
When staying at a rest area, picnic area, or travel information center, it’s best to minimize noise, don’t erect any tents or shelters, and try not to draw too much attention to yourself. However, they don’t want you to use their facilities for purposes of recreation. Texas allows you to sleep in your vehicle at a rest area, and even offers you up to 24 hours to stay there.
#Rv boondocking in texas drivers#
Because the State has described the purpose of these facilities is to allow drivers to rest and gather information about the local area, it’s assumed that camping is not allowed.Ĭamping is generally seen as a form of recreation, whereas alleviating driver fatigue is simply promoting highway safety. However, the State of Texas has not adopted any rules or laws addressing the matter of camping at a rest area, picnic area, or travel information center. Is Camping Permitted at Texas Rest Areas? Many Texas rest areas are filled with people sleeping in their trucks and RVs. As long as you remain in your vehicle, and do not sleep on the grass or picnic tables, you’ll be fine. The State of Texas has no rules prohibiting sleeping in your vehicle at its rest areas, picnic areas, and travel information centers. Many of these rest areas are filled with trucks and RVs parking overnight. Because Texas allows you to stay up to 24 hours at a time, overnight parking is allowed. Located on an oyster-fishing bay, the beach is covered in broken shells not the fine sand of the beaches of Port Aransas and the National Seashore. This mean you are allowed to arrive at night. These facilities are open 24 hours a day. The same is true with picnic areas, and travel information centers.

The State of Texas has no rules prohibiting overnight parking at its rest areas. Is Overnight Parking Allowed at Texas Rest Areas? Those rules will vary depending on the unique circumstances of that facility. This is because the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) often contracts the maintenance of its facilities to contractors. Note, it’s possible you may see additional rules posted on the facility grounds. You can read the full, word-for-word, text of these rules at, “ Rules for Using Rest Areas in Texas“.

The only official laws that Texas has regarding the use of its rest areas are found in its Transportation Code…

Does Texas allow you to park overnight at their rest areas? Is sleeping in your car permitted at Texas Rest Areas? How many hours can you stay at a Texas Rest Area? Is camping allowed at Texas Rest Areas? Texas Travel Information Center, Amarillo, I-40 Texas Rest Area Rules Boondocking, also known as dry or primitive camping, means parking your RV in a campsite without any hookups of any kind, whether electric, water, or sewer.
