Is It Illegal to Sleep in Your Car in New Mexico?

When you're on a road trip, & you're driving through New Mexico, it can be pretty tiring with the endless stretches of road & the desert heat getting to you. You might be exhausted and you need to pull over to rest; whether it's a rest stop or perhaps in the parking lot of a Walmart. But is that allowed?

Is it illegal to sleep in your car in the state of New Mexico?

As a rule, across all 50 states in the United States, it's NOT illegal to sleep in your car. That means whether you're in Texas, or California, or Pennsylvania, you CAN sleep in your car.

Some states work differently and have different rules but typically, unless you pull in safely into a designated rest stop, you CAN sleep in your car. For instance, in the state of Texas, you can sleep at a rest stop but no more than 24 hours.

In the state of New Mexico alone, there are over 20 different rest areas you can find throughout the state.

Can you sleep at a parking lot in New Mexico?

Again, there's no law saying it's illegal to pull in and sleep at a parking lot for an overnight business like Walmart, Cracker Barrel or a truck stop. But remember, they're all businesses. So they have the right to allow you sleep overnight or not. The best thing to do is go inside and ask for permission first before you decide to sleep there for the night. The RV Parky website even shows which locations do and DON'T allow overnight parking and people have posted their own reviews online.

So next time you need to hit the road, drive safe out there!

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