Rest area sleeping rules, overnight parking limits and BLM 14-day rules — all 50 states. Know what's legal before you pull over.
You're parked at a rest area, the sign says NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING, and you feel like a criminal for wanting to sleep. Here's the catch: in the states that bothered to define the word, camping and sleeping in your vehicle are not the same thing.
Camping means setting up outside the vehicle — a tent, an awning, camp chairs, a table, a cookstove. Sleeping inside a legally parked van is usually the permitted use. Georgia's statute is the clearest in the country: it names "resting, sleeping, eating" as exactly what rest areas are for, and defines camping separately as "temporary habitation outdoors." South Dakota says "temporarily resting in any vehicle" is not camping at all. Wyoming's own brochure tells you to sleep in the vehicle — just don't pitch a tent.
The moment your gear crosses the threshold, the "no camping" sign starts applying to you. It never mentions the person asleep in the driver's seat.
Click any state for details. OK = allowed in writing · LIMITED = time cap · NO = overnight banned · SIGNS = no statewide rule, posted signs govern.
| State | Rest area sleeping | Limit |
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The Bureau of Land Management covers ~245 million acres and is the single best legal stealth-camping resource in the US. Dispersed camping is generally permitted unless posted otherwise, under the 14-day rule: max 14 days in one location per 28-day period, then move at least 25 miles before returning.
Dispersed camping is allowed in most national forests unless a forest manager's order or sign prohibits it. Limits vary by forest (7–21 days), keep 200 ft from water, and groups are usually capped at 10 people / 5 vehicles.
Private property — it's a store decision, not a legal right. Rural locations in the South, Southwest and Midwest tend to be most welcoming. Ask at the entrance, keep everything inside, leave if asked.