Free overnight parking in business lots is a great option for many people who live on the road. Some business welcome nomads (with the assumption that you will shop there), some don't seem to mind, and some explicitly disallow it. It's important for nomads to follow best practices in order to keep this option available to everyone; if this benefit is abused, more and more businesses will stop allowing it.
As a general rule, you should park in business lots only if other parking options aren't available, or if the business explicitly allows it. You are more likely to get The Knock in a business lot than in most other locations, even if parking isn't explicitly prohibited.
Businesses that may offer free overnight parking
Some locations of these chains offer free overnight parking to customers. Check for signs prohibiting parking, and check with the manager and local regulations before staying. Check the Finding parking page for ways to find other businesses not listed here.
Note that some businesses which explicitly allow overnight parking may keep records of vehicles parked there to ensure that no one is staying too long or too often. For example, there are some reports of employees taking pictures of vehicle license plates but not asking .[1]
Businesses that may not care if you park discreetly
Look carefully for signage disallowing parking! Follow Best Practices below.
- Charitable organizations
- Churches and other places of worship
- VFW or other veterans organizations, especially if you are a veteran
- Women's shelters, if you are a woman
Best Practices for parking in business lots
Please follow these best practices when parking at a business; doing so will help the reputation of all nomads and will make it more likely that overnight parking at businesses is not restricted.
- "Roll in late, roll out early." - This way you won't even be seen by the majority of the other customers.
- Be respectful; it is their property.
- Obey any signs indicating overnight camping is forbidden.
- Check local parking regulations to see if overnight camping is forbidden even if the business allows it.
- Ask the manager for permission to camp overnight.
- OR don't ask. When you ask for permission, it puts some responsibility on the manager or employee (who is likely not the owner); if the manager incorrectly allows you to park overnight, they might get in trouble for doing so. Asking also puts some liability on the business once they know you're there.
- OR do ask. If the business has security patrols or observant employees, they may notice you and check in on you, but if you've asked first, they know who you are and can leave you alone.
- OR don't ask. It's often easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.
- If you need anything that the business sells, purchase it at that location. Holding your purchase while you talk to the manager in the previous step is a great first impression.
- Always be prepared to leave. Leave the property immediately if you get The Knock.
- Stay only one night, or two if absolutely required. You're not paying rent here.
- Park away from high-use areas where you could be in the way of other customers; the parking lot spots farthest from the store are usually preferred.
- Don't park where you may be in the way of employees, delivery vehicles, or large trucks.
- Park where you won't be noticed by the largest number of customers. See also stealth camping.
- Make no messes, and pick up any messes you see. Campers leaving a mess is a big reason why stores disallow overnight camping.
- You are not at a campground, so keep a low profile:
- Keep slides in.
- Keep leveling jacks up (or on pads if absolutely necessary – we don't want to damage the lot).
- Never use generators.
- Never set up lawn chairs or other gear outside
- Never drain anything in the lot.
- If there is snow on the ground or in the weather forecast, be prepared to move your vehicle quickly if snow plows arrive.
- Use restrooms for their toilets only - customers do not want to see people taking sponge baths or shaving at the sinks.
- Try to avoid lots where other vehicle dwellers are parked - each location has an (unwritten) capacity of dweller vehicles before people will notice and complaints will be made.
Where not to park
Why do organizations disallow parking in their lots?
Churches, charities, and non-profits in general, even if they would like to help nomads, are naturally going to be worried about the downstream effects of letting anyone use their parking lot. If word gets out to the wrong crowd and now they have 10 people in half-broken vehicles leaving garbage everywhere, that's an expensive headache to deal with.
The organization's insurance policy and/or legal team may disallow overnight parking due to the liability it can create. If the property is leased and not owned, the leasing agreement may disallow it. Or, the organization may simply want to focus on its primary mission rather than spending time and money running what could quickly turn into a parking program for the homeless.
Parking lots aren't free to build and maintain, so they don't want to effectively be giving free rent to a bunch of people and getting nothing in return. For some organizations, you could increase your chances of being allowed to stay by offering to deliver a stack of doorhanger ads from the organization to houses/apartments in the neighborhood, or doing other volunteer work for them. Consider becoming a member of the organization first and ask if you can park there second.
There are "safe parking lots" operated by a limited number of governments and charities. They aren't very common because they can be difficult and expensive to manage successfully.