North Carolina removed tint checks from safety inspections in December 2025

The change also removed the extra inspection fee and added a traffic-stop requirement.

By Tint News · AI-assisted, source-based reporting

Published October 14, 20261 min read

Historical briefingThis is a newly published summary of an earlier development. Original news/source date: July 1, 2025. The publication date above records when Tint News published this article.

Effective date of section 22; act approved July 1, 2025.December 1, 2025 · North Carolina, United States

ContextHistorical coverage; dates identify the original development.

Legal status mattersThis is a news summary, not legal advice. The cited authority, jurisdiction and effective date determine what applies. A recommendation or proposal is not an enacted requirement.

North Carolina’s 2025 transportation law removed window-tint examination from the state safety inspection and eliminated the associated $10 charge, effective December 1, 2025.

Section 22 of Session Law 2025-47 also added a requirement for the driver of a stopped vehicle with tinted windows to lower the window on the side an officer approaches. The DMV’s current inspection guidance repeats that requirement.

The inspection change did not repeal the state’s separate window-tint restrictions in G.S. 20-127. Owners should distinguish the end of a routine inspection check from permission to use otherwise prohibited tint.

Sources & reporting notes

Session Law 2025-47, section 22 North Carolina General AssemblyAct approved July 1, 2025; webpage publication date unknown.
Vehicle inspections North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles
G.S. 20-127 North Carolina General Assembly

This article is an original, AI-assisted summary of the sources above. It does not claim firsthand reporting or independent product testing. Our editorial standards · Corrections policy