Is Full-Time RV Living Legal on Public Lands?
Arizona Public Land Camping Rules (Quick Guide - 08/06/2026)
Full-Time RV Living: It is legal to live a full-time, nomadic RV lifestyle on National Forest and BLM lands all year round as long as you follow the applicable stay limits and other regulations. The key is that you are traveling from place to place and using public lands for temporary camping rather than establishing a permanent homesite on any one piece of public land.
National Forests (Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, Tonto, Apache-Sitgreaves, etc.):Dispersed camping is generally limited to 14 days within a 30-day period in the same national forest. After reaching the limit, you must leave that forest before returning. Simply moving to another campsite within the same forest usually does not reset the stay limit. While there is no blanket rule prohibiting you from returning to the same GPS location after your time away, repeatedly using the exact same campsite month after month could draw attention and may be viewed as residential occupancy depending on the circumstances and local forest orders. Rotating among several legal campsites is generally the safest approach.
BLM Lands: Dispersed camping is generally limited to 14 days within a 28-day period, after which campers are typically required to move at least 25 miles before camping again. As with National Forests, keeping your campsite temporary looking, clean, and mobile.
