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See v. City of Seattle

387 U.S. 541 (1967)

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See v. City of Seattle

United States Supreme Court
387 U.S. 541 (1967)

  • Written by Liz Nakamura, JD

Facts

See (plaintiff) owned a private, commercial, locked warehouse. The City of Seattle (defendant) Fire Department sought entry to See’s warehouse to conduct a fire-code inspection. See refused to allow the fire department to enter without a warrant. See was then arrested and convicted for refusing to allow the fire department to inspect his warehouse for compliance with the Seattle Fire Code. See appealed the conviction, arguing that the Seattle Fire Code provision allowing fire department officials to enter See’s private warehouse without a warrant violated See’s Fourth Amendment rights. The Washington Supreme Court upheld See’s conviction, holding that (1) the standard of reasonableness to allow warrantless searches was lower for commercial buildings than it was for private residences; and (2) it was reasonable for Seattle to require business owners to submit to warrantless inspections of commercial property to ensure fire code compliance. See appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (White, J.)

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