Is it legal to sleep at a Michigan rest area?

Say you’re traveling over the river and through the woods and get really drowsy, is it OK to pull off into one of Michigan’s 61 highway rest areas for a nap.

Yes, it is.

The Michigan Department of Transportation, which runs the rest stops, has guidelines concerning how long you may stay — no more than 48 hours and no camping.

But those guidelines aren’t official and aren’t enforceable by police, which is why MDOT is in the process of pursuing approval for administrative laws that would make stays of more than 48 hours, camping, setting fires in non-authorized spots, among other things, illegal at rest areas and also at the state’s 82 roadside parks, 267 carpool lots, 23 scenic turnouts and 14 welcome centers. Breaking the guidelines would be a misdemeanor.

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MDOT is sorting through public comments on the draft of rules. Those proposed rules would most likely require people who need to leave a car at a rest area or carpool for more than 48 hours to get a special permit to do so, according to Jocelyn Garza, MDOT spokeswoman. All the rules address specific situations that have occurred at rest areas, she added.

“When the draft rules were initially introduced there was a lot of concern over people not being able to rest at the rest area. That is absolutely not the intention,” Garza said. “The intention of a rest area is for somebody to come and sleep and make sure they’re safe when they’re back behind the wheel, they feel rested enough to be driving.”

Is it legal?

Welcome to a new recurring feature on freep.com that helps readers understand laws in Michigan and in their communities. Do you have a question about what’s legal and what isn’t in Michigan? Email isitlegal@freepress.com and we’ll investigate for you.

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