Overnighting In Rest Areas In An RV: Legal?

Above, Avenal-Coalinga rest area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since I bought my motorhome in 2015, I stayed overnight in a roadside rest area once. That was in Missouri.

Luckily, overnighting in an RV was legal in the state as it was posted as such.

RV Travel posted an article on the legality of overnighting in rest areas in an RV.

It begins with:

Karen M.S. recently posed this question to RVers on a Facebook group: “Is it legal to stay the night in my RV at rest areas?” There are several opinions on this topic, but what’s really allowed? Let’s take a look.

Rest stop

A rest stop or rest area is a dedicated facility along highways designed to offer weary travelers a place to exit the highway and rest before continuing on their journey. Some state highways have rest stops, as do some county roads, along with all Interstate highways. 

To read further, go here.