Quick question:

[toilfreelife]

Since I will be needing to get work (self employed odd jobs) in nearby towns vis-a-vis 14 day rule camping, say if I got a call off my ads to come down and do work in the town after say being in the 14 day rule forest/blm land  for only a day or two,  i go down do the job and come back up the next day or a few days later, does the 14 day rule start again at that same place?  Give me official and unofficial rules , thanks

 

[highdesertranger]

the rules change with each jurisdiction BLM/Forrest Service. a lot of them you must move 25 miles for another 14 days, some are 50 miles, some you must move for 6 months(Death Valley I believe). you need to check with the ranger district you are in. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

What HDR said, plus:  My understanding from talking to rangers is that the official clock starts when they notice you there.  If you are still in the same general area 15 days later, you have overstayed.  Doesn't matter if you are leaving and coming back every day.

 

[DLTooley]

The easiest way to work this is to camp in different jurisdictions - BLM/Forest Service, or different Forests, etc. You should inquire about the specific distance rule for wherever you are at. Enforcement attitude varies a lot depending on whether there has been a previous problem. You don't want to be the person to make an area a problem area.

A note about advertising, it works best long term and if you are staying, and working, in an area for an extended period you should consider renting a spot.

If you pack up every day and aren't there when enforcement does its check then there is no way for them to monitor you. I think the 14 day rule makes sense, but some sort of legal challenge on the edges of it, like the inconsistent distance rule would be good. Proving that you have actually stayed in a place consistently for 14 days isn't that easy. That's not something to do alone(I tell you this from closely related personal experience). Also, if you are near a residential area they will notice your repeated use, no matter how strictly you follow the rule.

Personally, so long as you respect the spirit of the law by keeping a totally clean camp (especially your toilet) and move around to different spots I have no moral concerns. Hopefully you will get just a warning, but even with a warning you will now be in the record system, especially in the local system - including Town Cops and County Sheriffs. Working, and having a good reputation for same, will help a lot with this.

One solution would be to set up an advertising strategy that is broad enough to cover multiple jurisdictions or the distance rule. Just camping on different sides of Town should at least come close to meeting the distance rule, if it is so located.

Do you have a specific area in mind?

 

[toilfreelife]

Thanks for that dl,   I'm probably the greatest minimalist that ever lived.  I have nothing to put out and I throw all my waste on the roof rack, leave zero behind. Probably be way under their radar.  

I think around August 5 is when I'll be out. Hopefully Falstaff will be my home until it cools off further south.

 

[DLTooley]

I don't see a minimum distance move for the Coconino National Forest, which is surprising.  This is an area that is enforced 'assertively'. The thing I recall from the Cottonwood/Sedona area of this Forest is that they are big on the 'No Residential Use' - not sure the best strategy, but I presume you don't have to answer those questions.  I'd go in and ask for that distance, with a citation, and get a copy of the MVUM for the forest.  I'm not sure if the 300' rule is universal, but it is common on Forest Service land.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/home/?cid=stelprdb5313448