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Can My Neighbor Video Record Me On My Property?

Feeling uncomfortable about your neighbor’s security camera is not something uncommon. Many people are confused about what rights they have when they feel their privacy is being violated. One question generated from this issue is, can my neighbor video-record me on my property?

Even though there’s no law against installing a security camera that may include public areas of your property, recording private property without permission is illegal. In simpler words, if the neighbor’s camera is capturing a private area of your property, they will require your consent before recording any clips.

It’s a vague topic that requires more attention. Let’s talk about it in detail.

Can My Neighbor Video Record Me On My Property?

Sometimes the laws of a state are not clear or may not be easily understandable by us common people. That’s why it’s essential to evaluate and understand a situation before taking the matter to the police.

Whether your neighbor can or cannot video-record you when you are on your property depend largely on a few factors. Is the camera installed by them covering a public area of your property, like the backyard or the porch?

If it is, there’s no law against the security camera. The reason is that your backyard and porch are seen from outside without invading your privacy. Now, if the situation gets complicated and the camera can peek inside the house or a part of the house that you consider private, you can take legal action against that.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, you have to be certain that the camera is violating your privacy. Even though a security camera covering the area accessible to the public eye is not a violation of privacy, it’s normal to be uncomfortable about recording.

What To Do If My Neighbor Video Records Me On My Property?

As we have mentioned before, it depends on the situation. However, if you are uncomfortable, the first thing to do is to talk to your neighbor. You will be surprised to see how much conflict and hassle can be avoided only by talking.

You can request him to reposition the camera in a way that doesn’t make you worry about your privacy. If that’s not an option, you can ask them to show you their view of the camera. This will ensure that you’re satisfied with the camera not capturing your private property.

When it comes to recording, the issue becomes sensitive. However, if your neighbor has a security camera like Ring Video Doorbell, you can also request them to change the settings a bit. With Ring doorbells, you can turn off motion detection for specific zones.

These doorbells will only record when motion has been detected. So, even if the camera covers your property, if the motion detection is turned off for that zone, it will not record any footage and will keep them saved on the cloud.

This goes for any motion detection cameras. If your issue is with recording only, requesting your neighbor about this to protect your privacy will be fair game. This way, they’ll get their security without making you uncomfortable or invading your privacy.  

If talking with the neighbor is not doing anything productive, you can ask for help from the authority. Note that if the camera is not invading your privacy by accessing private areas of your property, the authority won’t do anything about it.

The neighbor is entitled to install a security camera to protect themselves, and if it covers some of your area that’s publicly visible, it’s not against the law. The same goes for you too. You can install a security camera that also includes your neighbor’s property as long as the area is publicly visible.

If you’re worried about the security camera installed on your neighbor’s house, you can also read out article can a neighbor point a camera at my house?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is it okay for my neighbor to record my property?

As long as the camera is not capturing anything private, it’s not an illegal thing to do. Besides, you may also get benefitted from the camera. In case you don’t have a security camera on your property, you can use the footage from their camera to identify anyone in case of burglary and theft.

Q. What can I do if my neighbor is invading my privacy by recording my property?

In case the camera has access to your private areas like bedrooms, restroom, trial room, or any other room inside your house, you can take action against that. However, it’s very important that you don’t do anything illegal.

Many people attempt to hack the security camera of their neighbors to check what they’re accessing. This is not a lawful act to do. Your neighbor can then take legal action against you if they find out that you’re accessing their cameras. It’s a breach of their privacy.

So, the first thing to do is to talk the issue out. If talking doesn’t help, you can always reach out to a lawyer to fix the problem. If it turns out that they are violating your privacy, your lawyer will sort the issue out.

Q. What should I do if my neighbor’s camera is pointed at my driveway?

Your neighbor is free to install a security camera on their property. Your driveway is not a private area that’s not visible to the public eye. So, it’s not illegal for your neighbor to point a camera there.

Nonetheless, if you’re uncomfortable, you can always request your neighbor to reposition the camera. But legally, there’s nothing you can do.  

Final Words

To come back to the original question of can my neighbor video records me on my property, it depends on a few things. If the area is publicly visible and your neighbor is not recording anything private against your consent, there’s nothing wrong with it.

However, if they’re accessing a private area and recording them, they’re violating your privacy. You can take legal action against them if you want.