Cases:
The Supreme Court has held (Oliver v. United States (1984)) that the Fourth Amendment does not apply to open fields at all. By contrast, the curtilage of a house is protected almost as carefully as the house itself. The Supreme Court has found that land 60 yards away from a house was not curtilage.
Four part test:
- proximity of the area to the home
- whether the area is enclosed by a fence along with the home
- nature of the uses to which the area is put
- any steps taken by the resident to protect the area from observation
Compare with California v. Ciraolo (1986)