Rules · Ireland
Wild camping and overnight parking in Ireland with a campervan: what the law says
Staying overnight in a campervan on land without the owner's consent can be a criminal offence in Ireland. Occupying land, or placing a vehicle used as a temporary dwelling on it, without consent is an offence where it is likely to damage the land, make it unsanitary or unsafe, or interfere with its use, and that expressly includes public car parks (fine up to €4,000 and/or one month). Councils can also ban overnight parking in car parks by bye-law.[1][2]
Last reviewed 13 October 2026 against the primary sources listed below. Covers the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the UK and is not covered here. This is a summary of the law, not legal advice: local signs and bylaws can be stricter.
At a glance
| Where | Verdict | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Private land without the owner's consent | Not allowed | An offence where occupying the land or placing a vehicle on it is likely to damage it, make it unsanitary or unsafe, or interfere with its use.[1] |
| Council car parks and roadside parking | Depends on local rules | Councils set rules by parking bye-law; some ban overnight parking of temporary dwellings (vehicles used for living in). Read the signs.[2][3][4] |
| Connemara National Park car park | Not allowed | Daytime visits only; NPWS recommends local campsites for campervans.[5] |
| Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains National Park | Not allowed | No camping of any kind at Glendalough.[6] |
| Coillte forests | Allowed with limits | Campervans at Coillte's serviced parks (Lough Key, Curragh Chase); wild camping only at designated sites.[8][9] |
Where you can stay and service your van in Ireland
- Aires & motorhome parking
- 9
- Of those, recorded free
- 0
- Campsites
- 404
- Service points (dump stations)
- 24
Counts of places mapped in OpenStreetMap; 0% 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.
The offence of occupying land without consent
Part IIA of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, inserted by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002, makes it an offence for a person, without the owner's consent, to enter and occupy any land or to bring onto or place on land any object, where that is likely to substantially damage the land, substantially and prejudicially affect an amenity, prevent reasonable use of it, make it unsanitary or unsafe, or substantially interfere with it (section 19C).[1]
"Object" includes a temporary dwelling, and "land" includes land kept by a statutory body for public amenity, including any park, open space or car park (section 19A).[1]
A Garda may direct a person to leave the land and remove any object (section 19C(3)) and may remove the object if the direction is ignored (section 19F). Consent is presumed not to have been given until the contrary is shown (section 19G(2)).[1]
Council car parks and bye-laws
Local authorities may make bye-laws for the car parks they provide, including restricting the classes of vehicle admitted and the periods vehicles may stay (Road Traffic Act 1961, section 101(7)), and road authorities may make bye-laws regulating parking on public roads, with different rules for different classes of vehicle (Road Traffic Act 1994, section 36). Breaking such a bye-law is an offence.[2][3]
Example: Sligo County Council's Rosses Point Village Parking Control Bye-Laws 2021 prohibit overnight parking of temporary dwellings in the Rosses Point car park and on Yacht Club Road. A temporary dwelling there includes any caravan, mobile home or vehicle used for human habitation.[4]
National parks
Connemara National Park says its car park is for daytime visits only and cannot facilitate overnight parking or camping; it recommends that campervan visitors use local campsites. Wild camping (on foot) is permitted in parts of the park outside the exclusion zone.[5]
In Wicklow Mountains National Park no camping of any kind is permitted in Glendalough. Wilderness camping elsewhere in the park must be at least 500 m from a road capable of carrying a vehicle and 500 m from a building.[6]
Killarney National Park's bye-laws (Bourn Vincent Memorial Park Bye-Laws 1971, as made) say no person shall place or keep a caravan or dormobile in the park except at a place appointed as a caravan park.[7]
Coillte forests
Coillte, which manages Ireland's state forests, invites caravans and campervans to its serviced sites at Lough Key Forest Park (Roscommon) and Curragh Chase Forest Park (Limerick).[8]
Its recreation policy permits wild camping without a permit only at designated sites, under Leave No Trace principles, and reserves the right to withdraw permission at any time.[9]
Where to stay legally
Campsites and caravan parks are the dependable option: see the campsite pages for each county below, and check each place's page for fees and opening months.
Fines and penalties
| Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Occupying land or placing an object (e.g. a vehicle) on it without consent (s.19C) | Fine up to €4,000 and/or up to one month's imprisonment (s.19G)[1] |
Know before you go
Changes to this page
- 13 October 2026: First published. Statute text checked against the Law Reform Commission revised Acts.
Sources
- Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, Part IIA (ss. 19A–19G), revised, Law Reform Commission. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Road Traffic Act 1961, section 101, revised, Law Reform Commission. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Road Traffic Act 1994, section 36, revised, Law Reform Commission. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Rosses Point Village Parking Control Bye-Laws 2021, Sligo County Council. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Connemara National Park: contact and FAQs, National Parks and Wildlife Service. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Wicklow Mountains National Park: things to do (camping), National Parks and Wildlife Service. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- S.I. No. 234/1971, Bourn Vincent Memorial Park Bye-Laws, 1971, Irish Statute Book. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Camping, Coillte. Accessed 13 October 2026.
- Coillte Recreation Policy, Coillte. Accessed 13 October 2026.
Written and checked by Campervan Atlas against these sources. Spotted a change in the law? Tell us.