Camping on a road
Understand the regulations for overnight camping in a vehicle on a road.
Overnight camping
Under the Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law 2021 (the Local Law), it’s illegal to camp overnight in a vehicle on a road in Brisbane.
This includes road-related areas such as:
- footpaths
- dividing strips
- public cycle paths
- road shoulders and reserves.
Fines for sleeping in your vehicle
Council officers patrol areas across the city to ensure compliance with the law. You can be fined for spending the night in a vehicle on a road. The types of vehicles include:
- cars
- caravans
- trailers.
Sleeping in your vehicle on a road is allowed:
- to manage fatigue
- for personal safety
- in an emergency
- in designated signed areas
- in tourism accommodation such as caravan parks and camping grounds.
Camping sites
To find somewhere you can camp legally in a vehicle:
- visit Queensland Government - Parks and forests and search for a park or camping area
- talk to your campervan hire company
- contact local hostels, backpackers and holiday parks and ask about campervan rates.
Helpful links
Frequently asked questions
It’s illegal to sleep in a car parked on a road or road-related area in Brisbane. This includes footpaths, public cycle paths and dividing strips.
You can only sleep overnight in a parked car:
- in designated signed areas
- in tourist facilities where it's allowed (e.g. camping grounds)
- where necessary to manage fatigue
- for personal safety reasons
- in an emergency.
Yes, you can be fined for sleeping in a parked car. A Council officer can issue a fine if you’re found to be sleeping in a car parked on a road, footpath, public cycle path or dividing strip.