Massachusetts Camping Laws: Fees, Fires, and Penalties

Massachusetts camping laws allow overnight stays only at campsites the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has officially designated inside state parks and forests. Dispersed or “stealth” camping on state land is not permitted. Rules cover reservations, fires, firewood, alcohol, pets, and quiet hours, and violations can bring fines starting at $20 and climbing to $500 or more for illegal burning.

Where You Can Legally Camp

The DCR runs roughly 30 seasonal campgrounds across the state, and those designated sites are the only legal places to pitch a tent or park an RV overnight on state property. The commissioner’s authority to set these rules comes from Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 132A, Section 7, with the camping specifics spelled out at 302 CMR 12.08.¹²

The DCR can cap how many people occupy each site and may close areas for public health, safety, or operational reasons. Appalachian Trail hikers passing through Massachusetts are limited to the designated overnight shelters and campsites along the corridor. Setting up in an undesignated spot risks a fine and will almost certainly get you told to move.

Season, Reservations, and Fees

State campgrounds are seasonal. Most open between mid-April and mid-May and close somewhere between early September and late November. The 2026 season begins as early as April 9 at Horseneck Beach and Scusset Beach and runs as late as November 28 at Salisbury Beach.³ A few cabin properties offer limited winter availability; tent and RV camping is otherwise closed in cold-weather months.

Reservations go through an online system and can be booked up to four months before arrival. Each reservation carries a non-refundable $4.50 transaction fee. Changes or cancellations cost $10, and canceling on the day of arrival means losing your first night’s camping fee on top of the cancellation charge.⁴

Nightly rates depend on the site type and whether you’re a Massachusetts resident. Out-of-state prices run roughly three times resident rates. In 2026:

Coastal campgrounds: $22–$24 for residents, $70 for non-residents, with some locations adding $2–$5 nightly surcharges for non-residents and $4–$6 for water or electric hookups.
Inland campgrounds: $17 for residents, $54 for non-residents at most locations.
Limited-service sites (Beartown, Pittsfield, Willard Brook): $14 for residents, $40 for non-residents.
Primitive sites (Boston Harbor Islands, Mount Greylock, and others): $8 for residents, $20 for non-residents.
Yurts: $45–$55 for residents, $120–$140 for non-residents.
Cabins: $50–$90 for residents, $130–$230 for non-residents.
Group camping: $35 for residents, $100 for non-residents, for up to 25 people, with $1 per person per night for larger groups.

Rates can change between seasons, and the DCR publishes the current schedule on its camping fees page.⁴

Conduct Rules at the Campsite

The DCR publishes a clear set of conduct rules for every campground, and rangers enforce them.⁵

Quiet hours run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Generators, loud music, and disruptive behavior are prohibited during that window.
Alcohol is not allowed at DCR campgrounds. This catches many visitors off guard; the rule applies across all state-managed camping properties.
Pack out all trash and follow Leave No Trace principles. Improper waste disposal or leaving a trashed site can result in a citation.
Keep a safe distance from wildlife, store food securely, and never feed animals.

Bringing a Dog

Dogs are allowed at most DCR campsites but not in cabins, yurts, or the areas immediately around them. Your dog must be on a leash no longer than ten feet at all times. You can bring up to four dogs per person without a special permit. Collars with current license and rabies tags are required, and you’re responsible for cleaning up after your pet and carrying out waste.⁶

Fire and Firewood Rules

Fire rules on DCR property are detailed and strictly enforced. The regulations at 302 CMR 12.09 cover where you can build a fire, when, and with what wood.

Fires are allowed only in grills or fire rings at designated picnic and camping areas. Portable gas or liquid-fuel stoves and charcoal grills may be used elsewhere on a campsite if DCR staff give permission.
A competent adult must tend any fire from the moment it is lit until it is fully extinguished.
Open fires are prohibited between midnight and 5 a.m. at all DCR campsites.
Any fire must be fully extinguished at least 30 minutes before you leave the area.
When DCR declares extreme fire conditions, all fires and smoking materials must be put out immediately.
On the Boston Harbor Islands where camping is permitted, open fires are allowed only in the intertidal zone.

DCR staff can also limit campfire size and require additional safety precautions at their discretion.⁷

Do Not Transport Firewood

You cannot bring firewood into or out of a DCR campground without written authorization from the Commissioner. The same restriction applies to green lumber, logs, branches, debris, pallet materials, and scrap construction wood. The rule exists to stop invasive insects and tree diseases from spreading between forests.⁷ A large area around Worcester is also under a separate federal quarantine for the Asian longhorned beetle, which makes moving firewood out of that regulated zone a federal violation. Buy wood at or near the campground and burn it there.

Penalties for Breaking the Rules

The baseline penalty for violating any DCR regulation set under Chapter 132A, Section 7 is a fine of up to $20.¹ That covers camping outside a designated site, ignoring quiet hours, waste violations, and similar infractions.

Section 7A adds a second penalty layer tied to how you respond to a park ranger. If a ranger observes a violation and asks for your name and address, refusing to give them can lead to arrest without a warrant and a fine between $50 and $100.⁸ The same statute gives rangers a non-criminal alternative: instead of pressing charges, they can hand you a written notice to appear before a district court clerk within 21 days and pay a flat $50 fine. Skip that appearance or decline the non-criminal option, and the ranger files a formal criminal complaint.

In practice, most first-time minor violations draw a warning. Rangers walk through campgrounds verifying reservations, checking fires, and reminding people about quiet hours and alcohol. Refusing to cooperate, ignoring repeated warnings, or doing something that endangers the park moves you quickly to a citation or removal.

Illegal Burning

Fire violations carry much steeper consequences than ordinary rule-breaking. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 48, Section 13, setting or maintaining an open fire without proper permission is punishable by a fine of up to $500 plus the cost of suppression, up to one month in jail, or both. That statute applies statewide, not just on DCR land, and it is the one prosecutors reach for when an unauthorized campfire gets out of hand.

Fires Outside DCR Campgrounds

If you’re building a fire anywhere in Massachusetts outside a DCR fire ring, a separate set of rules applies. Chapter 48, Section 13 requires anyone setting an open-air fire to get permission from the local fire warden or fire chief. That permission covers a maximum of two days from the date it is granted. Open burning season runs from January 15 through April 15 in most communities, and local fire departments may add conditions like required staffing or time-of-day limits.

There is one narrow exception. Adults 18 and older can build a reasonable cooking fire without a permit if it is on sandy or gravelly ground free of vegetation, or on a sandy or rocky tidal beach, and the fire is enclosed within rocks, metal, or another noncombustible material. Outside that specific scenario, no permit means no fire.

Federal Land Is a Different Rulebook

Several camping-eligible areas in Massachusetts fall under federal jurisdiction, including the Cape Cod National Seashore, portions of the Appalachian Trail, and the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. These sites are managed by federal agencies with their own camping rules, and DCR regulations do not apply.

Drones are banned in all national parks. The National Park Service prohibits launching, landing, or operating unmanned aircraft on NPS property, and violating this rule is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.⁹ On National Forest land, drones are banned from designated wilderness areas.¹⁰ DCR state parks don’t have an identical blanket ban, but individual parks may post drone restrictions on site. Check the specific rules for whichever federal property you plan to camp on before you go.

1
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 132A Section 7
2
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 302 CMR 12.08 – Rules of Conduct on DCR Properties – Camping and Campsites
3
Mass.gov. DCR 2026 Camping Schedule
4
Mass.gov. Camping Fees
5
Mass.gov. Learn About Campground Regulations
6
Mass.gov. Dogs in DCR Parks
7
Legal Information Institute. Massachusetts Code 302 CMR 12.09 – Rules of Conduct on DCR Properties – Fires, Burning
8
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 132A Section 7A – Chief Park Ranger Park Rangers Violations of Environmental Regulations Non-Criminal Disposition
9
U.S. National Park Service. Uncrewed Aircraft in the National Parks
10
US Forest Service. Recreational Drone Tips