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2011 SESSION
11100804DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 46.2-1052 and 46.2-1167 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 46.2-1052. Tinting films, signs, decals, and stickers on windshields, etc.; safety inspection fees for certain vehicles; penalties.
A. Except as otherwise provided in this article or permitted by federal law, it shall be unlawful for any person to operate any motor vehicle on a highway with any sign, poster, colored or tinted film, sun-shading material, or other colored material on the windshield, front or rear side windows, or rear windows of such motor vehicle. This provision, however, shall not apply to any certificate or other paper required by law or permitted by the Superintendent to be placed on a motor vehicle's windshield or window.
The size of stickers or decals used by counties, cities, and towns in lieu of license plates shall be in compliance with regulations promulgated by the Superintendent. Such stickers shall be affixed on the windshield at a location designated by the Superintendent.
B. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, whenever a motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side of such vehicle, so located as to reflect to the driver of such vehicle a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle, any or all of the following shall be lawful:
1. To drive a motor vehicle equipped with one optically grooved clear plastic right-angle rear view lens attached to one rear window of such motor vehicle, not exceeding 18 inches in diameter in the case of a circular lens or not exceeding 11 inches by 14 inches in the case of a rectangular lens, which enables the driver of the motor vehicle to view below the line of sight as viewed through the rear window;
2. To have affixed to the rear side windows, rear window or windows of a motor vehicle any sticker or stickers, regardless of size; or
3. To drive a motor vehicle when the driver's clear view of the highway through the rear window or windows is otherwise obstructed.
C. Except as provided in § 46.2-1053, but notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, no sun-shading or tinting film may be applied or affixed to any window of a motor vehicle unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side of such motor vehicle, so located as to reflect to the driver of the vehicle a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle, and the sun-shading or tinting film is applied or affixed in accordance with the following:
1. No sun-shading or tinting films may be applied or affixed
to the front
side windows, rear
side windows,
or rear window or windows of any motor vehicle operated on the highways of this
the
Commonwealth that reduce the total light transmittance of such
window to less than 35 percent;
2. No sun-shading or
tinting films may be applied or affixed to the front side windows of any motor
vehicle operated on the highways of this Commonwealth that reduce total light
transmittance of such window to less than 50 percent;
3. No
sun-shading or tinting films shall be applied or affixed to any window of a
motor vehicle that (i) have a reflectance of light exceeding 20 percent or (ii)
produce a holographic or prism effect.
Any person who operates a motor vehicle on the highways of
this the Commonwealth with sun-shading or
tinting films that (i) have a total light transmittance less than that required
by subdivisions subdivision 1
and
2 of this subsection, (ii) have a reflectance of light exceeding
20 percent, or (iii) produce holographic or prism effects shall be guilty of a
traffic infraction but shall not be awarded any demerit points by the
Commissioner for the violation.
Any person or firm who applies or affixes to the windows of
any motor vehicle in Virginia sun-shading or tinting films that (i) reduce the
light transmittance to levels less than that allowed in subdivisions subdivision 1 and 2 of this subsection, (ii) have a
reflectance of light exceeding 20 percent, or (iii) produce holographic or
prism effects shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor for the first offense
and of a Class 2 misdemeanor for any subsequent offense.
D. The Division of Purchases and Supply, pursuant to § 2.2-1112, shall determine the proper standards for equipment or devices used to measure light transmittance through windows of motor vehicles. Law-enforcement officers shall use only such equipment or devices to measure light transmittance through windows that meet the standards established by the Division. Such measurements made by law-enforcement officers shall be given a tolerance of minus seven percentage points.
E. No film or darkening material may be applied on the windshield except to replace the sunshield in the uppermost area as installed by the manufacturer of the vehicle.
F. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the affixing to the rear window of a motor vehicle of a single sticker no larger than 20 square inches if such sticker is totally contained within the lower five inches of the glass of the rear window, nor shall subsection B of this section apply to a motor vehicle to which but one such sticker is so affixed.
G. Nothing in this section shall prohibit applying to the rear side windows or rear window of any multipurpose passenger vehicle or pickup truck sun-shading or tinting films that reduce the total light transmittance of such window or windows below 35 percent.
H. As used in this article:
"Front side windows" means those windows located adjacent to and forward of the driver's seat;
"Holographic effect" means a picture or image that may remain constant or change as the viewing angle is changed;
"Multipurpose passenger vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is (i) designed to carry no more than 10 persons and (ii) constructed either on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road use;
"Prism effect" means a visual, iridescent, or rainbow-like effect that separates light into various colored components that may change depending on viewing angle;
"Rear side windows" means those windows located to the rear of the driver's seat;
"Rear window" or "rear windows" means those windows which are located to the rear of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle and which are approximately parallel to the windshield.
I. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, sun-shading material which was applied or installed prior to July 1, 1987, in a manner and on which windows not then in violation of Virginia law, shall continue to be lawful, provided that it can be shown by appropriate receipts that such material was installed prior to July 1, 1987.
J. Where a person is convicted within one year of a second or subsequent violation of this section involving the operation of the same vehicle having a tinted or smoked windshield, the court, in addition to any other penalty, may order the person so convicted to remove such tinted or smoked windshield from the vehicle.
K. The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement vehicles.
L. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the rear windows or rear side windows of any ambulance, rescue squad vehicle, or any other emergency medical vehicle used to transport patients.
M. The provisions of subdivision C 1 of this section shall not apply to sight-seeing carriers as defined in § 46.2-2000 and contract passenger carriers as defined in § 46.2-2000.
§ 46.2-1167. Charges for inspection and reinspection; exemption.
A. Each official safety inspection station may charge no more than:
1. Fifty-one dollars for each inspection of any (i) tractor truck, (ii) truck that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or more, or (iii) motor vehicle that is used to transport passengers and has a seating capacity of more than 15 passengers, including the driver, $0.50 of which shall be transmitted to the Department of State Police to support the Department's costs in administering the motor vehicle safety inspection program;
2. Twelve dollars for each inspection of any motorcycle, $10
of which shall be retained by the inspection station and $2 of which shall be
transmitted to the Department of State Police who shall retain $0.50 to support
the Department's costs in administering the motor vehicle safety inspection
program and deposit the remaining $1.50 into the Motorcycle Rider Safety
Training Program Fund created pursuant to § 46.2-1191; and
3. Twenty dollars for each inspection of any vehicle upon which sun-shading or tinting films have been installed, other than by the vehicle manufacturer, as authorized by subdivision C 1 or C 2 of § 46.2-1052; and
4. Sixteen dollars for each inspection of any other vehicle, $0.50 of which shall be transmitted to the Department of State Police to support the Department's costs in administering the motor vehicle safety inspection program.
No such charge shall be mandatory, however, and no such charge shall be made unless the station has previously contracted therefor.
B. Each official safety inspection station may charge $1 for each reinspection of a vehicle rejected by the station, as provided in § 46.2-1158, if the vehicle is submitted for reinspection within the validity period of the rejection sticker. If a rejected vehicle is not submitted to the same station within the validity period of the rejection sticker or is submitted to another official safety inspection station, an amount no greater than that permitted under subsection A may be charged for the inspection.