Quote:
Originally Posted by joohongoh
Good evening!
Hope all is well for everyone! I am in need of advise concerning the legality of having surveillance cameras around the perimeter of our house. We have a neighbor who have been consequently renting out their house to single occupations needing a room. Constantly there are strangers coming in and out of the house and we share a common backyard and a long driveway. Is it illegal to have 2 cameras facing each other on every angle of our house? The total of 6 cameras total? Please advise as we do not want to get in a bind with the authorities.
. All advise are deeply appreciated. Thank you so much in advance. We are located in Queens, NY.
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From my understanding you are able to put up security cameras and focus them (only) on areas that are view-able to the public. If they are facing your property/house then you should be fine. Problems can arise if neighbors complain that you are surreptitiously recording and pointing them at windows or backyards etc. Most of the time a neighbor will say something to you first but, there have been cases where the law becomes involved (this is civil not criminal court though).
The "Nest cam" product records both video and audio this is why I am including the audio recording comments here.......
Depending on whether your state is a one or two party consent state audio recording may also be allowed (usually you must post signs about it). Federal law states that only one party must know about it (one person consent) however, you need to make sure you comply with state laws. You may still be restricted to record only conversations that you are a participant in though. Most basic security camera installs record video not audio (due to the dual consent laws in most states).
Best advice is to consult with an attorney or a knowledgeable/reputable security company as laws do change frequently and most of all you want to know that your surveillance is not breaking the law and you can use the footage if something does occur.