united-states police
Can an officer wipe snow off a windshield to verify a registration or parking permit?
<p>In my New Jersey residence it is required to have a parking sticker to park on a residential street, a sticker placed left-rear of the vehicles. 
This particular day there was snow on the vehicles, and the officer verifying parking stickers was wiping snow off cars.</p>

<p>My question is, are officers allowed to touch or wipe vehicles by removing snow to verify parking permits?</p>

<p>Also are they allowed to touch or lift the wiper blades to place a ticket?</p>

<p>Yes, police are allowed to touch your car or wipe snow off the windshield to view a parking permit. Indeed, if they just ticketed people because their permit could not be seen through the snow, there would be a huge public outrage. They are not allowed to search your car without permission or probable cause in an emergency, but wiping snow or touching the exterior of your car do not constitute searches. Likewise, towing companies are allowed to touch your car in order to tow it away for whatever legal reasons there are for towing a car.</p>
