To avoid being accused of trespassing, you can walk into the store (Walmart)
and buy something, such as a cup of coffee, and keep the receipt. That ought
be enough to prove that you are there to give them a business although small.

David

--- Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

>  RE: Wallmart Parking
> This original message seems to have been split into several threads but I'll
> respond on the original.  This is based on several responses from the past.
> First, check with the Wallmart you are stopping at.
> Second, based on the experience of one Westy driver, that may not always be
> enough.  One driver was hassled (threatened with a 'trespassing' ticket) in
> the morning even after being told by the Wallmart management that it was
> okay to park.  Seemed to be a local ordnance thing in that city.
> Third, several list members over the last couple of years have mentioned
> lobbying by local commercial RV parks to outlaw any on street OR Wallmart
> 'stealth' camping because they thought they were losing business. In fact
> right now the city council in Olympia Wa (the State capitol no less) are
> discussing just such an ordinance (though I have no info that the RV parks
> owners have anything to do with that), they want to ban the parking of ANY
> RV on the street overnight.
> And last, and I hope there is a legal expert out there that will correct me
> if I'm wrong on this, trespass is a civil issue between the property owner
> (or owners agent) and the RV owner.  The property owner would have to
> complain to the police before the police could issue a ticket for trespass.
> The police can't just drive up and start writing.  I suppose a local
> ordinance could be written in such a manner as to allow this but I don't see
> how.  Then again, a property owner could leave standing instructions with
> the police stating that any vehicle in  their parking lot was assumed to be
> trespassing.
>
> BTW, and this is from a discussion about a year or two ago, one of the
> Canadian provinces has a provincial law that states that no RV can be parked
> overnight anywhere other than an approved park, public or private.  The
> catch on that one is that a dozen or so list members pointed out that they
> have NEVER heard of that law being enforced.
>