STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4026
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to enacting the
"New York state window tinting safety and enforcement act"; and making
an appropriation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "New York state window tinting safety and enforcement act".
3 § 2. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that non-compliant
4 window tinting presents a safety hazard by reducing visibility for driv-
5 ers and law enforcement officers. Although New York state currently
6 limits the allowable level of tint on vehicle windows, enforcement of
7 this law has proven inconsistent. The intent of this legislation is to
8 increase compliance through enhanced enforcement measures, stiffer
9 penalties, and public awareness campaigns, with the goal of reducing
10 dangerous driving conditions and improving law enforcement safety.
11 § 3. Subdivision 12-a of section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law is
12 amended by adding two new paragraphs (g) and (h) to read as follows:
13 (g) Any person convicted of a violation of this subdivision shall for
14 a first conviction thereof be punished by a fine of up to two hundred
15 dollars; for a conviction of a second or subsequent violation such
16 person shall be punished by a fine of up to five hundred dollars; upon
17 conviction of a third or subsequent violation, all of which were commit-
18 ted within a period of two years, such person shall be subject to a
19 vehicle registration suspension until such time as such person is in
20 compliance with this subdivision.
21 (h) Law enforcement agencies shall conduct quarterly window tint
22 enforcement sweeps in high traffic areas to enforce compliance with this
23 subdivision. Law enforcement agencies shall use light transmission
24 meters during such window tint enforcement sweeps to assess compliance
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07569-01-5
A. 4026 2
1 with this subdivision. Law enforcement agencies may use light trans-
2 mission meters during routine traffic stops to assess compliance with
3 this subdivision.
4 § 4. Paragraph 1 of subdivision (c) of section 301 of the vehicle and
5 traffic law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (c) to read as
6 follows:
7 (c) A light transmission meter shall be used during the course of a
8 safety inspection to determine whether any front side window is composed
9 of, covered by or treated with any material which has a light transmit-
10 tance of less than seventy percent pursuant to subparagraph (a) of this
11 paragraph. A determination that any front side window is composed of,
12 covered by or treated with any material which has a light transmittance
13 of less than seventy percent in violation of section three hundred
14 seventy-five of this title shall be a reason for automatic failure of
15 this inspection.
16 § 5. (a) The department of motor vehicles shall conduct a public
17 education campaign to inform vehicle owners about the updated penalties
18 and enforcement procedures for violations of subdivision 12-a of section
19 375 and subdivision (c) of section 301 of the vehicle and traffic law.
20 Such campaign shall include, but not be limited to, digital media, mail-
21 ers, and updates on such department's website to educate drivers on the
22 dangers of illegal tint and the current tint laws pursuant to subdivi-
23 sion 12-a of section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law.
24 (b) The department of motor vehicles shall provide free tint cards to
25 vehicle owners to allow such vehicle owners to independently check the
26 compliance of their window tints with state law.
27 (c) The department of motor vehicles shall prepare and submit a report
28 to the legislature on an annual basis. Such report shall include, but
29 not be limited to:
30 (i) the number of safety inspection failures due to non-compliance
31 with window tint requirements pursuant to section 301 of the vehicle and
32 traffic law; and
33 (ii) the number of violations issued for non-compliance with window
34 tint requirements pursuant to section 375 of the vehicle and traffic
35 law, including data from quarterly window tint enforcement sweeps.
36 § 6. The sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or so much thereof as
37 may be deemed necessary, is hereby appropriated to law enforcement agen-
38 cies out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the
39 credit of such law enforcement agencies, not otherwise appropriated, and
40 made immediately available for the purposes of carrying out the
41 provisions of this act, including providing light transmission meters to
42 such law enforcement agencies and training law enforcement officers on
43 the use of such meters to effectively enforce window tint laws. Such
44 moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on
45 vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of motor vehicles in
46 the manner prescribed by law.
47 § 7. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
48 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
49 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
50 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
51 on or before such effective date.
