Idaho codifies Fourth Amendment protections for private landowners

Boise, Idaho; March 31, 2026: Idaho Governor Brad Little signed legislation today that strengthens constitutional protections for the state’s private landowners by barring government agents from entering private property without a warrant, the owner’s consent, or exigent circumstances. The Property Rights Protection Act gives Idaho farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners a direct legal remedy — including $1,000 per violation payable to the landowner, plus actual damages and attorney’s fees — when government agents trespass on their land.

“Idahoans shouldn’t have to wonder whether a government agent can walk onto their land uninvited,” said Rees Empey, State Policy Manager at Pacific Legal Foundation. “The Fourth Amendment has always guaranteed this protection. Now, Idaho is making clear it will be enforced, with real consequences for those who violate it.”

Idaho farmers and ranchers have long faced the threat of warrantless entry by state and federal regulators claiming broad authority to access private land without permission. The new law, supported by Pacific Legal Foundation, the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, and the Institute for Justice, bars government agents from entering private land without a warrant and requires federal agents to notify the county sheriff before executing one.

The law mirrors Pacific Legal Foundation’s No Government Trespassing Act, a model policy PLF developed to protect landowners from warrantless intrusions by conservation officers. The law takes effect immediately.