where do you draw the line on what is tresspassing?

[Soundguy]

this topic comes up with my wife now and then. we will be driving along and see a tractor or implement pulled up in a yard and displayed as for sale.. or with a sign.. sometimes it's parked so far from the fence that you can't read the contact info.. or the sign has fallen down.. etc.

my wife's opinion is 'just go jump the fence and go look at it.'

I'm a lil more conservative.. i value my property rights.. and know other people likely value theirs. I'm not the sort that likes to jump fences and or/ walk onto others property without notification.. or some justifiable reason. etc. besides.. might be hard to try to explain tryin to read a sign to a guard dog..

I know I'd be concerned if I came home and found a vehicle up at my fence and people walking around my place inside my gate.. etc..


anyone care to offer an opinion on this? I realize this is alot of grey area.. so.. what y'all say?

soundguy

 

[JDgreen227]

this topic comes up with my wife now and then. we will be driving along and see a tractor or implement pulled up in a yard and displayed as for sale.. or with a sign.. sometimes it's parked so far from the fence that you can't read the contact info.. or the sign has fallen down.. etc.

my wife's opinion is 'just go jump the fence and go look at it.'

I'm a lil more conservative.. i value my property rights.. and know other people likely value theirs. I'm not the sort that likes to jump fences and or/ walk onto others property without notification.. or some justifiable reason. etc. besides.. might be hard to try to explain tryin to read a sign to a guard dog..

I know I'd be concerned if I came home and found a vehicle up at my fence and people walking around my place inside my gate.. etc..


anyone care to offer an opinion on this? I realize this is alot of grey area.. so.. what y'all say?

soundguy

My feelings on this are, if something is posted as for sale with a clearly marked sign that is visible to those on the public road out front, it is okay for you to take a look, WITHIN REASON. Although not well schooled in the law, I believe that by posting equipment with a "For Sale" sign the owner and/or seller is clearly inviting those viewing the sign to enter his premises and inspect said equipment. For what it is worth, I always carry binoculars in my vehicles just in case I can't make out the sign from the road, and I never enter someone's property if something doesn't feel right.

Excellent post...it will be interesting to read the other responses.

 

[Soundguy]

thanks for the reply. yep.. I feel weird walking on others property.

I like the binoc idea.. I have a small folding set I could throw into the glove box.

I can see the headlines tomorrow.. tractor shopper mistaken for peeping tom.. details at 11..

soundguy

 

[whistlepig]

I was taught to respect others property also. I have about 7 acres of yard. If the neighbors kids want to play in my yard all day long (And they're good kids) that doesn't bother me a bit. But if these kids would ever get inside the fence around my pastures with out my permission that would be a whole different issue for me.

 

[MossRoad]

When I see something for sale in someone's yard and I am interested, I always go up to the house and knock on the door and if they answer, I tell them I am interested in looking at the item. That way, they know I am there. If they don't answer, I just go and look at it.

I figure it this way, if I drive up in the driveway and am in plain view looking at the item THEY put the for sale sign on, well, then, they should have no suspicions as to why I am there.

 

[whistlepig]

It's nice to read posts about people respecting other peoples property. Seems to be a lost art these days.

 

[czechsonofagun]

If it is posted with for sale sign, I feel I can go and look at it really close. Here the stuff is usually parked closer to the road than other times. Well, if it is not behind a fence

I have looked at few CJ7 like that - including lifting the hood and checking out the engine. But since I pull there in my CJ7, no jeeper would take an offense in this, more than once I ended up chatting with the owner who came to ask about my jeep,

 

[gerard]

I agree with most of the previous posts. Putting something out with a "For Sale" sign in your yard is an indication that it's ok to come and look at it. Same principal applies when you put a realtors sign up trying to sell your house. You do that and you can expect people to drive down your driveway. If you DON'T want that to happen you can sell things without posting signs or displaying them.

I'm in law enforcement and I would not make an arrest of someone who went to look at an item displayed with a for sale sign on it. (BTW - walking on someone elses land that isn't fenced or posted, is NOT trespassing and is legal UNTIL you tell the person to get off and they don't. Then it becomes trespassing).

 

[sldva00]

I would knock on their front door and inquire about item. If property is fenced and gate is closed, then I would try to obtain information from outside fence. If I can't, then I would just keep driving.

I don't like opening people's gates when they don't know me or know I'm coming to visit. Also don't like honking in front of someone's property, even if they know I'm coming.

 

[blueriver]

This could go either way ... if you put a for sale sign up, is that not an invitation to stop and look things over ... however are you really trespassing while your looking at the item for sale?