Cops say Lawrence Taylor was arrested because he had been living in a hotel for months -- but failed to reveal that to law enforcement despite being required to do so.
It's all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which cops say the NFL legend committed a huge no-no after he failed to inform them that he had left his permanently registered address back in April.
According to the docs, officers say due to his status as a sex offender stemming from a 2011 conviction, Taylor must be diligent any time he moves and notify authorities of the change of address.
Cops, though, say an investigation revealed Taylor moved into a hotel in Florida on April 2 and had been living there without properly notifying them.
Police say when they questioned Taylor about the move ... he told them, "he was living at the hotel ... to avoid issues with his soon to be ex-wife."
Cops say Taylor told them he was unaware that he needed to report the change of address -- though the officers claim in the docs that they have paperwork showing Taylor should've known better.
According to the docs, cops issued a warrant for his arrest over it all ... adding that Taylor "promptly turned himself in" once he was made aware of the warrant.
Taylor has since been charged with two felony counts of failure to register as a sex offender.
LT pled not guilty to the charges earlier this week ... and his attorney, Arthur Aidala, tells us he's confident the case will be dismissed.