Free Camping in the US: Dispersed Camping Rules by Agency

Dispersed campingCamping on public lands away from developed recreation facilities, in the Bureau of Land Management’s own definition. is allowed on most Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and most BLM areas need no permit or reservation [1]. But there’s no single federal rule. Each land agency has its own regulations, and each forest, district or field office can add limits of its own. We read those regulations, then the pages and orders of the offices that apply them, as they stood on November 8, 2026. For each agency: the regulation, what it means for you, and how one local office spells it out.

The rules at a glance, agency by agency

BLM land: 14 days, then move on

What the text says: on public lands, no one may “camp longer than the period of time permitted by the authorized officer” [12]. The regulation sets no number; the local BLM office does. Each BLM state director can also adopt supplementary rules, which must be posted on site and published in the Federal Register [13]. The BLM’s national camping page gives the usual result: dispersed camping is “generally limited to 14 days within any 28-day period,” after which you move to a new location, “often at least 25 to 30 miles away.” It’s meant for short-term recreation, not long-term living, and personal property can’t be left unattended for more than 10 days [1].

What it means for you: the 14 days add up across visits. The BLM’s Las Cruces District Office, in New Mexico, says the limit can be reached through separate visits or through 14 days in a row within 28 consecutive days; after that, you relocate to a site at least 25 miles away [14]. BLM Idaho adds that you may not return to the area for 14 days after your last visit [15]. Some offices are stricter. Under a supplementary rule, the Tres Rios Field Office, in southwest Colorado, allows 14 days within a 30-day period, then requires a move of at least 30 air miles, and no property left unattended for more than 48 hours [2].

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The one long-stay exception is the BLM’s Long-Term Visitor Areas, in California and Arizona, where winter visitors can stay up to seven consecutive months with a permit [1]. Free nights count in a travel budget: our look at what a camper van really costs also prices a night on the road.

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National forests: the local order sets the limit

Forest Service regulations prohibit “camping for a period longer than allowed by the order,” and can ban camping outright, but only where a forest has issued such an order [3]. So the stay limit is local. On the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, in Georgia, camping in developed and dispersed areas is limited to 14 days within any 30-day period; after that, you must leave the forest’s land before returning for another stay [4]. Along Lincoln Creek Road, on Colorado’s White River National Forest, the 22 dispersed sites have a five-day maximum stay, with no toilets or water [16]. Violating an order can bring up to six months in jail, a fine, or both [17].

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In a wilderness area, a dispersed night can still take a permit. Desolation Wilderness, on California’s Eldorado National Forest, requires one for day and overnight visits year-round, prohibits campfires (stoves are allowed), and asks campers to set up at least 100 feet from lakeshores, streams and trails [18].

Where you can drive to camp: the MVUM

In a national forest, where you can park for the night depends on a map. The roads, trails and areas open to motor vehicles are shown on a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM)The Forest Service map showing which roads, trails and areas are open to which classes of vehicles, and at what times of year., available at the headquarters of each forest and ranger district and on its website [19]. A forest can also allow vehicles a specified distance off certain roads or trails, solely for dispersed camping [20]. The national rule sets no distance: each forest specifies it in its own designations.

National parks: designated sites or areas only

In the National Park System, “camping outside of designated sites or areas” is prohibited, and each superintendent can require permits, designate sites or areas, and set conditions. The same regulation bans camping within 25 feet of a water hydrant or main road, or within 100 feet of a flowing stream, river or body of water, unless the spot is designated [5]. For a night in a park’s backcountry, that usually means a permit and the sites or zones it covers: our guide to backcountry permits and bear canisters compares six parks.

Some units open much wider areas. Mojave National Preserve, in California, has no permit or registration system for backcountry travel and camping. Primitive campers must reuse existing sites, stay no more than 14 consecutive days per visit and 30 days per year, keep more than 200 yards from any water source, and avoid the quarter mile on either side of paved roads and Zzyzx Road [6]. That page was last updated on April 3, 2024, so read it again before your trip.

Wildlife refuges, Army Corps lakes and state lands

National wildlife refuges start from the opposite end. Entering, occupying or using a refuge is trespassing unless specifically authorized [7], and camping is one of the uses a refuge may permit, with public notice [22]. Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, in Arizona, allows it: campers choose their own sites, but not within a quarter mile of water sources, and vehicles must stay within 100 feet of the road [23]. Its January 2025 brochure limits camping to 14 days in any 12-month period, says the quarter-mile rule comes from state law, and asks you to pack trash out rather than bury it [8].

At Army Corps of Engineers lakes and other water projects, camping is permitted only at sites or areas designated by the District Commander, and staying more than 14 days within 30 consecutive days at one project takes the District Commander’s written permission [9]. State lands are a patchwork, each state with its own rules; two examples show how far apart they can be.

Campfires: restriction stages and California’s permit

Fire rules change faster than stay limits. A national forest can prohibit fires, campfires, stove fires or smoking by order [26], and breaking a state fire law is itself prohibited on national forest land [27]. Many restrictions come in numbered stages, as in these two examples. Under the Stage 1 order the BLM’s Paria River District, in southern Utah, put in force on July 31, 2026, until rescinded, open fires and campfires using solid fuel were banned except in permanent cement or metal fire pits at agency-developed campgrounds and picnic areas. Devices fueled by pressurized liquid or gas with a shut-off valve remained allowed where a circle at least 3 feet across was barren of vegetation [28].

Stage 2 goes further. In May 2021, state and federal agencies in southeastern Arizona banned fires, campfires, charcoal, coal, elevated grills and wood stoves, even in developed campgrounds, while still allowing pressurized liquid or gas stoves with shut-off devices [29]. Those two orders are examples, not today’s rules: the details change from one order to the next, so read the one in force where you camp.

Trash and toilets: what the rules require

There’s no trash pickup at a dispersed site. On BLM land, the regulation asks visitors to pack their trash out for disposal at home whenever practicable, and prohibits draining sewage or dumping waste other than wash water from a trailer or other vehicle except in the places provided [32]. For human waste, the BLM recommends a portable toilet or packing it out; in some locations, you can bury it 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water and trails [1]. On Washington’s DNR land, burial at a set distance is the law [10].

Much of this comes from Leave No Trace, the outdoor-ethics principles that land agencies quote. Mojave National Preserve reprints the seven principles with permission from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, alongside its own rules: catholes 4 to 6 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails, and toilet paper packed out, not buried [6]. Note the numbers: 4 to 6 inches there, 6 to 8 in the BLM’s advice. Follow the unit you’re in. Our guide to Leave No Trace hiking covers the seven principles.

Maps and apps: which ones count

Official maps come from the agency that manages the land. In a national forest, that’s the MVUM [19]. The BLM’s camping page links to an interactive map of its recreation sites and to a “Where to Camp” search, and sends you to the local BLM office for the specifics, with posted signs to follow on site [1]. For a refuge, a park or state land, the unit’s own page and brochure are the reference, as the examples above show.

Apps such as iOverlander, Campendium and The Dyrt collect campers’ own reports. They’re handy for seeing what a road or a site looked like recently, but they’re community sources, not official ones. A spot listed on an app isn’t open for that reason, and last year’s review says nothing about this summer’s fire order. When an app and a posted sign disagree, go by the sign and the local order.

What a violation can cost

Before you go: what to check

• Who manages the land: the BLM, the Forest Service, the Park Service, a refuge, the Army Corps or the state.
• The local stay limit, and any order or supplementary rule from that office or forest.
• The MVUM for a national forest, or the BLM office’s maps and closures.
• The current fire restriction stage, and on BLM land in California, a California Campfire Permit for any campfire or wood or charcoal stove outside a developed campground.
• How you’ll handle trash and human waste: bags, a portable toilet, or a trowel where burial is allowed.
• A permit where the place requires one: a wilderness area, state trust land, a park’s backcountry.

A stay limit is easy to read and easy to forget: count your days from the first night, not from the day you fell for the view. And check before you go the date of every page you rely on, this one included. A fire order signed in July can be lifted by November, and the next one can be stricter. To fit these rules into the rest of your planning, our step-by-step guides cover the rules for a first backcountry trip and where to sleep on a camper van trip.

Arnaud Couderc

Fact-checking, regulations, and safety

Arnaud Couderc reviews our contributors’ articles and writes for Outfarer about regulations, safety, fishing, the ocean, and outdoor activities. He traces every rule back to its official text and every number to its source, so you head out with solid benchmarks.

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