Rear Window Decal Legality

On my way home tonight from checking the ice out status on a couple fishing spots I got pulled over for having a pheasant decal in the rear window of my truck, Is this illegal?
I was pulled over in Wisconsin and am from Minnesota but I cannot find anything on the internet regarding the legality of rear window decals. On the warning I received it says, “Rear Window Unauthorized Sign”.

Anyone have any additional information? I’ve been driving around for the last 2 years without any problem. I attached a picture of the decal, keep in mind from the inside you cannot even tell it’s on the window.

Thanks,
Pete

no it is not illegal because in a pickup you do not need to see through the rear window like a car.

in wisconsin it is illegal to have anything obstructing the drivers view including decals. Most officers dont sweat the little stuff some follow the law to a T. Technically you cannot have the little tree air freshners hanging from your rear view mirror.

I would ignore it. I had a checkered flag in my back window of a past truck back in high school and got pulled over. The cop told me it was illegal along with my smaller steering wheel. I told him it was not and he said he would get back to me. Never did. He was just harassing me. He was a real jerk anyway.

He was just in a bad mood someone must have forgot to put a hole in his doughnut.

Stop by your local Sheriffs office or Highway Patrol office and ask them to look at it. Looks good to me…

Thats one of the most rediculous things I have ever heard. So when I haul something in the bed of my truck it can’t stick up past the bottom of my rear window? I’m glad they didn’t see me yesterday. Pheasent decal looks great!

Quote:

---

in a pickup you do not need to see through the rear window like a car.

---

SAY WHAT!
Why would you not need to see through the rear window of a pick up?

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

in a pickup you do not need to see through the rear window like a car.

---

So you can count the empties it took ya to get to your fav fishin’ hole……………..
SAY WHAT!
Why would you not need to see through the rear window of a pick up?

---

This is the best site for looking up any Minnesota law. MN traffic code is 169. Criminal code is 609. Dwi laws 169A. Look on the left side and click on statutes.

Minnesota Laws

DT

My back window is full of decals and stickers. I have never gotten pulled over. One of my buddies got pulled over for having a sticker on the back side window of his car. The cop told him that it is illegal to have them on cars but it was ok on trucks.

Here is your answer for Minnesota, Minnesota Statute 169.71

SAY WHAT!
Why would you not need to see through the rear window of a pick up?
because how are you going to see with a toper on or while hauling something in the back. this is why you do not need to see out the back window. now in a car ubstruct the rear window and you will get a ticket.

Quote:

---

SAY WHAT!
Why would you not need to see through the rear window of a pick up?

---

i think it has something to do with the size of side mirrors on a pickup. but, either way, you do not need to have a clear field of view out the rear window. i have a topper and dog crates on top of a shelf system in the back of my truck, i have never been able to see out the back window.

As a LEO I must say………that would be a BS ticket. Must have wanted a reason to stop you and check you out for what ever reason.

Quote:

---

SAY WHAT!
Why would you not need to see through the rear window of a pick up?
because how are you going to see with a toper on or while hauling something in the back. this is why you do not need to see out the back window. now in a car ubstruct the rear window and you will get a ticket.

---

With how these decals are made they are meant to be seen though. From looking inside out, you can see perfect. From outside in it is a little tougher, especially when headlights are shining on it, you appear more silhouetted.

Rear window has unauthorized sign, poster or other nontransparent material 346.88(3)

This is what is stated on the dots website so your sticker is just fine just take the vehicle to the office of whoever wrote the ticket and im sure they will take care of it.

I would think the cop that pulled you over would be the authority on the subject. If he told you it was illegal I would believe him before us guys on the fishing website.
I see them all the time so the odds of gettng pulled over again are pretty low. Like loud pipes on bikes I suspect its one of those wink wink laws that rarely cause people problems.

The law can be read different ways. It say that it has to be transparent. Yes, you can see out fine but you also have to be able to see in. It’s kind of like window tint. Some cops do take stuff like this more serious than others. The biggest issue for law enforcement in cases like this is being able to see inside a vehicle while approaching. It is a huge safety concern. Officers are killed every year while walking up on a vehicle that they can’t see into.

DT

Taken from the statute…

(b) This subdivision does not apply to glazing materials which:

(1) have not been modified since the original installation, nor to original replacement windows and windshields, that were originally installed or replaced in conformance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205;

(2) are required to satisfy prescription or medical needs of the driver of the vehicle or a passenger if:

(i) the driver or passenger is in possession of the prescription or a physician’s statement of medical need;

(ii) the prescription or statement specifically states the minimum percentage that light transmittance may be reduced to satisfy the prescription or medical needs of the patient; and

(iii) the prescription or statement contains an expiration date, which must be no more than two years after the date the prescription or statement was issued; or

(3) are applied to:

(i) the rear windows of a pickup truck as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 26;

(ii) the rear windows or the side windows on either side behind the driver’s seat of a van as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 40;

Probably thought you were acting in a suspicious manner and wanted to check it out further. And you weren’t doing anything illegal so he basically let you go.

I wouldn’t sweat it.

Quote:

---

I would think the cop that pulled you over would be the authority on the subject. If he told you it was illegal I would believe him …

---

That is more often than not, probably true. However, one of my professors in college used to be a prosecuting attorney. The stories he used to tell us in class were pretty funny. There were many times they would “reprimand” the accused court and then let them off with a warning because the patrolman gave them a citation for something that was perfectly legal. Apparently this type of thing was not an isolated occurrence either. After the violator left, they would have to explain the law to the patrolman.

He suggested knowing the law (or at least knowing where to find the correct laws) yourself because there was a lot of incorrect tickets given.

I realize there are many police officers who do their jobs well and I don’t mean to lump the good ones with the marginal at all. I just thought this “other side” was applicable to the situation. Besides, this was quite a few years ago.

JD

Related but not really short story………

Once upon a January time a zit-faced little 16 year old climbed in his “gently used” 82′ C10 Chevy nicknamed the “blue gem”…”gem” for short. The alarm clock had lost a couple of additional 9 minute epic battles that morning before prevailing in the overall war. With less than 15 mintues before 1st bell and qualifying tardy for after school detention, the fine young lad was shaving time on routine morning events. One such event was scraping window frost from the gem. The ole defrost vent had burned a set of snake eye holes a third of the way up the wind sheild. One hole was PERFECT eye level with a slight crouch accompanied with a 45 degree head position.

The gem was nearly up to 60 mph on the 8 miles journey to the school parking lot when the county law filled the rear view mirror. Now….mind you, the sheriff had a surplus list of functional reasons to target the gem but I won’t bore you with them. All though he was concerned for the well being of this certain 16 year old at truck side. Ya see the floor board had a little hole near the door. Wasn’t even big enough to pull a mid winter 7″ gill through but he thought otherwise. The lecture lasted for everrrrrrrrr with an overlying emphasis of “haste makes waste” followed with the an autographed copy of a violation for window frost/obstruction of view. Needless to say that certain 16 year old had a bad day. $169 fine. Tardy = Detention = Miss first 1/2 of BB practice = Run your off the last 1/2 of practice. Only to return home to get a new ripped.
The End.