Can your house get raided without a search warrent?

The only times the government can raid and search your house without a warrant are:

1. You are on parole or probation and signed an agreement that you would consent to warrentless searches as a condition of your probation/parole.

2. An officer is called to your house to investigate a situation (noice, etc.), and while he's there, he sees, smells, or hears something that causes the officer to have "probable cause" to believe a law is being broken. This is where the "plain sight" rule comes into play. If you open your door to an officer and he/she sees stolen property, drugs, etc., it's fair game.

3. You give consent to have your person, vehicle, or house searched when the officer asks. You ARE NOT required to give this consent, unless #1 applies. Police often try to bully or intimidate people into giving consent, and that's why its important for people to know their rights and know it's ok to tell them no.

4. If the government thinks you're a terrorist, all of this goes out the window, and they can do whatever they want, thanks to the Patriot Act. This provision is the most worrisome, because the definition of terrorism is becoming more broad.

The most important thing is to know your rights. In most cases, saying "I don't consent to any searches," does the trick.