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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Links:
A2TwoZee domestic travel blog
To see the “State & Territorial Visitor Registration Laws Guide” chart, scroll down to that section and click on the “HERE” link.
To see the map of states, click on the “HERE” link to the right of “Summary Map”.
Domestic travel information (Probation Information Network)
I thought a vague law that LE can discretionarily apply was unconstitutional.
“Unfortunately, under existing law it has not been determined whether a person on vacation or visiting is actually “residing” in a temporary location while in our state. As a result, it is at the discretion of law enforcement to decide when a person vacationing or visiting on a temporary basis must register in their jurisdiction.” – Office of the Attorney General, California Department of Justice
Dear friends, I hope you won’t mind if I make a few comments about the travel discussion which took place on the June 15 ACSOL monthly zoom call.
First of all, I agree totally with all of the main points which Janice always makes about domestic travel: (1) Always know the number of days you’re allowed to be in any state and never stay there more than that number of days. (2) In some states you can leave, stay away for one day, then return and restart the time clock. Some states you can’t. Always know what the rules are in the state(s) you’re going to. (3) Never try to fly under the radar. Report your travel before you leave and keep your updated registry sheet on you when you travel.
However, every month Janice also uses certain states as examples for her main points, and that’s where she often makes errors. For example, on June 15 she offered her favorite two states as short and long time period states: Rhode Island (24 hours) and Hawaii (10 consecutive days or 30 total per calendar year). It so happens I have a brother in RI so I go there often and I always follow Janice’s advise that it’s a tiny state so just stay at a motel just over the state line. However, it turns out RI is one of 4 states (RI, NV, AK & SD that maintain separate “Visitors Registries” that allow you to stay for longer periods with being put on their regular registry. For more info about this go to my travel blog site – (the link is above, in this post, above the comments) and type in “Nevada” in the search box to find a blog entry “Nevada: An Open Letter” for more information about Visitor’s Registries.
Concerning Hawaii, 10 days consecutive is pretty good, and Hawaii isn’t the only state that has this rule (MT, NJ, NM, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI) but it’s not nearly the longest. Several states do 14 days (NC, NY, MN, MD, ME, KY, GA, CO, DE, Samoa) and some have either 30 days specified in law (VA, USVI) or have no period specified in law but by policy use 30 days (OR, PA, PR).
On the June 15 zoom call someone commented about Oregon and another person verified that OR is 30 days. I just want you all, including Janice, to know there are others.
Lastly, on June 15 Janice did mention something very important about moving to another state if you are fortunate enough to have been removed from the registry in your state of conviction. She said that MOST state registry laws say, paraphrasing, that if you were EVER CONVICTED of a registrable offense in some other state and you then move here, you have to register with us when you move here. Notice it doesn’t say anything about whether you’re still on the registry in your state of conviction – only whether you were ever convicted. So if you are ever fortunate enough to get yourself off of California’s or any other state’s registry, just remember – stay put! Do not move out of state.
Hi
does anyone have experience traveling to US Virgin Islands? I see , one must notify of arrival, & I believe one doesn’t have to register. I would appreciate knowing your experiences.
Thanks
Hi Everyone,
Yesterday (July 31), I was discharged off parole after 5 years, 4months, and 1 day wearing an ankle GPS monitor. I was a CDCR life term parolee with a PC 187 conviction (2nd degree) and previous PC 290 misdemeanor 647.6 conviction. I am being invited to the University of Chicago, for a Military & Veteran Affairs (all expense paid trip) to be a guest speaker on resilience and rehabilitation. I am flying out on Wednesday night (August 7) and staying in Chicago until Sunday evening (August 11). Would anyone be able to assist me in informing me of the rules of registering in Chicago? I asked DAPO and was told to research it myself. Thank you.
I had previously asked about the federal SORNA definition of a day in regards to reporting being away from home 7 days or more (if not residing in CA and if crossing a state line or stepping foot on a reservation in the state one resides).
After reading multiple definitions of day, calendar day, lunar day etc…I have come to the conclusion a day is the time between the sun rising and setting with no darkness in between as opposed to night which is the period of darkness. A calendar day, a lunar day, etc… are different than a “day”. Federal Sorna use the word “day”.
To avoid having to report being away from home 7 days or more I have concluded I need to be home before dark on calendar day 7 as that will be 6 full days plus a fraction of a day. Once it is dark on calendar day 7, then I am gone 7 full days. I just like to know and understand the rules as I like to follow the rules but not have to report.
Question about federal SORNA in regards to reporting operation of “any” vehicle. At the moment, federal SORNA only applies to me if I cross state line or set foot on a reservation. I do not reside in CA. If I cross state line and rent a car in another state, I am trying to determine whether federal SORNA requires me to report to my registering LE person.
I learned in grade school mathematics and English class “all” means each and every single item in a set and “any” means one, all or some number in between one and all of a set, meaning “any” can be any item I choose fro a set of data.
So if federal SORNA says to report operation of “any” vehicle, based upon what I learned in school that means I can report the vehicles I own (which I already do to LE as that is required in the state I register) and not necessarily have to report a vehicle I rent for a day or two in a state other than where I register because I can choose “any” vehicle to report as defined above.
I read text and take it to mean exactly what it says. My philosophy is if the author wants the statute to mean something else, it would draft the text in the way it intends. Am I misreading or misunderstanding the text in the federal SORNA?
My top 5 states to visit as a PFR
https://youtu.be/vXbK0lY11PU?si=adGZK_OK-wu3GoiX
Hello everyone,
My father-in-law has terminal cancer and my extended family is trying to plan an Alaskan cruise (5-7 days). Does anyone have experience with trying to go on a cruise as a registrant? Is that possible? (I reside in CA, completed probation years ago and no parole.) Would I have trouble crossing the border into Canada to leave from Vancouver? All possible port stops would be in Alaska.
Thank you so much for any guidance and help.
I thought states could not adopt state laws that prohibit the free flow of goods and commerce (including people) between states.
There are multiple states that have a adopted state laws that prohibit registered people from traveling into certain parts of the state without violating a criminal statute. States with presence restrictions top this list.
One example that comes to mind is IL with its presence and loitering restrictions from the external property boundaries of a long list of “child safety zones”. Chicago O’Hare Airport has an indoor play area for children. And Chicago Midway Airport has a park adjacent to the external property boundary of the airport. In both instances, if I fly into Chicago, I am violating a criminal statute with attached criminal penalties.
Another example that comes to mind has to also do with IL and visiting Chicago. If I take Amtrak into Chicago from any direction, I come within 500 feet of a park as there are more than one park within 500 feet of the Amtrak line. And again, taking Amtrak into Chicago means I am violating a criminal statute with attached criminal penalties.
If anyone has experience visiting Idaho and having to register there, I’d appreciate your input. My son may want to visit Idaho after probation to spend quiet time in the open air – we have friends there. Ideally he would stay at least two weeks, maybe more (he lost his job, imagine that), but then he would have to register in Idaho. There is nothing in the statutes about visitor deregistration, but per Atwo Zee’s chart, the survey indicates they will not remove a visitor from the registry once you leave. Can anyone confirm this? What about a legal action to request removal via the courts once he’s gone? Is that even an option?
I keep trying to sway him to take time in CA if he feels the need, because then I can enlist the help of Janice for removal after visiting – and because CA is just such an incredible state top to bottom. But he said if he visits a therapist in CA, there is mandatory reporting for anything related to his conviction or his sexual compulsions even if he never does anything illegal again (conviction was possession of CP). What do you all know about that? He still wants to continue therapy (not required to do so) because it helps him with his OCD and sexual compulsions.
A warning for those who do not live in CA and attempt to comply with the new federal SORNA regulations in regards to being temporarily away from home seven days or more. Before domestically traveling, I reported in writing to my LEO the dates and cities where staying. While traveling, my LEO called me and during the discussion, in passing he mentioned he sent my information to the other states’ LE agencies. I do not know if he meant to the state LE in charge of the registry or if he meant to the police dept of each city. Before traveling I researched how long I could stay in each state without having to register and I made sure to not stay long enough to register anywhere.
So, do your research before you travel and and do not stay long enough anywhere to have to register. And if I correctly remember, the regulation does not mention travel, just mentions temporarily away from home – so this would apply to both domestic and international travel.
I’m considering attending a weekend conference in Chicago this weekend. I’d be in Illinois for about 48 hours (maybe 54-55 hours tops). I’ll be driving in and out so no concerns about delayed or canceled flights.
I’m not registered in my home state/state of conviction (not registered anywhere as a result of my state not considering my conviction, voyeurism, a registrable offense). But SORNA, and I believe Illinois, would consider it registrable.
I’ve seen it recommended before to others to stay in Indiana to avoid registering in Illinois, but I was thinking Illinois is 3 days within a year before having to register? I suppose if they count partial days I’d be at the 3 day mark, but not sure if that’s business days or any days.
Sorry for not doing more research on my own, but I always seem to get stuck on the details when researching these stupid laws and need to make up my mind today if I’m going or not. Thanks in advance for any help.
Atwo Zee if you’re out there: Reviewing your post-registration state matrix, I see that under Washington State you added a comment in bold green that states:
“A person who is NO LONGER required to register in their conviction state reports moving to WA in 2024 with WA’s written agreement they are NOT required to register there.”
I was hoping to get some clarification on this. Did this person have to engage with the WA officials and obtain a written agreement from them? With next questions being…was this agreement specific to that one person such that others would have to endure their own discussion/negotiation with WA to obtain a similar agreement? Or does this note imply that this person’s written agreement signals that WA State has officially adopted the policy that those no longer required to register in their state will not have to register in WA without going through some formal process to obtain their own personal version of this written agreement?
Thanks much and thanks for your amazing work capturing all of this elusive yet highly consequential information!
One More for Atwo Zee:
I am trying to apply your Summary of Laws for former registrants against my situation to assess potential future moves. Your summary is color coded with green, black, blue, orange, and red categories. It’s still unclear to me which states, were I to move to them tomorrow, would require me to be added to their registry. It sounds like some non-greens might not require registration if enough time has passed. But I may be misinterpreting the verbiage. Pretty sure red and orange are off the table.
My situation is that I was convicted in CA in 2003 for misdemeanor CP. In 2007, the conviction was set aside via our 1203.4 expungement process. With Janice’s legal assistance, I petitioned off the registry in 2022. The longest reading of federal SORNA for this offense is Tier 1 // 15 years, so I am past SORNA’s waiting period as well.
Based on that profile, can you clarify to me which states, if any, besides the green ones would allow me to move there with no requirement to register in their state? Thanks so much for the clarification and for your invaluable contributions to the PFR community.
Hi,
hope all are doing well!
I have a question(I hope you guys can give me better clarity). I live in California(Los Angeles county) and Nevada is next door to me. My wife and I have an event there this weekend(in Vegas) and my wife bought our plane tickets instead of us driving there. We are also taking our kids. Will I have any issues boarding? What about when we come back? We are leaving Friday evening and coming back Sunday afternoon. I read that we don’t need to report unless I’m going pass 48hrs ( I’ll be there about 40hrs/45hrs or so). Do I have to let my local registration department know? I hear that I don’t have to since I’m not going to be there pass 48hrs. Please let me know guys!
Hello! Just finished attending a 5 day (4 night) stay in Reno, Nevada as a RSO. I stayed at Circus Circus and the convention was at the Grand Sierra. Other than my ID coming up missing at the first day (later found), the experience was not bad.
I called Reno PD before I left so I could schedule an appointment. They appreciated that lol.
Missed my initial check in due to the ID issue and was given a card to show any LEO if contact was made because the 2nd appt would be on the 4th day.
Check in was polite, I’d even say friendly. Went over my paperwork, helped me correct some things and let me know that any cumulative stay over 30 would result in a Tier being applied.
Won’t need to check out.
One More for Atwo Zee:
I am confused about your Massachusetts update.
i am a former SRO and contacted the office in MA. I was informed the 4-day requirement isn’t applicable UNLESS you visit the same location regularly. Thus, a one-off visit for less than 14 days shouldn’t trigger registration for a secondary address l.
Your latest post seems to indicate otherwise. Thoughts?
Visitors: Law requires registration of “secondary
addresses,” defined as place of residence for 14 or more
aggregate days in a calendar year, or a place routinely
resided in for 4 or more consecutive or non-consecutive
days per month. §178C.
How does Florida count time in the state?
I have a conference, work wants me to go to in February. Looking at a flight in Monday around 1530 and then flight out Thursday at 1700. Would that be safe?
@Atwo Zee or anyone who has traveled as an IL PFR, per IL Statute:
A [pfr] who is temporarily absent from his or her current address of registration for 3 or more days shall notify the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction of his or her current registration, including the itinerary for travel, in the manner provided in Section 6 of this Act for notification to the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction of change of address.
I have read Section 6 a few times looking for a definition of “itinerary for travel”, but it is never referenced anywhere else in the statute, section 6 or otherwise. Anyone know what that means? We have to give specific destination hotel info? And will they contact that destination hotel prior to arrival?
Second question: I read this 3 or more days rule to mean that my son, after he moves out to another county within IL, can come spend the night back home for Thanksgiving or Christmas without reporting it to anyone as along as he doesn’t do this more than 3 days per calendar year.
ARIZONA
Just read this don’t know when it was implemented:
Do I have to register if I am visiting/vacationing in Arizona?
Yes, if you are required to register within seventy-two hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after entering and remaining for at least seventy-two hours in any county of this state, shall register with the sheriff of that county: Failure to comply is a Class 4 Felony.
Arizona Department of Public Safety
Not sure when this started?
A little confused about former registrants visiting North Carolina: Per Atwo Zee’s website:
Visitors: According to §14-208.16, residence & presence
restrictions (Column 3) apply to “… who is
required to register,” so in theory not to a visitor not
establishing a residence & in state for less than 15 days.
However, NC SOR office says all residence & presence
really do apply. Updated Aug. 2022.
For visitors not currently registered in another state, which is it- 3 days or 15?
I just want to give a heads up. News One is apparently sending out YouTube advertisements for their new improved app that tracks pfrs in your area. So you might want to check your information…they have the Docs info on there, but neighbors already know me. These private organizations can be just as dangerous as government when it comes to our folks.
Happy Thanksgiving good people! Normally my aunt hosts the family get together on Thanksgiving in Missouri, but it looks like I won’t be going this year since the house behind her decided to set up a daycare. According to the state of Misery, that’s less than 500 feet too close for comfort. Sure I can chance it, but I don’t trust the goons that run that state. The next thing I know, I’d be serving time in Jeff city for that piddly little bullsh*t. So far, the state’s presence ordinance doesn’t affect my mom’s house, but I still wish she didn’t leave California to retire in her home state of Misery which is ran by hillbillies. However, we can’t change the past–have to make the best of our situation. To make matters worse, I always have to fly out there via FloriDUHH.
Peace
I’m confused about something. There has been mention here of Federal SORNA guidelines that require reporting out of state travel when it’s for 7 days or longer.
My offense is 26 years old, and as a non-contact offense it is a Tier-1 under the federal SORNA. Consequently my *Federal SORNA* obligations lapsed long ago. Wouldn’t this then mean that this federal SORNA requirement to report out of state travel if longer than 7 days does not apply to me? (I’m not required to register in my home state, for whatever that’s worth).
I’m planning a trip to California-ideally I’d visit for a few weeks but I’m limited to a 5-day visit before having to register. Are there any workarounds? My offense btw was performing a lewd act in the presence of a minor (without contact/battery). The offense is not a “covered” offense in many states, including my home state. Does anyone know if it’s a covered offense in California? Where would I go to find out? If it isn’t covered offense in California would that then mean that I’m okay for an extended visit without registering in California?
Thank y’all for any help.
Florida Vacation: I am registered in NY, and might travel to FL for a one week vacation. I see comments about being required to register in FL due to the length of my visit there…But I want to ask….How risky is it to fly there, stay at my friends house for a week, drive her car…and not register? Level One in NY. I’ve vacationed in FL for a week at a time like this all my life..never any problems.