Thread: A question about Private Property

So I have to ask you guys for an opinion as this has been an on going pet peeve of the wife and I for a couple of years now...

We live at the end of a Private Road, in fact we actually own the road everyone else just has access and an agreement to help with upkeep..
To set the stage the road is just shy of 1 mile long, there are only 5 homes on the road, the once you pass my nearest neightbor who is just shy of 1/2 mile down the road there is nothing until you cross onto my property which is where we have these signs...
As you drive past the signs and around the corner the land is clearly marked as Private Property, No Trespassing on both sides of the road..

My question is, You are coming down the road, there is a clear turnaround right before the signs that I maintain year round, is there something I am missing here that says "Come on in" ????
Just wondering if I am somehow reading my signs wrong here ????







Keep in mind my actual "driveway" is another 1/4 mile down the road, and you have to go by 2 more No Trespassing signs to get in there, yet people drive right on in, when I have stopped them and asked the simple question, "What part of No Trespassing, Private Property, Private Road, is confusing to you" I have got a few different responses, but most fall in the "I didn't think it meant me" category...

Thinking of spending the money for some 4x4 posts and Metal signs with a section of split rail fence to either side of the road, hoping that might work, we don't want to have to put a gate there if at all possible as they get in the way during the winter...


Do you think I am fighting a uphill battle against ignorance here ????

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Do you think I am fighting a uphill battle against ignorance here ????

I do. If I saw that sign, especially on a rural road in Idaho, where people are known to maybe back up a no trespassing sign with rock salt if not buckshot, I'd sure make a U-turn.

Regarding a gate, does this occur in the wintertime, too? If not, consider putting the gate up. Sometimes people need a visual wall to "get it". This is the internet/social media generation, where people put everything online. No reason to think they would actually consider that some people actually demand their privacy.

Just curious, I've seen signs somewhere ..... that said, "No Trespassing - Violators Will Be Prosecuted" ..... Is there any legal ramification to pursue for some who ignore the signs ? Not suggesting you go that route, just wondering if the violator might feel there might be some legal consequences ?

Yes and No Jimmy, you get into problems with actual Kidnapping charges or Illegal Detention if you try and hold them on your property, if you take the pics and press charges it is normally dismissed or only a minor fine unless they are hunting then things change... I do have a game camera set up the takes pics of anyone coming into the drive and their Plates..
There are clear cut definitions of marking the property also, you have to have Signs or Orange Paint on the tree trunks every 50 feet to be legal...

Idaho has very lenient "Make my Day" and "Castle laws" but those only apply when you feel threatened, people driving through your property are not really a threat unless they stop...

I have honestly had different religious groups come and knock on the front door, surprised me to no end...

So what's the literacy rate again in North Idaho?

Would this work for ya Glen? I think they might get the point!

Glen,

At the risk of sounding like a moron myself, I too would probably violate your privacy, thinking that those signs are referring to the property on both sides of your private access road. If, however, the signs read "Private Road--No Trespassing" I would make an effort to get turned around asap and make a speedy exit. Your only real solution to those who choose to ignore your signs is probably what you've already identified--a gate of some kind.

I had a friend who got lost in Delaware once after exiting the interstate and began driving down a very long road that had every appearance of being a state highway. They drove several miles before noticing guard stations at intervals on both side of the road--with armed watchmen in them--just before a Delaware State Highway Patrol car overtook and pulled them over. The officer explained that the road they were traveling on was private. In fact, it was the access road to one of the E. I. DuPont family's estates.

Its your property, you have the right to do what you want! Metal signs are nice and all, but some retractable spike strips should do the trick!

I don't know if that will work in Idaho but I'm sure it works in the Deep South:-)