Can you sleep at a KY rest stop when you’re on the road? Here’s the law

Many major highways run through Kentucky, including Interstate 75 and state thoroughfares like Mountain Parkway.

Lining the highways throughout the Commonwealth are welcome centers and rest stops. Though commonly used interchangeably, a welcome center is an area where drivers can grab a bite to eat from a restaurant, use the restroom and fill up their gas tanks, but a rest stop is used primarily for drivers to stretch their legs, use the restroom and take a nap if they need to.

Drivers who have been awake for 24 hours straight, according to the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, are as impaired as a person with a 0.1 blood alcohol level.

Rules for sleeping at KY rest stops

According to Kentucky law, a person can sleep at a rest area for up to four hours in any 24 hour period. Here are some other regulations:

• While at a rest stop, cargo trailers should not be detached from vehicles unless in the case of a fire.
• Anyone who chooses to sleep at a safety rest stop may do so for the permitted time, but they must sleep in their car. Sleeping bags, hammocks, cots and other camping equipment are considered “unlawful.” A person is issued a violation for unlawful camping on the first offense and can be charged with a class B misdemeanor for subsequent offenses.
• Property-carrying drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, are permitted to drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Drivers must take a 30-minute driving break after driving for eight cumulative hours.
• Passenger-carrying drivers are permitted to drive up to 10 hours after eight consecutive hours off duty. 

KY’s major highway rest stops

Rest stops along I-75

• Scott County Rest Area North and Southbound in Georgetown

Rest stops along I-64

• Carter County Rest Area Eastbound in Grayson
• Clark County Rest Area Eastbound in Winchester
• Rowan County Rest Area East and Westbound in Morehead
• Woodford County Rest Area East and Westbound in Midway

Rest stops along I-65

• Hart County Rest Area North and Southbound in Horse Cave at mile marker 60

Rest stops along I-71

• Boone County Rest Area North and Southbound in Florence

Rest stops along Mountain Parkway

• Powell County Rest Area at Natural Bridge Road and Bert T Combs in Slade

Rest stops along Western Kentucky Parkway

• Ohio County Travel Center at 675 Western Kentucky Parkway in Beaver Dam

The North and Southbound Oldham County Rest Areas in Crestwood closed in 2022 due to a reconstruction project and are set to reopen in the fall.