Police on Private Property

[ZARA14]

What is the name of your state?Virginia
In Chesterfield Co.,VA . Are the police allowed to come on private property...a motel & start looking up plates & vin numbers on the vehicles in the parking lot? Our neighbor let me know I had just missed it. A young Chesterfield police officer pulled up in back of my car, got out & got the vin number & plate #..looked it up & saw that the plates did Not match my car. Our neighbor asked him, if he needed help with something. The cop responded by saying the plates did Not match car. He told the officer we weren't home. But cop wasn't really looking to talk to anyone. He didn't leave a note or anything. The cop then left & drove across street to a different motel parking lot.
Are the police officer allowed to come on a private property lot & start scanning vehicle plates to see if they're legit or not. If the car has the wrong plates what can police do to a parked car on private property? I already know what I need to do. I don't have the $$$ for it , PLUS DMV is closed til June something. I understand if I drive,,it will improve their chance of pulling me & ticketing me & towing my car. I just want to know if they're allowed to freely check plates on vehicles parked on private property, a motel. Also if the police come back here, can they take those plates off my car & keep them? The car the plates belong to IS ON THE PROPERTY.. with no plates. Also I have already removed from the car the wrong plates...so now both vehicles have no plates on them. I need to get somewhere & im just biding time before putting plates BACK ON & going about my day. I know that is a risk. Thank You for answering whenever you can

 

[Just Blue]

What is the name of your state?Virginia
In Chesterfield Co.,VA . Are the police allowed to come on private property...a motel & start looking up plates & vin numbers on the vehicles in the parking lot? Our neighbor let me know I had just missed it. A young Chesterfield police officer pulled up in back of my car, got out & got the vin number & plate #..looked it up & saw that the plates did Not match my car. Our neighbor asked him, if he needed help with something. The cop responded by saying the plates did Not match car. He told the officer we weren't home. But cop wasn't really looking to talk to anyone. He didn't leave a note or anything. The cop then left & drove across street to a different motel parking lot.
Are the police officer allowed to come on a private property lot & start scanning vehicle plates to see if they're legit or not. If the car has the wrong plates what can police do to a parked car on private property? I already know what I need to do. I don't have the $$$ for it , PLUS DMV is closed til June something. I understand if I drive,,it will improve their chance of pulling me & ticketing me & towing my car. I just want to know if they're allowed to freely check plates on vehicles parked on private property, a motel. Also if the police come back here, can they take those plates off my car & keep them? The car the plates belong to IS ON THE PROPERTY.. with no plates. Also I have already removed from the car the wrong plates...so now both vehicles have no plates on them. I need to get somewhere & im just biding time before putting plates BACK ON & going about my day. I know that is a risk. Thank You for answering whenever you can

Do you own the motel?

 

[ZARA14]

No, I've lived here a long time. Owners allow us to keep our "dead" car on the lot. Cops come thru here all the time bc the area has a lot of crime. I've been here for years. Never has a cop done this to any of my vehicles. I don't get in trouble except for driving on suspended . thanks

 

[zddoodah]

Are the police allowed to come on private property...a motel & start looking up plates & vin numbers on the vehicles in the parking lot?

The parking lot of a motel is generally open to the public, and the police may run plates at any time.

If the car has the wrong plates what can police do to a parked car on private property?

It can be impounded for further investigation.

As far as your continued references to the motel parking lot as "private property," it's not your property, so it doesn't make any difference whether the car is parked on a public street or on someone else's property.

 

[ZARA14]

No, I've lived here a long time. Owners allow us to keep our "dead" car on the lot. Cops come thru here all the time bc the area has a lot of crime. I've been here for years. Never has a cop done this to any of my vehicles. I don't get in trouble except for driving on suspended . thanks
[/

 

[Just Blue]

Why did you quote yourself?

 

[Zigner]

No, I've lived here a long time. Owners allow us to keep our "dead" car on the lot. Cops come thru here all the time bc the area has a lot of crime. I've been here for years. Never has a cop done this to any of my vehicles. I don't get in trouble except for driving on suspended . thanks

Oh, just driving on a suspended...and that nasty felony of having the wrong tag on your vehicle.

 

[Taxing Matters]

The basic rule is that the cops can go anywhere the general public may go and that cops may enter on to private property without a warrant so long as the owners of the property do not object to that. My guess is that the owners of the motel you are living at have no problem with the cops coming on the parking lot and looking at car plates. Having the cops around in a high crime rate area is a good thing for the motel owners (assuming they aren't themselves breaking the law). Since you don't own the motel you have no legal standing to complain about the cops entering the lot and running your plates. You have the obligation to keep your vehicles properly registered and tagged. Virginia law does not say that this requirement is limited to just when the vehicle is being operated on the roads. See Virginia Code § 46.2-715. As a result, taking the plates off your cars may not completely solve the problem. You could still potentially be cited for not having the plates on the cars even though the cars are parked.

Driving without a license and without proper plates and registration certainly can cause you a lot of trouble. So while suspended and your vehicles are out of compliance I would suggest you not drive and find some other way to get around.

 

[ZARA14]

The parking lot of a motel is generally open to the public, and the police may run plates at any time.




It can be impounded for further investigation.

As far as your continued references to the motel parking lot as "private property," it's not your property, so it doesn't make any difference whether the car is parked on a public street or on someone else's property.


I'm using those words"private property" bc that's what the police have said in past. When they are here for some other reason& someone has pointed out to them that there's an illegitimate vehicle on the lot & points it out...(my vehicle is not the only one that displays wrong tags) they look & then they go back to focusing on why they're there in 1st place. Anyway, more than 2 officers have made remarks that the car is on "private property", & if they see on the road then they can do something about it....i also realize that a motels' property & the lot it sits on is not my property. I'm just very financially strained, as is many people in these unprecedented times. Because VA.'s DMV is Closed the police have laid off pulling people over for non driving violations. But VA.is getting ready to start Phase I of reopening. So I can imagine the police & emergency responders will have their work cut out for them this weekend. Thanks for your help. Take Care

 

[ZARA14]

Why did you quote yourself?

Excuse me I've never been to this site before. I won't be back.

 

[ZARA14]

I didn't ask for opinions. I thought this was a professional site.

 

[Just Blue]

Excuse me I've never been to this site before. I won't be back.

You have received excellent advice...including from at least one site vetted attorney.

 

[NeilTheCop]

I didn't ask for opinions. I thought this was a professional site.

And it is.
Sorry the answers you were given by legal professional on the forum weren't the answers you wanted.