantage of being portable and therefor easy to carry around. Moreover, they can be stuck on the windows once and for all. In Delaware, a driver must place the sticker between the window and the tint film.
- Medical exemptions: Delaware allows special treatment in relation to tinting folks who for reasons of their health conditions cannot work with the standard that applies to everyone else. The science at the moment suggests that persons with particular vision issues as well as skin problems may have their problems exacerbated when they interface with too much sunshine. Examples of these instances include; Lupus, melanoma, allergy etc.
If at all you are a person falling in this category, then you can be able to use less tint by find a medical practitioner who writes you a document in return that certifies your condition. Such personnel should be licensed to operate in the state of Delaware otherwise their certification will be construed as invalid.
Also important to note is that you should carry this documentation with you in the car at all times. You can then present it to law enforcement if at all you get stopped by traffic officers.
- Penalties: Window tint violation is considered an infraction in Delaware. Depending on your particular situation, you will find yourself facing a fine of anywhere between $28 and $100. The eventual sum will go back to whether you are a first time offender or not. Sometime first time offenders are actually only warned and then let go.
The other issue relates to the amount of VLT or reflection percentage with which the windows exceed the legally requisite numbers. Note that payment of a fine does not mean that you are not to be stopped again if at all the tint is not removed. It is salient therefore that upon paying the money you go ahead to remove the tint whether you intend to replace it with a film that complies with the regulations or not.
If you are not sure whether your tint complies with the standards already shared, you can always reach out to a professional to have it checked out for you rather than wait to bump into law enforcement. Remember that tint that violates the law will be easy to screen out by the police by just looking at it as these guys have been in the game for some time. Running and evasion are thus not options that I would recommend.
Others
Now that we know the laws, let us look at some other facts which though not being legal per se will be useful for you both when you decide on whether to tint your car, as well as how you want to do so.
My hope here is that you will not have to make yet another google search in order to understand the practical aspects of window tinting;
- Types of window tinting: Tinting is not a blanket application. It varies greatly so it is crucial to know what you want in the tint before you go on to purchase and later on dress it on your car windows.
Common examples here are; shade bands (thin black strips of tint applied on the windshield top), heat-shrinking tint (this is the common one. Applied on the inside of the window), and sunscreen (this is not tinting per se but serves the same purpose temporarily. This usually happens when the car is parked and it is usually utilized for places like the windshield which are often not tinted to begin with).
- You do not need very dark tint to keep out UV light rays. While it is the case that medical exemptions exist for folks who cannot work with the usual degrees of VLT and reflection requirements, in real time the persons who actually need this allowance are very few.
This is because while tint with low reflection or high VLT percentages still allows considerable amounts of light in the car, it still filters out UV light rays which are often the thing that patients with skin issues for instance are negatively affected by.
Delaware State Info
Delaware takes its name from an English noble who served as the first governor of Virginia. His real name was De La Warr so yeah, there was a bit of modification.
One thing about Delaware today is its size as it is pretty small in comparison with the rest of the country. Sitting at roughly 6,400 km sq, the state is considered second smallest of fifty.
For its size however, Delaware has a significant number of people i.e. just about 1,000,000. The capital of this state is Dover. Other cities in Delaware include; Milton, Georgetown, New Castle, Harrington, Rock manor, Fenwick island, and Newark.
ities in Delaware: Wilmington, Dover, Newark, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, New Castle, Bethany Beach, Middletown, Seaford, Georgetown, Smyrna, Dewey Beach, Milford, Millsboro, Fenwick Island, Schoolview, Milton, Delaware City, Ocean View, Bridgeville, Laurel, Selbyville, Camden, Harrington, Magnolia, Dagsboro, Delmar, Arden, Frankford, Elsmere, Slaughter Beach, Christiana, Townsend, Greenwood, Frederica, Felton, Mermaid Run, Gumboro, Winterthur, Newport, Wembly, Bowers, Hartly, Broadkill Beach, Odessa, Arbor Pointe Apartments, Clayton, Blades, Wyoming, Rock Manor
Counties in Delaware: New Castle, Kent, Sussex
Tint law references:
Delaware DMV – Vehicle Equipment (scroll to end)