Cite as: 523 U. S. 65 (1998)
Opinion of the Court
these cases, however, did we expressly hold that § 3109 also codified the exceptions to the common-law requirement of notice before entry. In Miller the Government made "no claim . . . of the existence of circumstances excusing compliance" and the question was accordingly not before us. 357 U. S., at 309. In Sabbath the Government did make such a claim, but because the record did "not reveal any substantial basis for the failure of the agents . . . to announce their authority" we did not decide the question. We did note, however, that "[e]xceptions to any possible constitutional rule relating to announcement and entry have been recognized . . . and there is little reason why those limited exceptions might not also apply to § 3109, since they existed at common law, of which the statute is a codification." 391 U. S., at 591, n. 8.
In this case the question is squarely presented. We remove whatever doubt may remain on the subject and hold that § 3109 codifies the exceptions to the common-law announcement requirement. If § 3109 codifies the common law in this area, and the common law in turn informs the Fourth Amendment, our decisions in Wilson and Richards serve as guideposts in construing the statute. In Wilson v. Arkansas, 514 U. S. 927 (1995), we concluded that the common-law principle of announcement is "an element of the reasonableness inquiry under the Fourth Amendment," but noted that the principle "was never stated as an inflexible rule requiring announcement under all circumstances." Id., at 934. In Richards v. Wisconsin, 520 U. S. 385 (1997), we articulated the test used to determine whether exigent circumstances justify a particular no-knock entry. Id., at 394. We therefore hold that § 3109 includes an exigent circumstances exception and that the exception's applicability in a given instance is measured by the same standard we articulated in Richards. The police met that standard here and § 3109 was therefore not violated.
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