Does NJ Fail Inspection for Tint?

For most passenger-registered vehicles in New Jersey, tint on the two front doors does not by itself cause the vehicle to fail the state's current emissions-focused inspection. That does not mean the front-window tint is legal on the road—passing NJ inspection and complying with New Jersey window-tint law are two different things.

Commercially registered vehicles have different inspection requirements, and windshield tint also requires additional attention because the inspection sticker must be accessible.

At Dope Tintings in Pennsauken, this is a question we get regularly from customers who are due for inspection and don't know whether they need to pay us to remove their tint first.

Because most passenger vehicles in New Jersey are no longer receiving the type of general safety inspection that used to check mechanical and safety-related items.

New Jersey changed its passenger-vehicle inspection program effective August 1, 2010.

For most passenger vehicles, the inspection became an emissions-only inspection.

That distinction explains something that confuses a lot of customers.

A vehicle can have aftermarket tint on the two front doors, go through the applicable passenger-vehicle emissions inspection and receive an inspection sticker.

That does not mean New Jersey just approved the window tint.

The current passenger inspection simply isn't a general approval of every piece of equipment on the vehicle.

No.

This is probably the most important point in this article.

We've had customers assume:

"If New Jersey gave me an inspection sticker with my front windows tinted, the tint must be legal."

That's not how it works.

For most passenger vehicles, there isn't a front-window-tint safety inspection for you to "pass" under the current emissions-focused inspection.

Your inspection sticker shows that the vehicle satisfied the inspection requirements that applied to it.

It does not give you permission to ignore New Jersey's separate window-tint rules.

Police can still stop a vehicle for tint that violates those rules even though the vehicle has a current inspection sticker.

For a complete explanation of the state's tint requirements, read our New Jersey Window Tint Laws Guide.

For a normal passenger-registered vehicle, we would not tell you to pay us to remove your two front-window tints solely because your NJ inspection is coming up.

Customers call us and ask:

"My inspection is tomorrow and I have 20% on my two front doors. Do I need to take it off?"

Our answer is:

No—not just for the current passenger emissions inspection.

Again, that doesn't mean we're telling you the tint is legal.

We're answering a very specific question:

Do you need to remove the two front-door tint just to take a normal passenger vehicle through the current NJ inspection process?

Based on the inspection program and what we've seen with our customers, no.

The windshield requires a different conversation.

If a customer buys a vehicle without a current inspection sticker, or the existing sticker is close to expiring, we normally recommend:

Get the vehicle inspected first, then come back for the windshield tint.

That keeps the inspection-sticker situation much simpler.

If the windshield is already tinted, the area where the inspection sticker is removed and replaced becomes important.

For vehicles with approved medical windshield sunscreening, NJMVC currently says an area approximately 6 inches wide by 8 inches high must remain tint-free in the lower-left corner of the windshield as viewed from the driver's position.

That clear area allows the old inspection sticker to be removed and the new sticker to be installed.

NJMVC also states that the vehicle owner is responsible for providing that tint-free area before inspection and that inspection personnel will not remove the applied windshield tint.

This is important because we've heard other dimensions discussed, including 8-by-8.

Until NJMVC officially publishes something different, 6 inches by 8 inches is the measurement we would reference from the current MVC guidance.

No.

Don't confuse the inspection-sticker opening with New Jersey's rules governing whether aftermarket windshield tint is allowed in the first place.

They're two different issues.

The tint-free inspection area gives inspection personnel access to the sticker location.

It does not automatically make an otherwise noncompliant windshield tint legal.

New Jersey does have a medical sunscreening program that can authorize sunscreening on the windshield and/or front side windows for approved applicants.

If you're considering front-window or windshield tint because of a medical condition, the approval process should be handled before assuming the tint is permitted.

This is one of those details that comes directly from working with customers.

The inspection station near our Pennsauken shop has referred customers to us asking if we can cut the required opening into tint that's already installed on the windshield.

We don't offer that service.

To cut a box out of existing windshield film, a blade has to be used against the inside surface of the windshield.

We don't want to take the chance of marking the glass and then having those marks become visible later if the windshield film is completely removed.

It's a liability we choose not to accept.

At Dope Tintings, if an existing windshield film needs to come off for this situation, our option is to remove the windshield film completely rather than blade-cut a box into the installed film.

New Jersey has an official medical sunscreening program.

NJMVC states that approved motorists may have sunscreening applied to the windshield and/or front side windows after receiving approval.

The approval documentation must be kept in the vehicle and may need to be shown to law enforcement and during inspection.

For an approved medically tinted windshield, the current NJMVC inspection guidance still requires the approximately 6-by-8-inch tint-free inspection-sticker area.

So a medical exemption does not mean the inspection-sticker location can simply be covered permanently.

Yes, and this is where customers need to be particularly careful.

Commercially registered vehicles are not treated the same as ordinary passenger-registered vehicles for inspection purposes.

Applicable commercial vehicles can be subject to annual inspection requirements that include safety/mechanical components, rather than the normal two-year emissions-only passenger inspection.

That means a customer should not assume:

"My personal SUV passed with tinted front windows, so my commercially registered work van will too."

Those are different inspection situations.

This is something we've dealt with firsthand.

We have commercial customers who tint their work vehicles but need to deal with those front windows again when annual inspection comes around.

One customer currently brings his work vans to us to have the tint removed for inspection and then has the windows tinted again afterward.

That creates a frustrating cycle:

Install tint → remove tint for inspection → inspect vehicle → reinstall tint → repeat the following year.

This is why we want commercial customers to understand the difference before paying for an installation.

If your truck or van has commercial plates, verify the inspection requirements that apply to your particular vehicle before assuming the passenger-car rules apply.

We've personally had a commercially registered customer with a medical waiver still encounter inspection problems with his work vans.

Because commercial inspection requirements and medical sunscreening rules can interact differently depending on the vehicle and inspection situation, we don't want to tell every commercial owner:

"Your medical waiver automatically guarantees you'll pass."

If you have commercial registration plus a medical sunscreening exemption, verify your particular vehicle and documentation with NJMVC before your inspection.

That's safer than assuming the passenger-vehicle process applies.

If you're only tinting the two front doors on a normal passenger-registered vehicle, you don't need to wait solely because your emissions inspection is next month.

But the windshield is different.

If you're planning a full windshield installation and:

• Your inspection sticker is about to expire
• The vehicle doesn't currently have its inspection sticker
• You recently purchased the vehicle and still need to complete inspection

our recommendation is:

Get the vehicle inspected first, then come back for the windshield.

That avoids creating an unnecessary sticker-access problem immediately after paying for a windshield installation.

Then we'd reverse the order.

If your commercially registered vehicle is due for its annual inspection soon, we'd normally recommend:

Get the commercial inspection completed first. Then come to us for the front-window tint.

Otherwise, you could potentially pay for installation and then turn around shortly afterward and pay to have the film removed for inspection.

That's unnecessary money spent if the inspection is already due.

Here's the simplest way to understand the difference:

For a normal passenger-registered vehicle going through New Jersey's current emissions-focused inspection, front-door tint by itself does not normally cause an inspection failure. That does not mean 20% front tint is legal under New Jersey's separate tint laws.

If it's a normal passenger-registered vehicle and we're only talking about the two front doors, we would not recommend paying to remove the tint solely for the current passenger inspection.

No. The inspection sticker shows that your vehicle satisfied the inspection requirements that applied to it. It does not certify that otherwise prohibited front-window tint is legal.

If your passenger vehicle is due for inspection soon or doesn't yet have its inspection sticker, our recommendation is to complete the inspection first and tint the windshield afterward.

Commercially registered vehicles can be subject to annual safety/mechanical inspection requirements that differ from normal passenger vehicles. We've personally had commercial customers remove front tint before inspection and reinstall it afterward.

At Dope Tintings in Pennsauken, we regularly work with customers who aren't sure whether to tint before inspection, remove existing film or wait until afterward.

The first thing we need to know is:

Is the vehicle passenger registered or commercially registered?

Then we need to know:

Are we talking about the two front doors or the windshield?

Those two answers can completely change the recommendation.

If you're considering tint for your vehicle, learn more about our South Jersey window tinting services.

You can also read our New Jersey Window Tint Laws Guide to understand the difference between what happens at inspection and what New Jersey allows on the road.

For most passenger-registered vehicles, tint on the two front doors does not by itself cause a failure under New Jersey's current emissions-focused inspection program.

But remember:

Passing inspection does not make the tint legal.

New Jersey eliminated the mechanical-defects check for most passenger vehicles in 2010. That's why your passenger vehicle can receive an inspection sticker without the inspection functioning as an approval of your front-window tint.

Windshield tint requires additional planning, especially around the inspection-sticker area.

Commercially registered vehicles are different because applicable commercial vehicles can have annual safety/mechanical inspection requirements.

So if you call Dope Tintings and say:

"My passenger car has tint on the two front doors and inspection is tomorrow. Do I need to remove it?"

our answer is:

No—not if it's a normal passenger-registered vehicle and we're only talking about the two front doors.

If it's commercially registered or you're dealing with windshield tint, tell us that upfront because the recommendation changes.

Compare our Window Tint Packages if you're planning an installation after inspection.

Or contact Dope Tintings with your year, make, model, registration type and which windows you're considering.

Call: 856-577-4119

Dope Tintings
6830 N Crescent Blvd
Pennsauken NJ 08110