Dispersed camps set up on NRM Department managed lands must affix contact information such as name, address and phone number to the side of a tent or other camping structure that is legible.
Park and Recreation Camping
Dispersed Camping on County Managed Lands
“Dispersed camping” means camping overnight outside the Grant Creek Horse Camp, Mississippi High-Banks, or outside of maintained trailheads and/or day-use areas. The follow “Rules” regulate dispersed camping on the approximately 146,500 acres of land managed by the NRM Department. A person who dispersed camps may not:
- Camp for a period exceeding 14 consecutive days in any one section, township, and range from the first Saturday in May to the second Sunday in September, or 21 days the rest of the year. If camp location is changed during the calendar year, the new camp shall be established at least 15 miles from the previous camp.
- Dig or trench around tents or other camping shelters.
- Camp on forest lands that are posted or designated to prohibit camping.
- Collect firewood, unless it is dead and laying on the ground. Wood collected and used for campfires may not be removed from county land.
- Camp on County forest lands within ¼ mile of a maintained day-use facility, trailhead, designated camp ground, or along the access road leading to such facility.
- Construct permanent camping structures.
- Place wood, nails, screws, or other fasteners in a living tree at a campsite.
Disperse Camping Occupancy Identification
Disperse Camping Waste Disposal
Areas used for dispersed camping must be kept in a neat, clean, and sanitary condition. All litter must be removed from the site and disposed of properly.
Disposal of human wastes in areas used for dispersed camping where no latrine or holding tank is available shall be accomplished by burying wastes in the immediate vicinity, at least 150 feet from a water body, in a manner that does not endanger a water supply, pollute surface water, create a nuisance, or otherwise constitute a hazard to public health and safety.
No person shall discharge sewage on the ground from a camping vehicle or trailer in areas used for dispersed camping. Holding tanks or other containers must be used and properly emptied at a trailer sanitation station or other suitable facility. Liquid wastes from cooking and washing may be disposed of on the surface of the ground in a manner that does not endanger a water supply, pollute surface water, create a nuisance, or otherwise constitute a hazard to public health and safety.
Disperse Camping Occupation and Abandonment
Dispersed camps set up on NRM Department managed lands must be attended by a responsible person of the camping party during the time the equipment is left on County land.
From the first Saturday in May to the second Sunday in September, a tent or other camping structure unoccupied for more than 14 days could be removed and confiscated by the NRM Department.
After the second Sunday in September to the first Saturday in May, a tent or other camping structure unoccupied for more than 21 days could be removed and confiscated by the NRM Department.