HB 4129 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to the prohibition of warrantless searches and seizures.

HB 4129 restricts the Division of Natural Resources' ability to enter private land for conservation purposes without a warrant. It requires law enforcement (specifically natural resources officers) to obtain a warrant before entering posted private land, using drones for surveillance, or conducting searches in open fields. The bill abolishes the common law "open fields" doctrine, prohibits surveillance cameras on private property, and clarifies that drone activity on private land constitutes a search needing a warrant. This directly affects landowners and natural resources officers by imposing new warrant requirements for property access.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Jan 14, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors

Sponsors