This post is intended as a place for discussions about Domestic Travel ONLY.
Please help us by sticking to the topic of Domestic Travel only.
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All I know about Domestic travel is, A year ago I wanted to go see my mom in Colorado the registration officer told me he couldn’t de-register me unless I told him exactly where I was going he wanted to know the state and city I was traveling to so he could notify them of my arrival, he also said I have 3 working days to make it to my destination before an international federal warrant is issued,
I asked him what if I don’t make it there in 3 days, he replied you can make it anywhere in America in 3 working days. I asked him what if I just wanna de-register from this jurisdiction I don’t have any planned destination he replied, then I can’t de-registered you, So basically, I was trapped and the only way out was to either lie, or give them my exact Planned, destination whether I really had one or not.
I never felt so powerless, I realize I didn’t even have control over my own life. This young 22-year-old kid is on his phone smiling and laughing as he’s telling me this. I decided not to go I couldn’t even imagine the receiving end from Colorado law enforcement being a transient sex offender from California because I didn’t wanna burn my mom’s actual address if I’m just gonna be visiting there for 2 weeks,
The only difference between California and Florida is California is very discreet about how they handle sex offender registration we don’t have all the registry restrictions as Florida but that doesn’t mean that California doesn’t enforce the same type of registry restrictions. Today I was looking up people who were arrested for failure to register in California, and you’ll be surprised how many people they sent away for life for failure to register. At the end of the day, domestic travel, is not even worth it
So if an individual in California no longer had to register, and traveled to a state where there is no mechanism to get off the registry would they have to register in the state that they traveled to? If the changes proposed by CASOMB for possession of CP are enacted then I could be off the registry in four years & would like to be able to travel.
I told the registry Nazis that I was moving out of California and moving to Colorado. I told them the city I was going to but they did not de-register me. When the Colorado deputy stopped by for a check (once in the two years I have been here) he told me I had a warrant from California for failure to register. I asked him how can that be when I was legally registered in Colorado, but he did not have an answer. He also said the warrant cannot be enforced anywhere but California. Granted I do not plan to ever go back to that state, but I also do not like having that warrant hanging over my head.
How can one travel domestically without clear documentation on how long one can stay without registering? (I am not on my state’s registry but must abide by the receiving state’s rules).
I feel the need to clarify that registrants in CA do NOT need to inform law enforcement that they travel domestically. Registrants in SORNA compliant states do have that requirement, however.
For your USA domestic territory travel list learning lesson of the day (which does not require a 21 day notice):
Territories of the United States
5 inhabited (which a PFR can travel to where their corresponding PFR visiting registration info can be found online, through traveler experiences here, and/or at US Sex Offender Registration Laws (ACSOL) but always double check to ensure you are aware of it at least)
9 uninhabited (for trivia purposes of course)
2 disputed (for info purposes)
William, as I mentioned before on this forum, it’s just a matter of getting out of Wisconsin. I’m in the exact same boat as you…same cp possession charge, mandatory minimum 3 year prison sentence, advanced age with no priors, SBN status, lifetime ankle bracelet and registration. Last year, I got my bracelet taken off & left Wisconsin a week after ending my supervision. I did some international travel before moving to Massachusetts. I registered with Mass SORB and remained under “unclassified status” for 5 months while the board made a decision on my tier. After the risk assessment, they assigned me the lowest category of ‘level 1’ which gives me unrestricted movement anywhere in the state, including school grounds. Level 1’s also never have their information publicized to anyone except law enforcement, state juvenile & child welfare departments. Now granted, I’m still required to register for 20 years, but Mass starts the clock right on the day of prison release, unlike Wisconsin which starts it after supervision ends (how stupid). So technically, I have to register only 2 more years longer than Wisconsin, but I can petition to be off the Mass registry in10 years after conviction.Since my conviction was in summer of 2016, I can petition in 2026. I’ll likely won’t be registering in Mass in less than 3 years! Now you might be asking how Rector’s decision affected me. It really doesn’t since I left the state, but it does put me back at 15 years. I still have to register and update my info with Wisconsin. If anything, it’s annoying. But I plan on challenging their stupid “territorial jurisdiction” overreach. Boston has some good law students willing to help me with it. Plus I’ll get the satisfaction of taking another bite out of Kevin Carr’s as. Corey took the first bite. I want that second bite.
The best lists I have seen are on this a2twozee blogpost. Large amount of research has gone into this.
If you are traveling, it is a very good idea to research your destination all the way down to the municipal level for any restrictions or requirements. They have created a legal system of landmines for us to navigate.
One example of this, the City of Las Vegas requires visiting”registrants” to register with the Las Vegas PD – WITHIN 48 HOURS OF ARRIVING. So if you arrive on Friday and depart on Sunday without checking in with law enforcement, they could arrest you.
Similarly, watch out for residency restrictions which could affect which hotel you can stay in, as well as any presence restrictions that may prevent you from taking your family to the water park.
I don’t know if they are still applicable laws, but there was a time about 20 years ago when cities started enacting hotel and motel restrictions, placing a limit on the number of registrants that were allowed to be guests at any given time.
I am coming up on 35 years now that I’ve had to play these stupid games with stupid prizes.
I am a in Louisiana. Last month I went to my local sheriffs office to tell them I would be traveling out of state for more than 7 days. The Louisiana law clearly states that I have to inform Louisiana “at least three days prior to traveling”. I informed them 14 days prior. While in their office, I was told by three sheriff’s deputies that I needed to come in three days or LESS to inform them of my travel. I pulled out a copy of the law and it says “at least three days prior to traveling” and told these geniuses that it means more than three days prior to traveling, not less than three days prior to traveling. They disagreed. They said that their office is so busy that they do not have time to process so many travel requests that might occur two weeks prior and that it is easier for them to just process the travel requests the day before travel. I told them that these are not “requests”, and I told them that I do not care when they “process” the form because my only responsibility was to inform them at least three days PRIOR to my travel date. They still did not understand that “at least three days prior” does NOT mean “less than three days prior”. We went round and round, back and forth. I even gave them an example of how if I owed one of them “at least three dollars”, then that means that I have to pay them three dollars or MORE, not three dollars less. Whoooosh… right over their heads.
The whole thing finally ended when one of the three deputies put her hand on her pistol and asked me why I was going against what they were telling me to do. I didn’t say another word, I pointed to the three video cameras that were aimed at where we were standing, then I pointed to each of them, then I calmly placed my travel form and the copy of the laws/rules together in the travel form tray on the counter, and I walked out.
(By the way, the state I was traveling to does not require me to register for visits of less than 21 days.)
My case is sort of unique in that I don’t have to register as a result of my conviction in my home state. However, I know I have to be careful when visiting other states to not run afoul of other juridicitions’ laws (what a winding road they weave, too). I’m trying to avoid ever being on a registry anywhere – not just for google name results or whatever, but trying to avoid getting on Satan’s Watch’s radar for international travel. Hoping if I’m never on any state’s registry period then I might not pop up on their list to harass as easily.
What I’m wondering though are for states like NV. It appears you have to “check-in” even for short visits, but if it’s less than 30 days you aren’t really on the registry if I understand correctly. I think Alaska may do something similar. I think both visitor lists or whatever are non-public. But it does worry me this would get me into someone’s system at the fed level for international travel alerts. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?
Okay, let’s get this cleared up about this 7 day rule. People claim we have to report to the feds if we vist another state for more than 7 days, even if we’re living in a non-SORNA state. First of all, who do we report to? Our state registering agency? The local cop shop? The federal building? Has anyone on this forum who lives in a non-SORNA state ever reported their plans to the feds after taking an out of state trip that lasted more than 7 days? And like someone has brought up, if they’re required to report their out of state over 7 day trip, then they also have to report their internet IDs. And my last question is, has someone who us fully compliant in their own state’s registration requirements, ever been charged by the feds for not reporting out of state travel? (And I don’t mean out of country) I think this whole thing sounds bogus.
@Roscoe, et al,
According the new rules, it’s not bogus but it’s not written as @James opined above. I’m going to break this down so we all can understand the ambiguity of it and the need for the lawsuit in the court today. BUT, I’m not an authority on this, but merely parsing out what it’s written as (may have missed a section), and should be interpreted in the court verbatim (too much gov’t experience to not be their interpreter). You, the reader (PFR) of the forum, should read this doc carefully, especially the rules reiterated in the second half of the doc. The top half are comments and the gov’t reply to the comments,
Here’s a reference paragraph within the Registration Requirements Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (Effective 7 Jan 2022) where seven (7) days away is noted:
“Paragraph (c)(2) of § 72.6 requires a sex offender to provide information about temporary lodging while away from his residence for seven or more days. In the SORNA Guidelines, and now in this rule, the Attorney General has adopted this requirement because sex offenders may reoffend at locations away from the places in which they have a permanent or long-term presence, and indeed could be encouraged to do so to the extent that information about their places of residence is available to the authorities but information is lacking concerning their temporary lodgings elsewhere. The benefits of having this information include facilitating the successful investigation of crimes committed by sex offenders while away from their normal places of residence and discouraging sex offenders from committing crimes in such circumstances. See 73 FR at 38056.”
@NDIK is correct. Is their reach on this legitimate if the state already has something in place or is not SORNA compliant since this is SORNA related?
Breakdown:
First, in the above doc, the duration away from the residence or reported location is seven (7) or more days. No where in the doc does it say location, i.e., specify in-state, out-of-state, or on tribal lands. It’s away from the residence or reported location.
Second, when read in the above doc, the seven (7) or more day travel is to be reported three (3) business days in advance of the seven (7) days away from the residence or reported location to the residence jurisdiction (by whatever means the residence jurisdiction allows, i.e., in-person, email, phone, letter written and delivered), NOT the Feds.
Third – omitted because the gov’t is too lazy to update docs when they delete/strike a paragraph and won’t renumber the subsequent paragraphs so they just “omit” it…it is a joke people…
Fourth, when read in the above doc, the lodging must be reported to where the person is spending their time when away from their residence or reported location seven (7) days or more.
Fifth, there’s no tie between travel and internet or telephonic identifiers. That’s bogus. They just want to know that info with continual updates as required (w/in three (3) business days of changes).
In conclusion, they want you (the PFR) to report:
1) at their residence jurisdiction
2) three (3) business days in advance (by whatever means the residence jurisdiction allows)
3) the travel (regardless of where) seven (7) days or more away from their residence or reported location and
4) where you will be lodging while away these seven (7) days.
Two caveats:
1) They don’t say domestic travel for these seven (7) days, but it is implied because they do outline international 21 day travel notification. We should not do the rule of assumption the gov’t makes here as they do below…
2) They, too, have the audacity to say why they assume it needs to be reported through “may” or “encouraged” behaviors, i.e., they’re making assumptions based upon a tier status and conviction without any credible evidence someone is going to do or even encouraged to do what they think.
I hope this clarifies a bit the seven (7) day rule now imposed upon PFRs.
Can a former registrant go to Las Vegas without having to register within 48 hours?
Dear William and J. Brown,
First of all, Iowa is not necessarily a good idea. I should know – I live in Iowa.
Second, there are 10 states that have registry laws that read, paraphrasing, “If you have to register in the state where you offended, then you have to register with us when you come here.” Presumably that means that if you no longer have to register in the state where you offended, then you don’t have to register when you go to those states. However – I would definitely want to get that in writing from that state’s SOR office before going there, wouldn’t you?
As of today Nov. 28 2023 those 10 states are – Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and believe it or not Wisconsin.
All subject to change the next time any of theses state legislature meet of course.
PS – Iowa is one of 7 states whose registry laws say, paraphrasing, “If you come to our state you have to register for as long as our law requires, or as long as the state where you offended requires – whichever is longer.” !! My offense was in Florida, so when I moved to Iowa they put me on lifetime.
it seems that with the interstate travel new rules then it does not matter if you finish your registry requirements, all registrants are now lifetime registrants and subject to felony punishment whether or not you serve the punishment of the registry or not. So it will not matter is you are taken off the registry by serving the time and extended time and following the rules. Is this now correct? it seems so extreme and while studies prove the registry is not protective or helpful new ways to profit and violate registrants on or off continue. I was concerned that our state automatically adds 10 more years if you have a ny violation of the registry as well as count it as a felony and I wanted to reach out and hear if this is normal for other states but now that even when you are off the registry you are still on it and subject to felony charges though not seen as a risk,,,,, This is a new sad. Am I misunderstanding anything or this is it, so even if you manage to make it off the registry you will be back on if you want to travel anywhere?
This is INSANE!! – As of 2018 I no longer am required to register in the state that I live in Pennsylvania. From what I am reading in this thread if I decide to travel outside Penn I have to check the laws of the state I am traveling to and even thru in order to see if I am required to register??!! So if I decide that I want to spend a 3 day weekend at the Jersey shore in a hotel I have to first find New Jersey’s most recent registration laws to see if I am required to register just to stay at a hotel for a few days?! Really?!
If this is the case then that means I have to do that if I want to take a two day trip up to Niagara Falls (New York) side. It is about 7 hours one way to the falls from where I live so if I end up taking more than two days I could end up being arrested for failure to register??!!
Many of the laws for some states are so confusing and difficult to interpret as to whether I can go and stay a few days it would take an attorney from that state fluent in the registration laws of that state to advise me of what are the registration laws of that state so I could feel at ease knowing I won’t be breaking any laws. I thought it was only if I moved to another state I may have to re-register not just visiting if I am no longer required to register in Penn.
So I am now TRAPPED IN PENN – I am confined to Penn – I am under “State Detention” !!!! If I dare leave this state for any reason at all I risk being arrested unless I am fluent in any state’s laws I travel thru to get to the state I want to be in!!! Unbelievable!!!! It is also not so easy to find the laws of each state and if you do you don’t know if they are the most recent laws. WTF!!!!????
Telephone numbers should be listed in every single state on the Internet so you can call and get a real person from that state’s registry department to ask them exact questions about traveling thru their state or staying in their state even on a visit. Federal registry should be responsible for having on their site every states requirements in black and white well written in layman’s terms so we know if we can travel to a state, thru a state and how long before we would have to register.
So traveling from state to state is one less step short now of traveling as a Jewish person in Nazi Germany, always having to have your papers with you????!!!! THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF ABSOLUTE INSANITY!!!!
P.S. – on a side note. I am registered on this site but I do not see where I can select to have an email sent to me when a post of mine is answered/replied to such as this one. Is there such a way or do I have to keep coming back to see if there are replies? Thank you. Oups, I think I just found out how to get emails of replies to this post or any other I make. By “Post Comment” is a bell. I see it has a line thru it. I removed the line. I hope I get a response now.
Here’s a question, if you are off Registration totally. Then couldn’t you travel Domestically without having to worry about registering in the state you are visiting?
Domestic Travel in context of SORNA:
Some of us made the federal SORNA shackles fall off by simply relocating to states in the 5th or 7th U.S. circuits. If an offense is not a categorical match, a federal ruling makes it “mandatory’ that it is not covered under SORNA, even if a person is required to register in one of the 5th or 7th circuit states. That ruling was made by a someone who is now a U.S. Supreme Court justice. In the remaining 44 states the ruling is only “persuasive” rather than “mandatory”. No one has tested it in other circuits yet. With a million American registrants, it seems reasonable that tens of thousands of people with old sex offenses would qualify. While living in the 9th circuit I would have had to sue the feds relying on the “persuasive” ruling that I was not in the SORNA tier III level. While residing in the 7th circuit, I’m instantly, absolutely and completely free of SORNA. United States v. Walker, No. 18-3529 (7th Cir. 2019). If you want insurance, get an “advice of attorney”. It will preclude prosecution and harassment.
Hoping someone here could help me unravel some of Kentucky’s registry requirements for visitors. The basics:
I have a state felony conviction for voyeurism, but am not required to register in my home state.
Kentucky does have language about having to register if conviction is equivalent to a crime in Kentucky that requires registration.
Kentucky has two types of voyeurism charges. A misdemeanor defined under KRS 531.090 and a felony defined under KRS 531.100 The misdemeanor doesn’t seem to require registering, but the felony does if the victim was a minor (it was in my case).
The details/facts of my case seem to align with their misdemeanor charge (I didn’t share or disseminate the images to anyone), but since my conviction is a felony in my state, which would it be equivalent to in Kentucky? Obviously hoping for the non-registrable misdemeanor, which is what my conviction would have been if tried in Kentucky by my understanding.
Material I referenced for this:
https://www.ag.ky.gov/about/Office-Divisions/OCAHTPP/2020%20Child%20Abuse%20Prosecution%20Resources/Kentucky%20Sex%20Crimes%20and%20Offenses.pdf
The other thing that may make the whole thing above irrelevant is the definition of who must register upon relocating or visiting Kentucky:
“if a person is required to register under federal law or the laws of another state or territory, or if the person has been convicted of an offense in a court of the United States, in a court martial of the United States Armed Forces, or under the laws of another state or territory that would require registration if committed in this Commonwealth” from below:
https://casetext.com/statute/kentucky-revised-statutes/title-3-executive-branch/chapter-17-public-safety/sex-offender-registration/section-17510-effective-112024-registration-system-for-adults-who-have-committed-sex-crimes-or-crimes-against-minors-persons-required-to-register-exemption-for-registration-for-juveniles-to-be-retroactive-manner-of-registration-penalties-notifications-of-violations-required
I’m pretty sure the details of my crime are required to register under SORNA – so the bit above about “if a person is required to register under federal law” would that mean I have to register in Kentucky as a visitor even though if the crime had been committed in Kentucky I would not need to register? This stuff is insane trying to parse through.
I emailed the registration office of the Kentucky State Police yesterday to help clarify, but have not received a response yet. Since I’m not on a registry anywhere, obviously trying to keep it that way. But travel to Kentucky several times a year normally and will bump up against their 30 day max per year without registering.
Have any PFRs traveled to St. Thomas or Puerto Rico in the last few years? If yes please share your experience with registering in those U.S. territories. I am considering future travel to one of those territories but want to know in advance what you experienced.
Anyone been turned away from domestic Airbnb rentals when someone else books the reservation and you are listed as a guest? I read the terms of service and I could find nothing in the terms regarding registered people.