Motorhome overnight rules in Norway

The right to roam covers you, not the vehicle

The right to roam distinguishes between cultivated land (innmark) and uncultivated land (utmark). Farmyards, house plots, fields, meadows and pasture count as cultivated land, and the right does not apply there (friluftsloven section 1 a).

The Norwegian Environment Agency is explicit: the right to roam does not include motor vehicles in the countryside. Under the Motor Traffic in the Countryside Act, motorised traffic there is prohibited unless specifically allowed (section 3). A track that is not built for cars counts as countryside, and so does a proper road that has not been cleared of snow (section 2).

So beaches, meadows and gravel flats away from the road are off limits, however remote they are.

The tent rule: 150 metres and two nights

You may camp on uncultivated land at least 150 metres from an inhabited house or cabin. Staying more than two nights in the same place requires the landowner’s permission, except in the mountains or far from settlements (friluftsloven section 9). The rule is written for tents, but NAF uses the same figures as a yardstick for motorhome drivers.

By public roads and at lay-bys

NAF sums up the main rule like this: you may drive and park a motorhome along public roads just like an ordinary car. Where parking is allowed, staying overnight in the vehicle is in principle allowed too, but time limits on signs apply.

The traffic rules (section 17) prohibit stopping or parking, among other places:

• in a junction or within 5 metres of it
• on a pedestrian or cycle crossing, or within 5 metres before it
• on motorways and motor roads (motortrafikkvei) and their slip roads

Parking is also prohibited in front of an entrance or exit, such as a driveway.

On priority roads (forkjørsvei) with a speed limit above 50 km/h, parking on the carriageway itself is prohibited. The carriageway is the part of the road intended for ordinary traffic (traffic rules section 1). If you are in a lay-by or at a rest area off the carriageway, the signs there decide.

At rest areas, NAF says a time limit of 24 hours is usual. The sign at the entrance is what counts.

Private roads

You may drive and park along a private road in the countryside unless the owner has closed it. A barrier or a sign saying ferdselsforbud (no entry) means turn back.

Local rules

Municipalities can restrict motorhome parking, and several larger towns ban it outside designated areas (NAF). Two examples:

• Oslo: overnight stays, camping and tents are prohibited in public parks, green areas, open spaces and on roads and squares in built-up areas without a permit from the municipality (police by-law section 2-1).
• Lofoten: the Lofoten municipalities share a regulation on outdoor recreation. Visit Lofoten summarises it for motorhomes: with no sign prohibiting parking, you may park off public roads, but for no more than two nights.

Rules vary between municipalities. When in doubt, ask the local tourist office.

Private land: ask first

A farmyard, a house plot or a field is cultivated land. You may only stay there with the owner’s consent (friluftsloven sections 1 a and 9), even if the place looks open. How to ask and what to agree is covered in staying on private land in Norway. On caravanpark.no you can find private landowners who offer a pitch and contact them directly.

Rubbish, toilets and consideration

Leaving waste in a way that spoils or harms the environment is prohibited (forurensningsloven section 28). Take your rubbish with you.

Never empty a toilet in nature; use a dump station, as Visit Lofoten also stresses. Municipalities must provide the necessary facilities (forurensningsloven section 26). See motorhome waste disposal in Norway.

Checklist before you stop for the night

1. Are you on a road or a surfaced area, not off-road?
2. Is parking allowed? Look for no-parking, time-limit and motorhome signs.
3. On a priority road above 50 km/h, are you off the carriageway? And not in a junction, on a crossing or in front of a driveway?
4. Is it private land? Then you need the owner’s permission.
5. Does the municipality have its own rules, as in Lofoten or Oslo?
6. Do you know where to dispose of rubbish, grey water and toilet waste?