Is It Illegal to Sleep At a California Rest Area?

While planning a long road trip, you’re likely going to plan out where you’d like to spend the night and recharge before getting back behind the wheel. You’d prefer a nice hotel or an Airbnb. But what if you start to feel drowsy behind the wheel and desperately need some sleep? 

You set out on that road trip with a plan, but you know how quickly those plans can change due to things like weather, road construction, vehicle trouble and even your own health. There are certainly more glamorous places to get some shut eye, but the whole reason they’re there is to give you a safe place to reset and that includes taking a nap! 

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That said, if you're planning a road trip through Idaho, its neighboring states in the Pacific Northwest or California, how many hours of sleep you can catch at the rest stop varies. A camping website called The Boondocker’s Bible, has a comprehensive list explaining rest area rules in every state. Here’s what you need to know. 

Idaho Rest Areas

In Idaho, if you need to take a break and get some sleep, you’re allowed to stay at rest areas along the interstate up to 10 consecutive hours before you have to move along. Other rest areas or ones along state highways will allow you to stay up to 16 hours. If you’re sleeping at an Idaho rest area you must stay in your car. Camping is prohibited and that includes rolling out a sleeping bag near your car. These are general rules, so make sure you look for any signage at the rest area with different restrictions. 

California Rest Areas

In California, it’s always wise to look around for signage before dozing off in your vehicle since some rest stops restrict what types of vehicles can stay overnight at rest stops. If there's no signs posted, you can park and nap up to eight hours in a 24 hour period before you have to move along. Camping is prohibited in the Golden State too. 

Washington State Rest Areas

In Washington, how long you can snooze depends on what vehicle you’re driving. If you’re driving a regular passenger vehicle, you can stay up to eight hours in a 24 hour period. If you’re driving a commercial vehicle, you can stay an hour beyond your federally mandated rest period. Like Idaho and California, you’re expected to stay inside your vehicle. 

Utah Rest Areas

If you’ve driven from Boise to Salt Lake, you’ve seen plenty of signs in the Beehive State encouraging drowsy drivers to take a rest. There’s no rules mandating how long you can park at a rest area in Utah, so if you need to stay until you feel recharged enough to get behind the wheel again, that’s cool. They do have on-site staff and highway patrol that will be watching you though. Like the other states on this list, you have to stay inside your car.