Opinion ID: 785567
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Farmhouse's Curtilage

Text: 11 The Fourth Amendment protects a home and its curtilage -the area immediately surrounding a dwelling house-from unreasonable warrantless searches. United States v. Dunn, 480 U.S. 294, 300-04, 107 S.Ct. 1134, 94 L.Ed.2d 326 (1987). However, this protection does not extend past the curtilage. Officers are permitted to enter a resident's property to observe buildings located outside the home's curtilage. United States v. Mooring, 137 F.3d 595, 596 (8th Cir.1998). The central component in deciding whether Gerard's garage was within the curtilage of his farmhouse is to determine whether the [garage] harbor[ed] the intimate activity associated with the sanctity of [Gerard's] home and the privacies of [his] life. Dunn, 480 U.S. at 300, 107 S.Ct. 1134 (internal quotation marks omitted); United States v. Mooring, 137 F.3d 595, 596 (8th Cir.1998). 12 We resolve curtilage questions with particular reference to four factors: the proximity of the garage to the farmhouse, whether the farmhouse and garage are within the same enclosure, the nature and uses of the garage, and the steps Gerard took to protect the garage from being seen by others. Dunn, 480 U.S. at 301, 107 S.Ct. 1134; Mooring, 137 F.3d at 596. `[E]very curtilage determination is distinctive and stands or falls on its own unique set of facts.' Daughenbaugh v. City of Tiffin, 150 F.3d 594, 598 (6th Cir. 1998) (quoting United States v. Reilly, 76 F.3d 1271, 1276 (2d Cir.1996)). Therefore, these factors are analytical tools used in determining whether Gerard's garage was so intimately tied to the farmhouse itself that it should be placed under the farmhouse's umbrella of Fourth Amendment protection. Dunn, 480 U.S. at 301, 107 S.Ct. 1134. 13 Applying these four factors to Gerard's farmstead and the area immediately surrounding it, the district court's finding that the garage lay outside the curtilage of the farmhouse was not clearly erroneous. First, the record does not contain evidence of the distance from Gerard's house to his garage. Neither party included in its brief the proximity of the garage to the farmhouse. However, Crymble testified that the farmhouse and garage are in close proximity. The distance alone, however, is not determinative that the garage should be treated as an adjunct of the house. 14 Second, Gerard's garage did not lie within the fence surrounding the farmhouse. However, Gerard urges that the natural enclosure of trees surrounding both the farmhouse and the garage mark the home's enclosure and that the land within it is protected by the home's curtilage. Specifically, Gerard argues that this wooded vegetation surrounding the farmhouse and the garage, enclosing both into the same wooded area, mark the farmhouse's curtilage similar to the protected curtilage found in Daughenbaugh, 150 F.3d at 599. The fact that one's view from the road of the garage is obscured by the trees does not itself establish that the garage should be included within the farmhouse's Fourth Amendment protection. Reilly, 76 F.3d at 1277-78 (explaining that the enclosure factor weighs against those who claim infringement of the curtilage when their land is divided into separate parts by internal fencing). 15 The facts of Daughenbaugh are readily distinguishable from the facts of the case at bar. The garage in Daughenbaugh was in the backyard of the house and there was no artificial enclosure. 150 F.3d at 598-99. The Sixth Circuit concluded that the garage in the backyard of the house was sufficiently blocked from public view by natural barriers and weighed this factor in favor of finding that the garage was within the home's curtilage. Id. In contrast, Gerard's land is divided into separate parts by an internal fence enclosing Gerard's farmhouse. Unlike the garage in Daughenbaugh, Gerard's garage is located to the immediate left of the farmhouse and separated from it by a driveway. 16 Third, Gerard contends that the parking of his car and motorcycle in the garage are evidence that his garage was used for activities and privacies of domestic life requiring Fourth Amendment protection. Contrary to Gerard's testimony about his use of the garage, Crymble testified the garage appeared to only be used to store junk and grow marijuana. However, Crymble did not have this evidence concerning Gerard's use of the garage before he climbed the ladder. Objective data does not include that found only after officers have invaded the area in question. Reilly, 76 F.3d at 1279 (emphasis added). We believe that reasonable officers would expect that the garage was likely to be used for private activities. The garage's doors were locked, electricity was wired to the garage, and it was close to the farmhouse, which are typical signs of private activities. The third Dunn factor weighs in favor of finding that Gerard's garage was protected. However, these factors are not applied mechanically or in isolation; therefore, this factor alone does not require us to conclude that Gerard's garage was intimately tied to the farmhouse. 17 Fourth, Gerard contends that he took steps to prevent casual onlookers standing in open fields from viewing inside the garage. The garage was set back from the road, situated so that it did not face the road. Gerard attempted to prevent public access to his garage by placing locks on all three of the doors to the garage. In addition, Gerard secreted the interior of the garage by placing plastic and cardboard in the windows. Also, the contents of the garage were not visible from aerial surveillance. 18 However, the evidence also shows Gerard's driveway led from the road directly to the garage. No internal fences prevented persons from approaching the garage. Also, Gerard posted no signs excluding strangers from access to the garage. Gerard did nothing to cover the marijuana odor escaping from the vent of the garage. Lastly, the garage was not completely blocked from view of members of the public driving down the street. Based upon the evidence in this case, we cannot say the district court clearly erred in finding that Gerard's garage was not within the farmstead's curtilage. We conclude that Crymble did not conduct an illegal search when he climbed the ladder to peer through the vent of Gerard's locked garage. United States v. Gill, 354 F.3d 963, 969 (8th Cir.2004) (finding that an officer was entitled to place a ladder against a building to look through an open window to ensure that no one inside was in need of assistance).