Does Walmart Allow Overnight RV Stays In Its Parking Lots?
There's an enormous amount of parking in the United States — we're talking football fields on football fields on football fields. The U.S. has on the order of 2 billion parking spaces, with a sizable portion of them allocated to grocery stores and shopping establishments like Walmart. The average Walmart parking lot is three times the size of the store. So there's a lot of vacant parking space in the United States — especially at Walmart.
All this parking might be appealing as an overnight landing pad for the RV during a cross-country trek. But is parking your RV at Walmart for a night actually allowed? Is it legal? Well, the simple answer is that generally, yes, overnight parking in Walmart parking lots is allowed (and free, and legal in most states). However, overnight parking at each store is subject to local laws and manager discretion.
The easiest way to confirm whether parking at your Walmart of choice is allowed (by both management and local law enforcement) is to call ahead or pop inside to alert the store manager you'd like to stay overnight. As long as you've received their permission, are in accordance with local laws, and maintain a low-key presence (as in, don't pitch your entire campsite on the asphalt), you should be safe to stay. And if a particular Walmart denies your request, you could ask at nearby establishments — the logistics for overnight parking are similar at stores like Costco.
RVing and Walmart go back much further than you might think. Walmart founder Sam Walton loved to take RV trips with his family, and made it policy for overnight RV parking to be allowed in store lots. Walmart's endorsement of overnight RV-ing has helped foster widespread adoption of the practice among road trippers and full-time nomads alike.
According to RV community forums, though, obtaining permission to park overnight is getting more difficult — some reports suggest as few as 58% of stores still allow overnight parking, a stark downturn. So following best practices for overnight parking at Walmart will be beneficial not just for your immediate stay, but for preserving the practice overall.
Top-line recommendations are to vacate your site after one night (Walmart policy limits parking to 24 hours), keep your parking space tidy, inform management of your intention to stay overnight, comply with the manager's instructions for where and how to park, and follow any posted signs. If you do all of the above, you'll be in the clear to add Walmart as a welcoming stop on your cross-country road trip.
