Consent Searches
G.S. 15A-223 — a search no wider or longer than the consent given
In North Carolina, an officer may search and seize without a warrant if consent is given. Consent is a statement to the officer, made voluntarily, giving permission to search.
- For a person, the person to be searched.
- For a vehicle, its registered owner or the person in apparent control of it and its contents at the time.
- For premises, a person who by ownership or otherwise reasonably appears entitled to give or withhold consent.
The consent sets the limits. A consent search may not go beyond the consent given, in how long it lasts or where it reaches. When it is done, the officer makes a list of what was seized and gives a receipt with that list to the person who consented and, if known, to the owner of the vehicle or premises.
Sources for this section (3)
- G.S. 15A-221 — Consent search: general authorization and definition
- G.S. 15A-222 — Person from whom effective consent may be obtained
- G.S. 15A-223 — Permissible scope of consent search and seizure
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.