How much is a window tint ticket in BC?
It’s $109 if you pay after 30 days and $84 if you pay within 30. Tint isn’t named on its own in the Violation Ticket Administration and Fines Regulation. It falls under the catch-all row covering any regulation made under the Motor Vehicle Act, which sets these amounts:
| Part of the ticket | Paid after 30 days | Paid within 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | $95 | $70 |
| Victim surcharge levy | $14 | $14 |
| Total ticketed amount | $109 | $84 |
Mission RCMP quotes the same figure: a ticket for an improperly equipped vehicle, such as one with illegal window tint, “typically carries a fine of $109”. The amount doesn’t change with the glass. Front door film and a full windshield both break MVAR s. 7.05(8), so both land on the same row.
For comparison, the separate offence of driving with a windshield or window in a condition that impairs your vision, s. 7.05(1), is listed by name at $81, or $56 within 30 days.
Does a tint ticket put penalty points on your licence?
No. BC’s penalty points come from the schedule to Division 28 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, and that schedule doesn’t list section 7.05. The regulation entries it does carry are offences like unnecessary noise and failing to slow down near a stopped official vehicle.
A Notice & Order adds no points either. CVSE says an order “is not a Violation Ticket” and carries no fine of its own.
When does a tint stop turn into a Notice & Order?
When the officer decides the film has to come off and the car has to be inspected; it can come with a ticket or on its own. Mission RCMP describes a Box 2 order for tint that tells you to “Remove the illegal tint”, then take the car to a designated facility for inspection.
The box on the form sets the pace. Box 1 takes the vehicle off the road until it passes. Box 2 lets you drive it away but expects you to get the repair and a complete mechanical inspection done promptly, inside 30 days. Box 3 gives a specific direction without an inspection. Whatever the box, the inspection after a Box 1 or 2 covers the whole vehicle, so any other defect it finds has to be fixed too. How the shop helps you clear one is explained on removing tint to satisfy a Notice & Order.
What is the $598 tint penalty in BC?
It’s the ticket for not complying with the order, and it’s much larger than the tint ticket. “Failure to have your vehicle inspected within 30 days will result in a fine of $598,” Mission RCMP says. The amount is set for MVAR s. 25.30(4), “Fail to comply with order”:
| Part of the ticket | Paid after 30 days | Paid within 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | $520 | $495 |
| Victim surcharge levy | $78 | $78 |
| Total ticketed amount | $598 | $573 |
Worth knowing: CVSE says any officer who finds the car on the road with the order still open can escalate, up to taking it off the highway. The 30 days is a deadline, not a grace period.
Can you sell a car with an open tint order?
Not easily. ICBC’s Vehicle Information Database holds a record of every Box 1 and Box 2 order, and CVSE warns that an unsatisfied order causes “an inability to obtain licencing and insurance from ICBC”, which may stop the sale from completing. The seller is expected to tell the buyer about it.
Sellers have a second rule to think about. Under Motor Vehicle Act s. 222, no one may “sell, offer for sale” a motor vehicle that isn’t in accordance with the Act and its regulations.
What does illegal tint cost once everything is added up?
More than the $109. A realistic tally for a car stopped with front film and given a Box 2 order looks like this:
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tint ticket, if written | $109, or $84 within 30 days | Fines regulation |
| Film removal | Priced per window | Brookswood Tint |
| Complete inspection | Roughly $150 to $250, depending on the facility | Mission RCMP |
| Repairs the inspection finds | Depends on the vehicle | The facility |
| Missing the 30 days | $598, or $573 if that ticket is paid within 30 days | MVAR s. 25.30(4) |
Add the film you paid for in the first place, which comes off and isn’t replaced on the front doors.
How do you clear a tint order quickly?
Get the film off first, then book the inspection. Brookswood Tint strips only the two front windows when that’s all the inspection will reject, steaming the film off and dissolving the adhesive, usually in 1 to 3 hours. Film behind the driver can stay.
Book the removal through the tint removal request or by phoning 604 534 6433, and get the car to a designated facility inside the 30 days. A car that also has to be registered from outside BC is covered by removal ahead of an out-of-province inspection. For the rules behind all of this, see the complete guide to BC tint law.