In the 1966 case See v. City of Seattle, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that warrantless administrative inspections of commercial properties violated Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. The case arose when a city fire department in Seattle attempted to inspect a locked warehouse without a search warrant, which was refused by Mr. See, who owned the warehouse business. He was subsequently fined for refusing to allow an inspection under local law requiring such inspections for fire safety purposes every year or two years at most businesses within city limits. The court held that while there are exceptions to needing warrants for certain types of routine inspections (like those related to public health), these exceptions did not apply here because warehouses were not closely regulated industries with long traditions of government oversight where privacy expectations were reduced. This decision established important precedent regarding Fourth Amendment protections in commercial spaces and set limitations on governmental power over private property owners.

In the dissenting opinion for SEE v. CITY OF SEATTLE, Justice Clark argued that the majority's decision to strike down a Seattle ordinance requiring inspection of private buildings for fire safety was misguided. He contended that such inspections were necessary to protect public safety and did not constitute an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment as they were neither intrusive nor conducted in an arbitrary manner. The justice further asserted that these inspections fell within administrative searches exception which allows certain regulatory searches without warrant or probable cause due to their purpose being different from criminal investigations - ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations rather than seeking evidence of wrongdoing. He also pointed out historical precedents where similar ordinances had been upheld by courts, indicating this case should be no different.