Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence
Thousands of census workers, including many temporary employees, are fanning out across America to gather information on the citizenry. This is a process that takes place not only every decade in order to complete the constitutionally-mandated census; but also as part of the continuing “American Community Survey” conducted by the Census Bureau on a regular basis year in and year out.
What many Americans don’t realize, is that census workers — from the head of the Bureau and the Secretary of Commerce (its parent agency) down to the lowliest and newest Census employee — are empowered under federal law to actually demand access to any apartment or any other type of home or room that is rented out, in order to count persons in the abode and for “the collection of statistics.” If the landlord of such apartment or other leased premises refuses to grant the government worker access to your living quarters, whether you are present or not, the landlord can be fined $500.00.
That’s right — not only can citizens be fined if they fail to answer the increasingly intrusive questions asked of them by the federal government under the guise of simply counting the number of people in the country; but a landlord must give them access to your apartment whether you’re there or not, in order to gather whatever “statistics” the law permits.
In fact, some census workers apparently are going even further and demanding — and receiving — private cell phone numbers from landlords in order to call tenants and obtain information from them. Isn’t it great to live in a “free” country?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,749 comments Add your comment
Ringmaster76120
May 28th, 2010
12:20 am
I hope the census worker that tries to enter my home can explain his “rights” to 110 pounds of angry German Shepard that thinks he owns this house.
Komrade Citizen
May 28th, 2010
12:20 am
All hail Comrade Messiah Obama
Mike K.
May 28th, 2010
12:21 am
Sounds like good exercise of the 4th Amendment for the Supreme Court to me
Don
May 28th, 2010
12:21 am
SparkS, if it’s so important to you, how come you didn’t photograph it? You’re like those UFO freak jobs, outlandish claims and with cameras all over the place, you never seem to grab a photo or have any evidence.
Bob
May 28th, 2010
12:22 am
I am sorry I said that. I investigated the issue and see I was wrong.
UGa2Day
May 28th, 2010
12:23 am
I heard that they’re going through all the abortion doctors records and adding all the aborted foetuses to the rolls, something similar to the slave days. Each foetus is equal to 3/5 of a Democrat vote – they assume that they’re all leftists since the aborting mothers are invariably from the ‘hood or from Vassar or Barnard.
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
12:23 am
“Non-partisan? The anti-American Commie Lovers Union, non-partisan? The Association of Criminal Liars Union, non-partisan? You are smoking some seriously bad weed!”
You’re totally right, they’re suing the Obama Administration just to keep up appearances. Go back to living in your doom-room fear-bunker for the next 3 years, if the Muzlums don’t get you FEMA will.
Free Man On The Land
May 28th, 2010
12:24 am
This is why it is important for you to take back your sovereignty. I’m not going to sit here and say it is an easy process, but I will tell you that you need to start by filling your UCC-1 form. I have no problem being counted however I do have a problem being forced to do anything.
I am ashamed to say that I am an American right now.
True Information #7
May 28th, 2010
12:26 am
WRONG – Census workers cannot enter your apartment in your absence
RIGHT – Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence, and search your belongings to ascertain the number of residents as of April 1.
A manager shall give access to an apartment building AND provide keys to individual units to adhere to the following binding statute.
“Whoever, being the owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of any hotel, apartment house, boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary or by any other officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof, acting under the instructions of the Secretary, to furnish the names of the occupants of such premises, or to give free ingress thereto and egress therefrom to any duly accredited representative of such Department or bureau or agency thereof, so as to permit the collection of statistics with respect to any census provided for in subchapters I and II of chapter 5 of this title, or any survey authorized by subchapter IV or V of such chapter insofar as such survey relates to any of the subjects for which censuses are provided by such subchapters I and II, including, when relevant to the census or survey being taken or made, the proper and correct enumeration of all persons having their usual place of abode in such premises, shall be fined not more than $500.”
Per administrative law, the census worker is allowed to obtain refreshment from the legally entered domicile, including water, soft drinks and sandwiches. At this time, the OMB is forbidding census workers to use private domicile appliances.
It’s called reading comprehension and wisdom sheeple.. not so good these days…
Don
May 28th, 2010
12:28 am
SparkS, to tell the truth, I am a 9-11 truther, a birth certificator, and a fan of Alex Jones. I am also a liberal democrat.
Juan
May 28th, 2010
12:30 am
And the order comes from……….taratatannnnn…..The loser in the white house.
Don Calamari
May 28th, 2010
12:30 am
Epic fail for using my name as Don, I’ll change it now.
This is something that this website needs, some kind of authentication.
You drooling choad ass retard!
“SparkS, to tell the truth, I am a 9-11 truther, a birth certificator, and a fan of Alex Jones. I am also a liberal democrat.” Those are not my words.
Nincompoop Nation » Blog Archive » Bob Barr’s Libertarian Paanoia
May 28th, 2010
12:31 am
[...] course BB would be concerned about the census count which is underway and in his blog he lays out his case for concern that census workers can enter your apartment even when you [...]
Stanley Rand
May 28th, 2010
12:31 am
Joe Schmooze you are an anti-American dolt, probably an ACLU lawyer, or toilet bowl cleaner at their offices. Qualifications are about the same. Get your shotgun and crawl back in your closet.
Don Calamari
May 28th, 2010
12:33 am
I am an inveterate liar with multiple personality disorder. Please believe anything I say. Those are not my words.
Curtis
May 28th, 2010
12:33 am
This sounds very foolish and an excellent way to get shot!
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
12:34 am
“This information is amazing, if true. With the powermad socialists now in charge, I’m sure it is. Look at all of the instances of census takers being convicted felons and sexual perverts.”
Do your own research. You’ll find it’s not true. That aside, I doubt there are many documented sexual predators and felons being hired by the census. I recently finished some work with a census and we worked with a girl who was dropped during training because she didn’t pass the FBI background check, you know, the one that every employee of the census must go through (complete with fingerprints, oh boy!). Her crime? Getting caught with a joint 8 years back when she was a minor. I doubt your cable guy’s info passes through the FBI just before he comes out to service your TeeVee masheen.
ME
May 28th, 2010
12:35 am
I say let the wars start… let’s do it. Everyone quit talking and let’s get violent. I personally wish to try some human flesh…that is some change I could get in to! Obama sucks, The man ain’t keeping nobody down, and liberals can choke on a whale phallus…WHO’s NEXT?
Acerdude
May 28th, 2010
12:37 am
I personally gave only my head count of my house and any other questions on the forms were un-Constitutional and I wrote that on the forms too.
If I were a renter and gave the head count but the census worker wanted in against my will, I would stand on the Constitution and demand that the census worker get a warrant to enter.
Rorschach
May 28th, 2010
12:38 am
This is offensive.
Roger
May 28th, 2010
12:40 am
Joe, the ACLU is suing because they are disappointed in how slow Obama is in implementing the leftist agenda. Obama thought he could walk in as dictator, and, he has found patriots slowing his agenda down. Duh. Your bulb burns ever so dim.
Jose Boogles
May 28th, 2010
12:42 am
The Code says, the landlord is required “to furnish the names of the occupants of such premises, or to give free ingress thereto and egress therefrom to any duly accredited representative of such Department or bureau or agency thereof.” That doesn’t specify entering apartments but neither does it prevent such entry. It is conceivable that some over-zealous census worker could push to enter private apartments. The language should have been written to limit such things from happening.
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
12:43 am
“Joe Schmooze you are an anti-American dolt, probably an ACLU lawyer, or toilet bowl cleaner at their offices. Qualifications are about the same. Get your shotgun and crawl back in your closet.”
I just don’t see the world like a 4 year old. The playground worldview of good guys and bullies gets you into decades-long 3 trillion dollar mistakes.
Master Lee Mochow
May 28th, 2010
12:43 am
It is time for us to unity, The NWO is growing strong everday,
P.U. is here to help,
Unity for all Humanity
find out more @ http://www.youtube.com/user/MasterLeeMochow
Master Lee Mochow
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
12:44 am
Well, I googled census workers and sex predators and see what you are saying There may be a serious problem after all. Perhaps it’s the typical big government confusion?
Grandpa Gus
May 28th, 2010
12:44 am
Only further proof that any pinhead can write a news column, and every thinking individual should check information for themselves through other sources, before we take what is written as absolute truth.
Master Lee Mochow
May 28th, 2010
12:44 am
http://www.youtube.com/user/MasterLeeMochow
If you don’t act now the future will be losed.
P.U.
unity for all humanity
Stanley Rand
May 28th, 2010
12:48 am
And the naive view ends up with millions of dead. You people hate history and deny human nature. You implement policies that work against human nature. It can only end in epic failure of the kind history attests to. You are the one with the four year olds view. Go back and smoke your dope and dream of the utopia you will never usher in. Only poverty, death and destruction.
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
12:55 am
“Joe, the ACLU is suing because they are disappointed in how slow Obama is in implementing the leftist agenda. Obama thought he could walk in as dictator, and, he has found patriots slowing his agenda down. Duh. Your bulb burns ever so dim.”
Partisan – a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance.
You can quibble about semantics all you want but if we hold partisan every organization that adheres to a “cause” we’ll be listing the D.C. phonebook. The ACLU sues when their lawyers determine there is a legal cause, regardless of party affiliation. Their primary goal is to “defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee,” and their lawsuits generally stem from government overreaching legal bounds. Isn’t that what you repubs are always complaining about? Government overreach? Argue all you want, I’ve put on my flame retardant suit.
Hilton Swanger
May 28th, 2010
12:55 am
WRONG – Census workers cannot enter your apartment in your absence
RIGHT – Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence, and search your belongings to ascertain the number of legal and illegal residents as of April 1.
A manager shall give access to an apartment building AND provide keys to individual units to adhere to the binding statute (quoted many times earlier).
Per administrative law, the census worker is allowed to obtain refreshment from the legally entered domicile, including water, soft drinks and sandwiches. At this time, the OMB is forbidding census workers to use private domicile appliances.
So folks, it is 100% US Code that these little left-wing, loser prats have the authority to ransack your residence and to top it off, Obama’s OMB allows them to eat and drink your property!
Who needs the stinking constitution when we are governed by the boys and girls of Hahvuhd Law. And the jack-booted thugs of the SEIU, ACORN, Teamsters and Obama’s Civil Defense Force (the Brownshirts) all directed by Soros and the other bank CEOs who yank Hussein, Geithner and Pelosi’s chains.
Census Worker WhistleBlowers...they're not all bad
May 28th, 2010
12:57 am
[...] Entries5 When it comes to census workers, it gets even worse: Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence | The Barr Code Reply With Quote + Reply to Thread « Previous Thread | [...]
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
1:02 am
“Well, I googled census workers and sex predators and see what you are saying There may be a serious problem after all. Perhaps it’s the typical big government confusion?”
I didn’t write this.
But I did end up finding one story on Faux News about a sex predator that was cleared to work by the FBI after using an alias. If the Census contracts out to get background checks from the FBI, they bear some culpability, but not a lot more due diligence can be expected of an organization that’s giving the fingerprints, names, and SSN of their employees to the premier law enforcement body of our country.
Hilton Swanger
May 28th, 2010
1:02 am
I’d love to see some leftists census tool enter this guy’s place and eat a sandwich:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_15174443?source=most_emailed&nclick_check=1
Yikes, but the main point of the story is a few more Lefty Cali voters aren’t there to vote for the two Jewish ladies, Boxer and Fienstine.
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
1:12 am
I AM THE REAL JOE, and I really did write the piece about finding out that the census taker rolls are absolutely overrun with convicted felons and sexual perverts. Some rural areas in Northern California, New England and the Upper Midwest have 25-33% of workers as on parole or under court-ordered supervision.
PS “impostor”, the FBI ceased being the premier law enforcement agency under Clinton when all they did was investigate Dole and Bush. And then dropping the ball on all the Obama terrorists…yikes.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa Co., AZ likely runs the premier LE organization.
bigdogdaddyd
May 28th, 2010
1:14 am
what are they gonna do , go thru my mail, turn on my computer, count the pairs of socks in my drawer. Look at my pictures on the wall, or recover from my dog biting their ass. what? c’mon they can only gain entry at the invitation and unfortunately to the demise of some of our citizens. Of course the goverment (left out the n because that’s the normal in the word and our government is anything but), they want a tally, some resist that tally and want to be off the radar. Hey, that’s they’re deal, there’s always the rebels, that’s what makes our country great. God bless em. Hell no I don’t exist. but , in the end they the gov’t goes brrrrrr….r.r..r.r.r… on their super duper handy dandy computers and go, oh !! johnny smith/brown/valenzuela/nguyen/chi’ng wei / bharyindinnaggaddaadavida / lives their, it says so on their tax return. or drivers license, oh look there is more of them in the d a t a base. But, alas there are those mountainering, souls, those trailer dudes and dudettes, that are known only by their local bowling alley names, that cash their checks at the liquor store and never look up, cause their always looking down. I definitely wouldn’t be so paranoid if everybody wasn’t out to get me…….
Freedom is good
May 28th, 2010
1:16 am
Their threats are all bark and no bite. NOBODY has ever been fined. simply ignore them when they come knocking and they will go away for good.
“According to some accounts, those recipients who chose not to return the form and did not respond to phone calls or private visits appeared to be hassled the least. Alternatively, those who returned the survey partially completed and communicated with the Census Bureau agents generally received more contacts and pressure. ”
- http://www.wisegeek.com/do-i-have-to-respond-to-the-acs.htm
The IRS and SS Administration has all the information the US Census Bureau needs. Cant government agencies share information? These surveys are just another way to waste tax payer dollars to maintain useless positions in big government.
Census Worker
May 28th, 2010
1:16 am
I actually work for the Census. We aren’t supposed to enter people’s houses at all, regardless of them inviting us in.
Hollingsworth LaPetitMort
May 28th, 2010
1:19 am
I live in Maine, they have “visited” no less than 12 times, my security cameras have recorded it. They have called 4 times, although my number is listed in another name. They have questioned my Neighbors about me. Taken GPS coords twice that I can see on tape. Sure, they just need to count the toilets. I work night shift …can’t catch me LMAO Taxed Enough Already !!
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
1:20 am
“Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa Co., AZ likely runs the premier LE organization.”
Forget that he’s currently under investigation for constitutional violations or that he is so hard up for cash he’s agreed to host his own version of “Cops” to make a little money on the side. Apparently being a full time racist doesn’t pay the bills.
Mick Russom
May 28th, 2010
1:20 am
Census workers. If you end up dead it will be in self defense. I will kill anyone who enters my house without due process. I have to assume you are a thief, murderer or rapist or kidnapper.
So Census workers, you feeling lucky? Do yah? Punk!?
jodi lynn
May 28th, 2010
1:21 am
Glad to know I live in Cambodia, where there is TRUE FREEDOM! And virtually no crime, aside from petty thefts. Imagine that. No police pulling you over, no system of credit, no bills, no mail.. everything is pre-pay, and everyone smiles. I love America but not what it has become! I’ll be here in paradise until things change (if they ever do). You can live like a king for $400 per month (rent, power, food, wifi, cell phone etc)…
jesse
May 28th, 2010
1:23 am
If they did that to me, I would shoot first and ask questions later. Anyone who comes into my place unannounced will get a bullet.
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
1:24 am
“The IRS and SS Administration has all the information the US Census Bureau needs. Cant government agencies share information? These surveys are just another way to waste tax payer dollars to maintain useless positions in big government.”
The Census Bureau is explicitly prohibited from sharing information with other government bodies. They cannot contact Law Enforcement, Immigration, or the IRS under any circumstance except to prevent immanent and serious harm to themselves or others. They do this because they want cooperation and don’t want people to be worried that this information will be used against them in any sort of way.
R. Lynn
May 28th, 2010
1:24 am
What a crock. I’m a census worker, and I was not trained to do this, nor would I ever consider doing such a thing. And please, don’t think of me as a ‘low life’ because I’m a census worker. I’m doing it because I thought it would be fun, and frankly, I do need the money. I’ve got a four year degree, have a pilots license, and work as a professional firefighter/paramedic. However, my pay has been cut, my overtime has been taken away, and the cost of my medical benefits gone up. My wife was laid off, and after I lost my house in the wildfires of 2007, I was forced to buy a home at a price I didn’t want and an still upside down on. So yeah, I need the money.
I’ve heard every excuse in the book on why the census shouldn’t be done. Some of the reasons I agree with. So, if you don’t want to participate, fine. Just tell me how many live in the house, and I’ll be on my way. That’s all I think the government needs to know anyway. But force my way into somebodies home or property? Never. My coworkers, they feel similarly. Nobody I know or work with would consider doing this, nor have we ever been instructed to do this by the census people that trained us. So I think that this whole story is a crock.
95% of the people I’ve interviewed for the census have been great, treated me very nicely, and answered all the questions the government wants. Only a few have treated me otherwise, and I’m cool with it. I simply thank them for their time, and leave.
R. Lynn – San Diego, CA
WayneLLewis
May 28th, 2010
1:26 am
I guess that is why “mantraps” are illegal.
misinformation # 7
May 28th, 2010
1:29 am
WRONG – Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence
RIGHT – Census workers can enter your apartment BUILDING in your absence
A manager should give access to an apartment building OR provide names… one OR the other..
“Whoever, being the owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of any hotel, apartment house, boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary or by any other officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof, acting under the instructions of the Secretary, to furnish the names of the occupants of such premises, or to give free ingress thereto and egress therefrom to any duly accredited representative of such Department or bureau or agency thereof, so as to permit the collection of statistics with respect to any census provided for in subchapters I and II of chapter 5 of this title, or any survey authorized by subchapter IV or V of such chapter insofar as such survey relates to any of the subjects for which censuses are provided by such subchapters I and II, including, when relevant to the census or survey being taken or made, the proper and correct enumeration of all persons having their usual place of abode in such premises, shall be fined not more than $500.”
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode13/usc_sec_13_00000223—-000-.html
Camilla
May 28th, 2010
1:33 am
This is odd because when the census worker came to my house, I asked her to come in, seeing as how I didn’t care to answer the questions standing on my porch. She said she was not allowed to come in so we had a lovely chatty time on the porch while she apologized for the questions she had to ask and told me which ones I could ignore.
Angus MacPherson
May 28th, 2010
1:33 am
Assuming this article is correct, I’d rather be fined than let somebody else into my apartment. Over the past year both my landlord and the city have started yearly “inspections” that never existed previously…ever. I’m feeling more and more like a prisoner in a cage.
It’s becoming obvious (to me) that renting is no different than being a slave. You have no privacy, the landlord can do yearly “inspections” ..the city does its “inspections” and now we find that if you are a renter even low-life census workers can have access to your private life. OMG. I pay good money, on time, to be left alone and live my life. But if you are a renter you are nothing but a prisoner in a cage to be examined whenever they want. My advice… don’t rent!! Renting is obviously for suckers and people down-on-their-luck. I’m shocked that people do it cradle-to-grave and feel really sorry for them. And oddly, this sort of intrusion into renters lives just seems to be intensifying as we lose more and more of our freedoms and liberties in the US, like the entire system on down the line is trying to train us to feel like prisoners were our “cells” can be inspected whenever they wish.
First they poison the air, food and water. Now they want to invade our private lives more and more on all levels of government. See a pattern here people? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TYRANNY!
george
May 28th, 2010
1:35 am
it does not really matter what the law actually says..what matters is how an individual interprets it and may use it to coerce the manager to give access..the manager will not know if the person is lying or not and will not challenge them because of the threat of being at risk if he does so..so in effect mr barr is correct..
Joe Schmo
May 28th, 2010
1:37 am
“Assuming this article is correct, I’d rather be fined than let somebody else into my apartment.”
Don’t worry, it’s not correct.