Rules · France
Overnight parking and wild camping in France with a motorhome: what the law says
In France a motorhome may park on the public road like any other vehicle as long as its parking is not dangerous, obstructive or abusive, and the government says motorhomes cannot be deprived of that right. A mayor can regulate or restrict parking by a reasoned arrêté, but not with a general and absolute ban. Camping is different: it needs the landowner's agreement and is prohibited in some places, such as the seashore and protected sites.[1][2][11]
Last reviewed 13 October 2026 against the primary sources listed below. Covers mainland France. Each commune can add its own parking rules by arrêté: always read the signs at the entrance to a car park or village. This is a summary of the law, not legal advice: local signs and bylaws can be stricter.
At a glance
| Where | Verdict | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Parking on the street or in a public car park | Allowed with limits | Same as any vehicle, unless the parking is dangerous, obstructive or abusive, or a local arrêté says otherwise.[1] |
| Where a mayor has restricted motorhome parking by arrêté | Depends on local rules | Restrictions must be reasoned and targeted; a general, absolute ban is not lawful.[1][4] |
| Same spot for more than 7 days | Not allowed | Abusive parking (a commune can set a shorter limit).[8][10] |
| Camping on private land | Allowed with limits | With the agreement of whoever has the use of the land, outside prohibited zones.[2] |
| Camping on the seashore, in classified or listed sites, near drinking-water catchments | Not allowed | Prohibited zones in the Code de l'urbanisme (exemptions possible).[11] |
| Motorhome aires (aires de stationnement) | Allowed | Open to motorhomes day and night; the commune sets the conditions.[12][13] |
Where you can stay and service your van in France
- Aires & motorhome parking
- 3,913
- Of those, recorded free
- 2,081
- Campsites
- 8,904
- Service points (dump stations)
- 2,734
Counts of places mapped in OpenStreetMap; 53% of aires and parking places are tagged free. Being on the map doesn't make overnighting legal at a spot: check its page and the signs.
- Motorhome aires in France 3,644
- Dump stations in France 2,734
- Water points in France 1,941
- Motorhome aires in New Aquitaine 638
- Motorhome aires in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 534
- Motorhome aires in Occitanie 519
- Motorhome aires in Brittany 325
- Motorhome aires in Grand Est 318
- Motorhome aires in Pays de la Loire 263
- Motorhome aires in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 253
- Motorhome aires in Centre-Val de Loire 235
Parking a motorhome is parking
In a 2025 written answer to the Senate, the ministry responsible for local government said motorhomes "cannot be deprived of the right to park on the public domain" as long as their stopping or parking is not dangerous, obstructive or abusive (Code de la route, articles R417-9 to R417-13).[1]
People often say a motorhome counts as parked only if nothing is set up outside it (no chairs, table, awning or wedges). That is a widely used interpretation, but we have not found it in an official text.[1]
What a mayor can and can't ban
Under the Code général des collectivités territoriales, a mayor may, by reasoned arrêté, regulate stopping and parking of vehicles or certain categories of them (article L2213-2), and may close certain roads to vehicles whose traffic would compromise the protection of natural spaces, landscapes or sites (article L2213-4).[1][6]
The ministry says a police measure "cannot have a general and absolute scope". Where a ban targets one category of vehicle, the authority must define its characteristics precisely and take alternatives to parking into account.[1]
The government's guidance on this is the interministerial circular of 19 October 2004 (NOR INTD0400127C). An earlier answer adds that a general ban on caravans across a whole commune would be illegal, whatever its duration.[4][5]
Height barriers at car-park entrances may only enforce a reasoned municipal arrêté.[7]
The 7-day rule and parking fines
Parking is abusive when a vehicle stays continuously at the same point of the public road for more than seven days, or a shorter period set by arrêté (Code de la route R417-12). It is punished by the fine for a 2nd-class contravention.[8][10]
In tourist zones defined by the police authority, obstructive parking by a vehicle with a footprint over 20 m² becomes abusive if it continues more than two hours after the ticket is issued (R417-13, a 4th-class contravention). This can apply to large motorhomes.[9]
Camping (outside a campsite)
Camping on your own outside a campsite is possible with the agreement of the landowner, except in certain spaces where it is prohibited (Code de l'urbanisme, articles R111-32 to R111-35).[2][3]
- Prohibited zones (article R111-33): the seashore and sites inscrits; sites classés or being classified; remarkable heritage sites and the surroundings of historic monuments; and within 200 m of drinking-water catchment points. Exemptions can be granted case by case.[11]
- A local plan (PLU) can ban camping in other zones, and the mayor can also ban it by arrêté.[2]
Motorhome aires
Aires have no regulatory definition. Ministry answers distinguish the aire de stationnement, open to motorhomes day and night, from the aire de services, a point to empty waste water and fill drinking water.[12]
A commune can set the conditions of an ordinary car park and reserve it for motorhomes. Above 50 places an aire needs a planning permit (permis d'aménager).[13][12]
More: how French aires work and aires across France.
Fines and penalties
| Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Abusive parking (more than 7 days, R417-12) or obstructive parking (R417-10) | €35 (2nd class); €75 if paid late[10] |
| Very obstructive parking (R417-11) | €135 (4th class); €375 if paid late[10] |
| Dangerous parking (R417-9) | €135 (4th class); €375 if paid late; 3 licence points[10] |
Know before you go
Changes to this page
- 13 October 2026: First published. Article wording taken from official ministerial answers and service-public; Légifrance could not be loaded on the review date.
Sources
- Question écrite n° 01232 (stationnement des camping-cars), réponse JO Sénat 7 août 2025, Sénat. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 1929 (17e législature), réponse JO 10 juin 2025, Assemblée nationale. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 92927 (14e législature), Assemblée nationale. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 53562, réponse 7 avril 2015 (circulaire INTD0400127C), Assemblée nationale. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 78608 (13e législature), Assemblée nationale. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 14376 (pouvoirs de police du maire, stationnement), Sénat. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 10726, réponse 22 mai 2014 (portiques), Sénat. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 09136, réponse JO Sénat 7 mars 2024 (stationnement abusif), Sénat. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 09409, réponse 24 juin 2010 (zones touristiques, R417-13), Sénat. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Stationnement gênant, très gênant, dangereux ou abusif, Service-Public.fr. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Les terrains de camping déclarés (Code de l'urbanisme R111-33), Direction générale des Entreprises. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 121715, réponse JO 17 janvier 2012 (aires de camping-cars), Assemblée nationale. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Question écrite n° 3128, réponse 25 juin 2013 (aménagement des aires), Assemblée nationale. Accessed 13 October 2026.
Written and checked by Campervan Atlas against these sources. Spotted a change in the law? Tell us.