Can the new owner search my locker or workspace without telling me first?

A new owner generally steps into the same position the old employer was in when it comes to workplace property like lockers, desks, or storage the employer provides — if the employer owns the space and has a legitimate reason connected to safety, security, or workplace policy, it generally has more latitude to search employer-provided storage than you might expect, particularly where a policy notifying employees that lockers may be inspected already existed.

Where it gets more sensitive is if a search happens with no notice, no stated reason, and singles out particular employees in a way that looks more like harassment or a fishing expedition than a legitimate workplace concern — that kind of conduct is more likely to be seen as unreasonable, even if some searches are permitted in general. Continuing employment through a sale doesn't reduce your existing expectations of reasonable treatment at work; a new owner introducing surprise, unexplained searches where none existed before is a real change in how you're being treated, not a neutral administrative continuation.

If you're genuinely concerned about privacy in what you store at work, ask directly what the current policy actually is and why a particular search happened, rather than assuming either that anything goes or that you have an absolute right to be left alone in employer-provided space.