Can You Sleep At Rest Stops In Minnesota? [Law & Rules]

Have you ever wondered if you can sleep at rest stops in Minnesota? Look no more. We´ve got you covered.

It seems that the laws related to whether you can sleep at rest stops in Minnesota can be somewhat complicated. This is because it will be highly dependent on who you are.

So, can you sleep at rest stops in Minnesota? Yes, if you are driving around in an RV, then you are allowed to stay for a maximum of 4-hours at a rest stop. If you are driving a truck, the limit is 10-hours.

Since this is an RV-focused website, we are going to assume that you are driving around in an RV. However, we will cover both groups too.

Table of Contents

Can You Sleep at Rest Stops in Minnesota?

If you are driving around in an RV, then you are allowed to stay for a maximum of 4-hours at a rest stop. If you want to sleep while you are at that rest stop, then you are allowed to do so. You just have to make sure that you leave within the 4-hour time limit.

In many of the rest stops in Minnesota, however, you are allowed to stay at rest stops for a maximum of 10-hours if you are a commercial driver. So, if you are driving a truck, the limit is 10-hours. No. This does not apply to RV drivers at all.

So, if you are driving an RV and see a truck driver spending more than 4-hours at a rest stop, they are still operating within the law. It doesn’t mean that you are allowed to hang around, though.

Are There Other Rules for Staying at Rest Stops in Minnesota?

Pretty much the same rules as if you were staying at a rest stop in any other state. This means that you are not allowed to camp at the rest stop.

This doesn’t just mean that you will not be able to pitch a tent, but you will not be allowed to pull the awning out of your RV either.

You should also make sure that you stay with the vehicle. If you leave the vehicle, then you will have broken the law. Your vehicle could potentially be towed away at this point.

Other than this, you need to ensure that you are quiet at all times. People are using these rest stops to rest, after all.

It seems that you can cook if you are at a rest stop in MN. There doesn’t seem to be any information that says that you cannot. However, you are allowed to cook using gas. You cannot start an open fire.

What Happens if You Break the Rules for Staying at Rest Stops in Minnesota?

You will be asked to leave the area. Minnesota police officers don’t really seem to mess around here. All of the rest stops will be regularly patrolled so, if you do stay longer than 4-hours, you will be asked to leave.

👉 You have to remember that if you are staying at a rest stop, you are only staying there for as long as you meet the rules for staying there. This means that if you do break the rules, you are legally trespassing.

This means that if you choose not to move from the rest stop when asked, you may end up suffering from some criminal penalties which, of course, are not going to be pleasant..

👉 If you do break the rules, we are almost certain that you are going to get caught. This includes staying for longer than you are allowed to stay for.

There seems to be countless stories online about people overstaying their welcome at rest stops in Minnesota, and they are called out on it pretty quickly.

This is because the police are almost always keeping an eye out for anybody that stays too long at the rest stop.

This is to help ensure that there is always going to be enough space for the commercial truck drivers to park up. They really do not want recreational drivers parked there for too long.

Can You Hop Between Rest Stops in Minnesota?

There doesn’t seem to be any limitation on the number of rest stops that you can stay at.

Even if there was some sort of limitation, there seems to be no mechanism for the police to check whether the same people have been using multiple rest stops in a day.

As far as I can tell, there also seems to be no limitation in how often you can use the same rest stop. While other states allow you to use the same rest stop only once per day, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Minnesota.

In theory, you could stay there for four hours, drive away, and then return and stay for another four. Although, do bear in mind that this may be bending the rules a little bit.

If you are not leaving for long periods of time, then the police may call you out on it.

How Do You Find Rest Stops in Minnesota?

You should easily be able to find a decent amount of information online about the various rest stops in Minnesota.

The state maintains its own database, while RV users have put together multiple websites where they talk about the rest stops around the state.

👉 Some of the rest stops throughout MN will have their own services, although do not expect anything too special at them.

You may find a vending machine or too. It doesn’t seem as if any of the services are staffed. They just have the police driving past them every so often to keep tabs on what is happening.

👉 One word of warning, though. You can never, ever rely on the information that you find online 100%. This is because the rules for the rest stop can change. They changed frequently throughout the pandemic.

Therefore, whenever you arrive at a new rest stop, you should always check the posted rules. These will tell you your exact responsibilities at that rest stop. Follow them, and we are sure that you will be fine staying at the rest stop with no issues.

Map Of Rest Areas Near Me

Just follow the link where you can find the map of rest areas in Minnesota >> https://www.dot.state.mn.us/

Minnesota Overnight Parking and Rest areas Rules

If you are interested in the overnight parking and rest areas rules in Minnesota then just follow the link to the Interstate Rest Areas Webpage where you can see the current status.

https://www.interstaterestareas.com/overnight-parking-rules/

Are Rest Stops in Minnesota Safe?

Yes. Most of the rest stops are alongside the Interstate. This means that they are well-lit, and there is often enough people driving through the area at all times of the day that there should never really be any issues with crime.

That being said, we can never guarantee that the rest stops are going to be 100% crime-free. It is up to you to pay attention to what is happening at the rest stop. This means that you are going to need to take precautions.

Although, to be honest, even if there was some ‘wannabe criminal’ around the area, as soon as they see that somebody is in a vehicle they are probably going to steer clear anyway.

Conclusion

MN is not exactly the most welcoming state for those that want to sleep at rest stops. You are allowed to stay there for a maximum of 4-hours as an RV user, or perhaps if you are a user of other vehicles.

The only people that are allowed to stay there for longer than this (up to 10-hours) will be commercial truckers.

Basically, if you are a recreational driver, you probably won’t be able to stay at a rest stop for longer than 4-hours.

You will be allowed to sleep at the rest stop during that time, though!