ABBEVILLE, LA – A quiet hiss of water mist and the smooth slide of film on glass signal a busy day at Team QRT, a tint shop in Abbeville. And thanks to a new state law, business owner Don Thibodeaux is bracing for an even brighter future by going darker.
“I’ve been tinting my whole life. There’s pretty much nothing I haven’t tinted,” said Thibodeaux, who’s owned Team QRT for more than 30 years.
Under Act 143, which takes effect August 1, Louisiana drivers will now be permitted to install darker tint on their front side windows, reducing the required visible light transmission from 40% to 25%. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Marksville, aligns front-side window regulations with those already allowed for rear windows, where 25% is legal. Back windows can go as low as 12%, while tinting remains restricted on most front windshields…