Hell no, livin' in your car, van, RV, tent, clay pot, or cardboard box ain't illegal. It's TOTALLY LEGAL. But The Man makes vanlife a hassle at times. Here's how and why.
Why Van Life Is Legal
No U.S. federal, state, or local law absolutely requires American citizens or residents to have a physical address, that is, ta own or rent real estate.
Vandwellers have all the rights and obligations as any other American.
We're required ta pay taxes and obey laws. We have the right ta vote, get federal and state benefits, own personal property, and generally pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
We can live in a van down by the river if we goddamn well please!
Why Do People Think Vandwelling Is Illegal?
For a good reason. Plenty a laws and regulations make being "homeless" – not havin' and sleepin' at a physical address – a boil on our ass. These laws make living in your vehicle illegal in effect. Assholes!
What? Am I contradicting myself?
No. We still have the absolute right ta live in our cars, vans, RVs, tents, whatever. We're just presented with certain problems that curtail our goddamn freedom. Big fuckin' time.
Problem 1 – Bureaucrats Want an Address
Try ta get a driver's license without an address. Try to get government benefits without an address. Try ta register to vote without an address. It's tricky.
Yes, you're entitled to these things without an address. In the case of voting and federal benefits, such as Social Security and SNAP, the government specifically requires the states to find ways to accommodate those without addresses, i.e., the destitute homeless. Usually states do so by lettin' the homeless use the address of a relative, shelter, or social services office.
Nomads with more means – vandwellers, OTR truckers, retired RV lifestylers, traveling salespeople – usually fudge by using the address of a friend or relative. Or we use the address of a private mailbox service, like a UPS store or a mail forwarder, e.g., Traveling Mailbox.
But of course, using a fudge address is technically illegal. There's always the risk some fuckin' bureaucrat will put your balls inta a vice over it. Not likely, they usually don't check, but it's enough to make ya nervous.
Problem 2 – Cities Don't Let You Park Overnight
OK, most of us fuckin' get that we can't park on private land without permission. But shouldn't we be able to park on public land, "the commons"? After all, we're co-owners.
That's where we get fucked over again. Plenty a cities got laws forbidding you to park overnight on particular bits a public land:
- Can't overnight in parks
- Can't overnight on busy streets and highways
- Can't overnight in front of businesses
- Can't overnight in neighborhoods
- Can't overnight in government parking lots
- Can't overnight by rivers and under bridges
So where the fuck are the public lands where you can park overnight? And with this fucked-up patchwork of laws, varying from town to town, how are ya supposed to know when and where you can park? You also got to worry about other laws, like no loitering.
Even when you're parked legally, the cops sometimes fuck with you anyway because ... because they can.
Yes, most national forests and many state forests permit dispersed camping, but that don't do you no goddamn good if you're in town or an urban vandweller. Not a lot of jobs in the forest!
Problem 3 – Parking Lots Are Usually Private
Most big parking lots are owned by stores or landlords. Huge mall and strip mall parking lots might feel like public space, but they're not. End a story.
Some, like Walmart and Cabela's, have vanlifer friendly policies, but that's rare. You can stealth, but you're always chancing getting chased out or worse by security or cops.
What About Our FREEDOM to Live in a Van?
Dictionary definition: "Freedom: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint."So while we have the right to pursue van life, we too often are legally hindered and restrained from doing so. A freedom is no goddamn use if ya can't exercise it!
From a practical, everyday perspective, while vandwelling is legal and our right, we have to break a lot of petty laws and regulations to do so. Exercising our freedom is being criminalized. And that's total goddamn bullshit!
Federal, state, and local governments are unreasonably tramping on our legal right to live in a van down by the river. But the governments' unreasonable constraints on van life won't change without a lot of lobbying and court battles. ... Who's got the time for that!? Who's got the money!?
Gettin' mail on the road? Traveling Mailbox! (review)
