Fact Finders: Do no trespassing signs carry any weight in Missouri?

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – You see the signs near electric substations, private property, and prisons. No trespassing. One of our viewers wants to know, if you have no trespassing signs up, does it really make a difference?

In Missouri, trespassing is a pretty straightforward concept. State law says, “A person commits the offense of trespass in the first degree if he or she knowingly enters unlawfully or knowingly remains unlawfully in a building or inhabitable structure or upon real property.”

And those no-trespassing signs do serve a purpose. You should also know in Missouri, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a sign to get the message across to other people.

“Hey, this is my land. You’re knowingly entering it by, you know, crossing a fence, putting up a no trespassing sign, of course, verbally telling them to get off my land works,” explained Grant Rah of Rah Law. “And there’s also there’s kind of odd things in the statute where you can put these purple marks on trees or on posts. And that gives people notice that they’re trespassing on someone’s land.”

As far as enforcement, we reached out to several agencies in the Ozarks. The Springfield Police Department told us, “If someone is trespassing on your property or at your business, please call 911 for an officer to respond.”

The department also says, “If you’re a business owner or property owner, we recommend having a letter of enforcement on file with the police department. Having these letters on file allows us to enforce trespassing on a property when the owner isn’t on site and/or police are patrolling and identify persons who may be trespassing (details are on the form). https://www.springfieldmo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11855/Letter-of-Enforcement-?bidId= Completed forms can be dropped off at police HQ on Chestnut or emailed to spdmail@springfieldmo.gov.”

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office says, “Calling 911 to file a report is always best. GCSO does NOT have an online reporting system which some people do not know.”

But other departments do allow you to file reports online. The Salem Police Department (Mo.), told us, “We are open 24/7 and allow reports to be filed in person, electronically, or over the phone. On the city of Salem’s website, we have a directory for how to complete a report or contact the Salem Police Department.

Back to the viewer’s question, does it really make a difference if you have no trespassing signs up? The answer is YES; it does make a difference.

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