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

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

As you may well know, a lot of states prohibit sleeping at rest stops. In fact, if you are caught, then you are going to have to deal with the police. Thankfully, there are some states that are completely fine with it.

So, can you sleep at rest stops in Oregon? Yes, you are allowed to sleep at rest stops in Oregon. In fact, Oregon actively encourages people to use rest stops. After all, driving can be dangerous if you are tired. However, you are only allowed to stay there for a maximum of 12 hours.

Therefore, there are rest stops dotted around the state that you are free to use.

Table of Contents

Can You Sleep at Rest Stops?

Absolutely!

You are allowed to use these rest stops whether you are in a car or an RV. Although, do bear in mind that these rest stops can get rather busy quite quickly, so you will want to get there early if you want to set everything up, particularly during the summer months of the year.

The roads end up surprisingly busy.

Read also: Where Can You Legally Live in an RV? (Incl. 10 Examples)

Are There Any Additional Requirements?

The ‘big’ requirement is that you are only allowed to stay at a rest stop for a maximum of 12-hours.

So, if you pull into the rest stop at 9pm at night, then you are going to need to be gone by 9am the next morning.

Obviously, there is going to be a small amount of leeway on this time, but if you spend multiple nights at a rest stop, then you will get caught out.

That being said, there doesn’t seem to be any rule between rest stop hopping in the state. So, if you are touring the state and can find multiple rest stops, then you can stay at a different one each night.

Of course, there are additional requirements beyond this.

👉 Firstly, it is important that you are staying in a car or RV. Well, perhaps a mobile home too. You are not allowed to pitch a tent at any of the rest stops. If you want to pitch a tent, then you are meant to be at a campsite.

If the police see that you have a tent, and they will check because the roads where the rest stops are located are regularly checked, then you will either be asked to remove it, or you will be asked to leave the rest stop area.

👉 Secondly, you are not going to be allowed to start any fires around the area. This means no BBQs or campfires.

However, you are allowed to cook using gas. So, if you have a propane cylinder, then you should be fine to cook at a rest stop.

The normal rules on top of this also reply. For example, you should not damage the area. You should make sure that you pick up all of your litter, etc.

👉 If you want to ensure that you can stay at the rest stop, then it is important that you do not cause any noise. Yes. This applies even if there are no other people staying at the rest stop. As we said before, these places are going to be regularly checked.

Obviously, you can make small amounts of noise. However, there should be no partying or noise that would wake somebody up. The rules also expressly forbid the use of fireworks at a rest stop.

👉 If you break any one of these rules, then the police are allowed to give you a citation. According to various people online, the police won’t be messing around here.

They do not like rulebreakers. This citation may be a fine, but you could also be asked to go to court if you choose to appeal that fine.

If you are removed from the rest stop, then you could probably head to another rest stop. There doesn’t seem to be any rules against that.

However, of course, you will need to make sure that you do not break the rules again! If you don’t, then everything should go fine.

What is Classed as a Rest Stop in Oregon?

All of the rest stops in Oregon should be clearly marked. If it does not say that it is a rest stop, then it is not going to be a rest stop and, as a result, you are not going to be allowed to stay there.

If you are planning a trip through Oregon, then it may be worth checking out a list of rest stops in the state online beforehand.

You may be surprised to know this, but a lot of the rest stops are located in some pretty beautiful locations in the state. A lot of people will actually tour rest stops for this reason alone!

If you head online, you will often find reviews of the various rest stops and the type of people that frequent them.

I suggest that you steer clear of rest stops frequented by truckers. They do take up a lot of space, for obvious reasons.

Do These Rules Extend to Private Property i.e. Parking Lots?

No. You have to be staying at a designated rest stop. You likely wouldn’t even be allowed to stay by the side of the road. The rules are for rest stops and rest stops only.

If you park in a parking lot that is privately owned, then you can expect to be removed from the premises.

If you refuse to leave, perhaps because you want to argue that you are allowed to sleep at rest stops in Oregon, we promise you that the police are going to be called.

If the police do end up being called, then you are going to be facing a rather substantial criminal fine. Oh, you are also going to be dealing with a criminal record too.

Thankfully, in Oregon, it is unlikely that you will ever need to park at one of these parking lots. Unless you are traveling through the state during a particularly busy season, then there should be plenty of space at one of the rest stops.

As we said before, it should be dead simple to track them down too.

Is it Safe to Stay at a Rest Stop in Oregon?

For the most part, yes.

You do have to remember that if you are staying at a rest stop in Oregon, you will be staying at a location that has no security. This means that it is up to you to look after yourself.

A good number of the rest stops will be in fairly exposed locations. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will run into any trouble.

It is very rare to hear of any issues of people staying at rest stops in Oregon too. However, do keep an eye out. You can never guarantee these sorts of things.

Map Of Rest Areas Near Me

Just follow the link where you can find the map of rest areas in Oregon >> https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/index.aspx

Oregon Overnight Parking and Rest areas Rules

If you are interested in the overnight parking and rest areas rules in Oregon 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

Conclusion

If you are traveling or living in Oregon, then you probably will enjoy the fact that you can say at rest stops in the state.

As long as you do not go over the 12-hour maximum time limit, then nobody is going to mind you being there at all.

However, do make sure that you learn the rules for staying at rest stops in the state. If you break these rules, not only will you be removed from the rest stop, but you may also have to deal with criminal penalties.