united-states search-and-seizure fourth-amendment
Do you have the same right to privacy in regards to your car than what you have to your house?
<p>Im just curious to know if the same rules of lawful and unlawful searches apply to your car than what applies to your house?</p>

<p>Not at all.</p>
<p>Under the Fourth Amendment, your house is where &quot;privacy expectations are most heightened,&quot; and it is therefore generally the most difficult place to obtain a warrant to search. <a href="https://casetext.com/case/people-v-ciraolo" rel="noreferrer"><em>California v. Ciraolo</em>, 476 U.S. 207, 213 (1986)</a>.</p>
<p>But the courts treat vehicles very differently. Because of &quot;the pervasive regulation of vehicles capable of traveling on the public highways,&quot; and because a vehicle &quot;can be quickly moved out of the locality or jurisdiction in which the warrant must be sought,&quot; courts hold that the societal interests in enforcing the law generally outweigh any personal interest in privacy. <a href="https://casetext.com/case/california-v-carney" rel="noreferrer"><em>California v. Carney</em>, 471 U.S. 386, 393 (1985)</a>.</p>
<p>So while the general rule is that if an officer wants to search someone's home, he must first establish probable cause and then obtain a warrant, a search of a vehicle merely requires that the officer establish probable cause first -- no warrant necessary.</p>
