Overnight parking

[pilgrim]

In a very recent trailering magazine article, an attorney stated that, "...unless posted otherwise, any parking lot designed for parking can be used for overnight RV parking." I cannot find the magazine nor do I recall which one it was in, but am very interested if anyone else saw the article or what your thoughts are on that statement? Being new at 'streaming, we are very concerned about what to do when traveling and unable to find a campground....or plans get changed and your expected destination will not be reached that particular day so some other place must be found to spend the night. Any thoughts???

We're new at this trailering thing but we have spent twelve nights out on five different weekend trips to date. We have a couple more weekends to learn some more things before we head out for a ten night trip to historic Virginia. We are very anxious to experience that trip. The Forums have been a Godsend for those of us that are just learning about 'streaming - Thanks to all for the many, many thoughts, ideas and practical information we've picked up on so far.

[wahoonc]

I would take it with a grain of salt...so to speak.

Most no RV/Truck/Overnite parking regulations are local ordinances. I seriously doubt any attorney has searched the tens of thousands of small towns to be able to draw his conclusion. That said You can expect to overnight at the multitudinous Walmarts/Sam Clubs, as well as many truck stops, Cracker Barrels and many rest areas. Rest areas are my least favorite.

Aaron

[Wayne&Sam]

I agree with wahoonc, although I can't figure out what his user name means, unless he's real excited about North Carolina.

[moosetags]

We also do the truck stops and Wal-Marts in that order. We're not much on the rest areas either.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

I agree with wahoonc, although I can't figure out what his user name means, unless he's real excited about North Carolina.

Diehard UVA fan that happens to live in NC and I have been referred to as a wahoo because of my exuberance for life

Aaron

[gaylejoe]

We have used reststops a few times. The last one was at Independance Rock in Wy which had lots of security lights with a few trucks. We had no problems selecting this location and never had any concern for our safety. Most of the reststops here in Texas have 24 hour security and I would not hesitate to use one.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I have been referred to as a wahoo because of my exuberance for life

Aaron

That's a good thing!

[pilgrim]

Aha..........here is a synopsis of what the letter said about parking overnight. "Know Your Parking Rights
As a lawyer and RVer, I’d like to put to rest the notion that overnight parking is illegal, as suggested by previous letters in Highways. It isn’t. Parking areas generally accessible to the public are part of the public domain, except as specifically restricted by notice or ordinance. Simply put, if there are no signs, it’s OK to park—even overnight.

If there’s an ordinance restriction unknown to you, 999 out of 1,000 officers would only ask—or, at worst, tell—you to move."

We’ve camped at churches, schools, libraries, hospitals, motels, professional plazas, strip malls and, yes, even Wal-Marts. Of course, you just park. You don’t roll out the awnings and beach chairs. Use good judgment and relax.
Joseph G. Aprea, Melbourne Beach, Florida"

That's the article (letter to the editor) I had remembered reading. It was in the July 2008 issue of Highways, the Good Sam publication. Any additional comments??? Thanks again!

[Gene]

Originally Posted by pilgrim

"Know Your Parking Rights
As a lawyer and RVer, I’d like to put to rest the notion that overnight parking is illegal, as suggested by previous letters in Highways. It isn’t. Parking areas generally accessible to the public are part of the public domain, except as specifically restricted by notice or ordinance. Simply put, if there are no signs, it’s OK to park—even overnight.

If there’s an ordinance restriction unknown to you, 999 out of 1,000 officers would only ask—or, at worst, tell—you to move."

Since two lawyers will never agree on anything, I somewhat disagree. A lot of municipalities are not careful about posting signs. On a public street, they are required to give notice of whether there are parking restrictions; no notice, no restriction. In a private parking lot, that rule may not apply. Sometimes they do have signs, but they are hard to find. I have seen signs in Walmarts stating that local ordinances prohibit overnight parking (probably at the behest of local RV parks), but they are hard to see and easy to miss.

Whether or not a municipality has to post notice may differ from state to state. The general rule is that would have to on the street, but I haven't done any research on private parking lots (a public lot would be different). Nonetheless, there are plenty of cops who won't be nice about it. Especially in small towns and counties, cops are not well trained or paid. I wouldn't want to discuss this with a tired cop who just had to break up a bar fight at 3 am.

I think it's best to check with the store or restaurant and make sure to speak to a manager. The employees are often paid badly and are not authorities on parking law.

Gene

[richinny]

i would think (no comments please) that private property is..... private.
i guess you could always say you wanted to be first in line when they open ;-)