Issued an expired tab ticket on my personal property (parked in my drive way)

[Violet_stone]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WA.

Hello all.

I need some input here as this just didnt seem right to me. This afternoon I was pulled over as I pulled into my driveway at my house. As i was climbing out of the car, my hands full, the officer came onto my property and stated that I was in violation as my tabs were expired. He then demanded that i get back in the car. I was unaware that my tabs were expired, but it seemed to me that as i was on my personal property and that my car was parked and turned off that the officer was not within his right to issue a ticket. Had I been on the street i think that would have been a different matter. I told him I would contest this and he stated "good...i get paid overtime for showing up".

Any thoughts here? Am I way off base? Or does the fact that I am at my house, car parked change the situation.

Thanks!

[JIMinCA]

yeah... you were offbase. Sorry. Your house isn't like "base" in a game of tag. Certainly an officer can pursue you onto your property to apprehend you for a violation

[Maestro64]

What Jim is saying is if the officer observer you while on public roads he can pursue to you onto private property if he likes. Now if he happen to be driving by and saw the expired tags then maybe he had no right, but some states have laws even about expired tags on cars which are on plain sight, they either have to be behind a fenced in area or in a garage.

In CA you can not have expired tags on a car even if it not being driven, you have to turn in the plate or pay a fee to keep the plate.

Not sure why he ordered you back in the car, that seems really odd.

[racer72]

but it seemed to me that as i was on my personal property and that my car was parked and turned off that the officer was not within his right to issue a ticket.

Using this flawed logic, this means I can come on your property and kill all your family members but the police can't do anything because it happened on private property.