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A Homeowner in America

The home holds a special place in the Constitution. More of the Bill of Rights points at your front door than most people realize, from soldiers to searches to the taking of property itself.

Descriptive, not legal advice · the founding documents' own words

No soldier may be quartered in your house in peacetime without your consent. Rarely litigated, but a direct constitutional promise about the home.

The home is the core of the Fourth Amendment. No unreasonable searches or seizures, and generally a warrant on probable cause before the government may enter.

Private property may not be taken for public use without just compensation, and no one is deprived of property without due process of law.

Carries due process against the states, the route by which most protections for your property reach city and county action.

The honest caveatZoning, property tax, and eminent-domain procedure are statutory and vary widely by state and locality. This page describes the constitutional floor under your property, not a real-estate or tax guide.
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