# Campsite and Stellplatz etiquette: unwritten rules that keep everyone happy

> Quiet hours, generators, dogs, light and shared power: what is usually written on the notice board, and what is simply expected between neighbours.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/magazine/rv-campsite-etiquette/

*By CampingSpirit Editors, 2026-08-26*

Most friction between campers comes down to three things: sound, light and space. Almost everything else in a site’s rules is a variation on them. Because pitches are small and neighbours close, behaviour that would pass unnoticed at home carries a long way at 23:00 on a campsite, and the habits that avoid trouble are mostly the same from Portugal to Montana.

What differs is the type of place. A campsite, a Stellplatz, a French aire and an American campground each come with their own written rules and their own assumptions, and a traveller who moves between them benefits from knowing which is which.

## Four kinds of place, four sets of expectations

A campsite usually has a reception, marked pitches and a house rule sheet handed over at check-in. A Stellplatz or an aire is closer to a parking area with services: fresh water, waste disposal and often electricity from a coin or card machine. The rules are shorter but are applied just as firmly. One municipal Stellplatz in Saxony, for example, sets quiet hours from 22:00 to 07:00, asks for dogs on leads and for droppings to be removed at once, sells power through a machine at 1 euro per 2 kWh, bans fuel-burning generators and limits a stay to 14 days. In the United States, a campground is typically a numbered site with a fire ring, booked ahead, often through recreation.gov for federal land, with a host or ranger who enforces posted rules.

One distinction matters in France. In a written reply to a Senate question, the government explained that camping-cars have the same rights as other vehicles to stop and park, provided they are not dangerous, obstructive or abusive, but that parking is not camping: levelling blocks, tables, awnings or other equipment put out on an ordinary street space turn parking into camping, and mayors can restrict it. Out of respect for the town, an aire or a campsite is the place for chairs and awnings; a roadside space is for sleeping.

## Quiet hours and arrival times

Quiet hours differ by place, and the posted sheet is the authority. Ten at night is the common start; the end varies. The Saxon Stellplatz above runs until 07:00 and also bans arriving and departing during that time. Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota gives 22:00 to 06:00. Some European campsites add a midday break, often early afternoon, and a few close the barrier overnight. Arriving before quiet hours begin is the simplest courtesy. If a late arrival cannot be avoided, the usual approach is to stop where the reception or the site notice asks, switch the engine off, and settle in the morning; doors are closed gently, and conversation is kept low in the first minutes.

## Generators, engines and awnings

Generators are the most contested noise. Many European sites and Stellplätze ban them outright, and national parks in the United States commonly limit them to set hours: at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, generator hours are 08:00 to 20:00 and a muffler is required. Federal regulations on park land also bar motorised equipment louder than 60 dB(A) measured at 50 feet (about 15 m). Running an engine to warm the cabin, charge batteries or keep the fridge going is another form of the same problem, and the usual advice is to do it away from other pitches or not at all. Awnings, finally, are a space question: guy lines and pegs belong inside the pitch, since a line across the boundary is a tripping hazard, and a vehicle that extends its awning over the neighbour’s ground has already taken their space.

## Dogs, light, children and neighbours

Dogs are almost always welcome on a lead. The Saxon Stellplatz asks for exactly that, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park sets a lead of no more than 6 feet (about 1.8 m), with droppings removed at once. A dog left alone in a vehicle and barking is the most common complaint; it is simpler to take the dog along or to choose another outing. Light is the second silent nuisance. A cool, low lamp under the awning is enough; floodlights, bright interior lights without blinds and headlights swung across other pitches on a late return are noticed far beyond the pitch. Children are a normal part of campsites, and play is best kept to shared areas rather than across other pitches. Vehicle speed is usually walking pace; Theodore Roosevelt National Park posts 15 mph (24 km/h).

Greeting culture varies, but a short hello on arrival is welcome almost everywhere, and a question about a neighbour’s dog, a bicycle or a space is better asked than guessed. Equally, walking across another pitch as a shortcut and looking into windows are things to leave aside.

## Power, water and waste

Shared infrastructure runs on the assumption that everyone does their bit. Mains cables are best fully unrolled, since a coiled cable under load can heat up. Another person’s plug is left in place, and a wait is better than unplugging someone’s vehicle. Cassette toilets are emptied only at the sanitary point; the Saxon Stellplatz states that foul and waste water must be emptied at the designated facilities, and that rubbish goes into the containers provided. Grey water is not let onto the ground of the pitch or the car park unless the site says so. Water points are not for washing the vehicle or the dog.

## Reservations and leaving

Booking and first come, first served are both common. Where a pitch is reserved, the right to it begins at the booked time; where it is first come, chairs or crates left to hold a place for the night are generally frowned on. Check-out time matters because the next arrival is waiting: Theodore Roosevelt National Park sets noon, and many European sites set a time of late morning, so the vehicle is best ready by then, even if the owner is not leaving the area.

A short routine suits any type of site. On arrival, read the posted rules, note the quiet hours, the check-out time and the location of waste and water points, and ask the host when something is unclear. During the stay, keep sound, light and equipment inside the pitch. On leaving, put rubbish in the right container, empty the waste water where permitted, rake or check the pitch for pegs and cigarette ends, and leave the space as it was found.

## Sources

- [Stellplatzordnung Caravanstellplatz Wilthen (Stadt Wilthen)](https://www.wilthen.de/files/media/Seiten/Tourismus/Caravanstellplatz/Stellplatzordnung.pdf)
- [Camping Regulations, Theodore Roosevelt National Park (National Park Service)](https://www.nps.gov/thro/planyourvisit/camping-regulations.htm)
- [36 CFR 2.12 Audio disturbances (Code of Federal Regulations)](https://federal-regs.com/title/36/part-2/2.12/)
- [Question écrite n° 01232 sur le stationnement des camping-cars (Sénat)](https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2024/qSEQ241001232.html)
- [Recreation.gov (U.S. federal recreation reservations)](https://www.recreation.gov/)