Exactly what do you mean, not legal in CA? Everytime I see the Osbornes cruising in their 745Li, Mini, X5, SL500 etc, they have tint. Do the police look the other way when you're a celeb? or do the celebs just keep paying the fines?
It isn't legal in CA. I know, I was wondering about the accuracy of that statement when I saw the previous posting that stated it wasn't legal, so I researched it last night (i.e. did some google searches), and my conclusion is to agree that it still isn't legal in CA - at least anything you or I would call "tinting".
As most of us know, tinting is rated by how much light it lets through. Most people don't even notice it until its less than 50%. Most aftermarket tints are in something like three levels, around 30%, 20%, and 5% (5% or thereabouts is most often called "limo" tint).
CA allows nothing less than 70% on the front side windows, and doesn't care about the back (or rear side windows for a four-door), as long as you have dual-side rearview mirrors.
Here's a web site that summarizes the various state laws:
http://www.iwfa.com/iwfa/Law_Chart/State%20Law%20Chart.htm
Yeah, I'm in CA, and I have tinted windows. I bought the car from out-of-state last year and it showed up with tinted windows, which look awesome on the car. I wondered about the legality of it, but was comforted when a fellow club member told me it was now legal. It doesn't seem to be, though. Joy.