Harleybullet
Holbrook, NY
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On our trip out west this year we encountered a few places where we were not allowed to overnight at Walmarts; Lake Havasu city and mile 304 on 10 in Benson Az.
The store had no problems but they said the city had these rules. All I can say is I would have spent money there but, just continued on down the road to a more friendly place.
It really is a shame especially in today's economy and the store owners don't mind to have these types of rulings on the books.
And before I get slammed.....we always spend money in the towns we boondock in (gas, food, a DVD, etc.).... it is just more convinent and basically my right to park and just breath some air if I am self contained.
Dave
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summerhouse
Big Rapids, Michigan
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From what I understand, many of the communities are approached by nearby campgrounds to put these ordinances on the books. If there is no opposition it becomes law. Unfortunately, places like Walmart don't follow what is going on with city commission meetings or the townships and these ordinances are quietly sliding in place.
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2BLAZERS
KEIZER, OREGON
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It is not the Walmarts who are doing this. It is the local campgrounds and hotel/motels doing this. Also its the local neighborhoods who don't want to see a bunch of campers on city streets and in large parking lots every night. When a local city commissioner is asked by his people to ban overnight camping in the city in the parking lots in the name of more jobs for camp grounds and to reduce the chance of criminal activity in the wee hours of the morning at these unregulated ''camps'' its a pretty easy vote for them to make. Remember who elected them.
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steelpony5555
Copperas Cove Texas
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Az is a high snowbirding area. If you look at the map of Walmart locations that do or do not allow overnighting, you will see a lot of Az has red which means the Walmarts do not allow overnighting. Walmart locations If you look at Fl. you will see the same thing, lots of red. Why.....could be because they are both high snowbird areas. Could be they were having toooo many peoples coming in and staying in Walmart lots and not just overnighting. Since most of the camp grounds are so crowded in those areas any ways I doubt they would have gone to the expense to engage in a court battle to change city ordinances. They already have more customers then they can handle, just try to find a place to stay for even a couple days right now in either state in an RV park. Here in Texas, it is getting just as hard to find a place to stay espcially in the RGV. Probably another reason for the ban since it is hard to find a place to stay in the winter. I know the Walmart campers will be along and spout off bout its their "right" to camp there, but when people abuse the "priviledge" offered by Walmart then you leave municipalities no choice but to pass ordinances prohibiting staying in parking lots. Now don't get me wrong I use Walmarts and CB's etc when I travel too, but I never stay for more then a few hours to get some rest to move on. But if you look at any area where there is a high number of tourists or is an RV destination, you will see the ordinances prohibiting camping in lots.
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chuggs
Florida
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... ON SOAPBOX NOW... (pls disregard me--- I'm just ranting)
I think if you dig deeper...it is the Zoning board for the locality that is doing this. Maybe, just maybe...some local campgrounds are making phone calls...but THEY cannot legislate it to anyone.
The reason I know about this stuff is...when I brought our 5th wheel home for the first time...I found out that it was a little bigger than the boat trailer we used to park on the side of our home. So, while we were planning to clear out a row of hedges, move a fence, etc... I was approached by a "code enforcement agent"... Mind you, I live in un-incorporated Palm Beach County, FL. They handed me a citation...gave me no more than 30 days to correct the "VIOLATION"...and off they went.
I looked at the citation and it had the CODE # on it that I was violating...so I looked it up.
In Un-incorporated Palm Beach County...you cannot park an RV on the street, or between the street and the front setback of the house for more than 2-hrs for the intent of loading and unloading only. You may never spend the night...or as they express --- "set up housekeeping" in an RV on your property. You have to park it behind the front setback of the house. It has to be obscured from viewing from the street by a 6' fench or hedge row, etc...
The wrote on the citation that it would be a $1000 PER DAY fine should I fail to comply with any of the conditions.
You can park up to 4 recreational vehicles on your property (behind your house) --- ONLY one (1) can be a camper/rv... etc...
Long story short. We can't go blaming the hotels, the campgrounds, the Walmarts...when it's the Zoning Board that is making and enforcing these rules. If the Jupiter, FL Walmart decided to let people stay there overnight --- I'm sure Palm Beach County Zoning Agents would be throwing out $1000 fines left and right.
The only way we're ever going to improve on this situation is to get Good Sam, and all the other big RV'ing groups to 1) Adopt a set of rules that would be a good compromise for everyone. 2) Educate people about the positives of RV'ing...and 3) push for a meeting in each town to change these zoning ordinances to be a little less restrictive and hopefully follow a well guided template for RV related ordinances.
I don't know about you...but it just sounds like a reasonable, good neighbor type of thing to do.
C'mon... doesn't a 2 hour limit for parking your RV on your own private property sound a little overboard to you???
Before I knew I could be fined...I used to let my parents park their DP on my driveway for quick visits when they were on the road. I have full hookups... Now, I have to make them park it somewhere else.
Gee whiz...I thought that I was the one that paid for this peice of property...and continue to pay taxes like CRAZY every year. Guess that doesn't entitle me to use it like I want to.
2BLAZERS is right on...but I think the campgrounds and hotels aren't having to do anything but make a complaint --- because the zoning rules are probably on the books and have been for sometime.
You're only FREEDOMS are those other people are willing to let you have
.... OFF SOAPBOX....(Hope I did not offend anyone with my tirade)
* This post was
edited 02/09/12 09:18am by chuggs *
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M GO BLUE
Southgate, MI
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Walmart, Cracker Barrel, etc. wants you to stop there but some times it is out of their control due to certain city ordinances...a real shame
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Scrimshaw
Whitehorse, Yukon Canada
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Does any one have a link to Walmart store locations that show camping permitted or not (if there is such a thing))
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IDman
colorado
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You stated that it is "basically my right to park". Where did you get the idea that you could park anywhere that YOU want without regard for community laws and property owners rights? If you don't want to obey laws and fit into an area, keep on driving down the road and stop whining!
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campn4walleye
Central WI
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So, you want to camp at Walmart? You're angry that you can't. I guess Walmart should open CGs in their lots. Would that make you happy? It's good though, for us true campers...it leaves us more space in the real CGs.
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downtheroad
Pacific Northwest
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Harleybullet wrote:... it is just more convinent and basically my right to park and just breath some air if I am self contained.
Dave
Not anyone's "right to park" if it is private property which Walmart essentially is.
It's their ball and their field..they get to make the rules.
I'm sure that you don't cause any problems when you over-nite in a parking lot, but sadly, there are many who do and that is why more and more municipalities are banning over nighting in city limits.
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