What is curtilage?

• A. The interior of a dwelling.
• B. The area immediately surrounding a dwelling, which is protected by the Fourth Amendment.
• C. The open fields around a property.
• D. The street in front of the house.

Answer: (B)

Curtilage is the area immediately surrounding a dwelling that is considered part of the home for Fourth Amendment purposes and is protected as private space. It includes yards, porches, and other spaces close to the house that the resident treats as private and where intimate activities occur, often enclosed or shielded from view. This protection contrasts with open fields, which lie outside the curtilage and don’t carry the same privacy guarantees. The street in front of the house is public and not part of the curtilage, so it lacks the same privacy protections.