Does trash located on curtilage have REP?

• A. In dwelling
• B. In a public space
• C. In a mailbox
• D. In a vehicle

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that privacy protections extend to the home and its immediate surroundings. The curtilage—the area immediately around a dwelling that is closely tied to the home—enjoys Fourth Amendment protection because people reasonably expect privacy there. Trash placed on curtilage is part of that protected privacy zone, so it has a reasonable expectation of privacy and cannot be searched or seized without a warrant or a valid exception. This distinguishes it from trash left for curbside pickup in public space, which has no such expectation of privacy. So trash on curtilage is protected as part of the dwelling’s privacy area.