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Have you been dreaming of sleeping in your car or camper at your local beach? While waking up to the sound of waves in the comfort of your own car sound idyllic, you’ll want to check your local laws carefully first. That said, there’s no countrywide ban against sleeping in your car–at the beach or elsewhere.

Some cities and towns have a local ordinance against sleeping in cars, usually in response to homelessness. But if no such local rule is in place, you would need to be breaking another law to get in trouble while sleeping in your car.

Four SUVs parked on the beach with tents set up around them, dunes and the ocean visible in the background.
SUVs | Matthew Cann via Unsplash

What laws might get you in trouble while sleeping in your car? One of the most common ones is parking on private property or in a permitted spot. Another law that might affect you while sleeping in your car is a parking limitation, such as no parking for more than two hours or no parking overnight.

Depending on what you are doing at the beach, sleeping in your car may land you in trouble. For example, you can’t be intoxicated in your car on a public roadway, even while parked. So if you get drunk at the beach and then fall asleep in your car while parked on the street, you could get in trouble. Also, if you were blasting music from your car, you could receive a noise complaint.

Folks just looking for a place that will allow them to sleep in their car have reported getting permission to sleep in both casino parking lots and church parking lots–but you should always check first.

Is sleeping in your car at the beach allowed?

This completely depends on the beach. That said, beach parking areas–similar to other high-use parking lots areas such as at parks and trailheads–often have stricter parking rules than regular streets and lots.

Tan colored VW Bus parked by the ocean, its camper top popped up.
Volkswagen bus | Caleb George via Unsplash

The stricter rules at beaches may include no overnight parking, no camping, or no parking for more than an hour or two. Rules such as these would make sleeping overnight in your car illegal. If there is no specific rule against sleeping in your car, napping might be allowed. That said, a police officer or other official might wake you up anyway, assuming you are camping overnight.

Certain beaches, such as Pismo Beach in California, allow overnight parking directly on the sand. Pismo is a very popular place to drive a 4×4 onto the beach, set up camp, and spend a night or a few days.

Can you comfortably sleep in your car at the beach?

If it is legal to sleep in your car at the beach, whether on the sand or a lot nearby, doing so comfortably might take some planning. Sleeping in your car you want to consider both temperature and airflow.

The view from a car parked on the beach, two people's feet visible in the foreground, the ocean in the background.
Car camping on the beach | Alexander McFeron via Unsplash

When driving down the road in your car, its HVAC system circulates fresh air throughout the airtight cabin. It also heats or cools this air to a comfortable temperature. When an airtight car is shut off, it can get stuffy and uncomfortable surprisingly quickly.

To sleep in your car both comfortably and safely, you’ll want to crack open a window. In some climates, this can be a recipe for a chilly night or mosquito bites. Veteran car campers often bring a sleeping bag and perhaps even some mosquito netting to cover open windows.

As long as you check your local guidelines and plan ahead, sleeping in your car at the beach can be an enjoyable and memorable experience. Next, learn about the prose and cons of various car camping shelter options or see what it’s like to RV camp on Pismo beach in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.