• Home
  • About
  • Campsites
  • Knowledge Base
  • Blog
  • Ask a Question
  • Home
  • About
  • Campsites
  • Knowledge Base
  • Blog
  • Ask a Question
home/Knowledge Base/Boondocking Water and Sewage/Are Composting Toilets Allowed in LTVAs?
Popular Search:Solar Panels, Battery Banks, Joshua Tree

Are Composting Toilets Allowed in LTVAs?

843 views 1 December 28, 2021 Updated on January 12, 2022

Yes, composting toilets are allowed in LTVAs as long as you camp within 500 feet of a restroom facility, or have an additional permanent waste holding tank of at least 10-gallons in size. Only a few of the Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA) operated by the Bureau of Land Management have restroom facilities. Otherwise the rule for all LTVAs is that each vehicle be self-contained.

using a composting toilet at an ltva
La Posa LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ

Are Composting Toilets Allowed in LTVAs?

If your vehicle does not have a permanent waste holding tank for raw sewage then you can only camp within 500 feet of a restroom facility. This is a rule adopted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for all of its Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA).

Only three (3) LTVAs currently have restroom facilities: La Posa, Mule Mountain, and Imperial Dam.

Therefore all other LTVAs do not allow vehicles without a permanent waste holding tank.

The Self-Contained Camping Unit Concept

The Bureau of Land Management requires that all visitors staying at an LTVA camp inside of a “self-contained camping unit”. This is effectively a vehicle such as an RV, van, or car, that has a “permanent waste holding tank”.

The idea behind this goes back to 1983 when the BLM launched the LTVA program. Portable toilets and composting toilets were uncommon in vehicles back then. The BLM did not want people pooping in holes or peeing in bushes at their LTVAs. Thus became the rule. It’s unlikely the BLM will make any accommodations for composting toilet users because they are slow to adapt to progress in RV technology.

What is a Permanent Waste Holding Tank?

It’s a tank that is permanently fixed to the vehicle itself, and not the toilet.

Toilet Does Not Have to Drain Directly Into the Tank: The way the BLM wrote the rule, the toilet does not have to drain directly into a permanent waste holding tank. It only says your vehicle has “must have” a permanent waste holding tank. This means you can still have a composting toilet as long as you have an additional tank to store sewage, and can demonstrate its ability to accept sewage and store it in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.

Here is the Actual Rule From the BLM

17. Self-Contained Vehicles. a. In Pilot Knob, Midland, Tamarisk, and Hot Spring LTVAs, you may camp only in self-contained camping units. The La Posa, Imperial Dam, and Mule Mountain LTVAs are restricted to self-contained camping units, except within 500 feet of a vault toilet or rest room.

 

b. Self-contained camping units must have a permanent affixed waste water holding tank of 10-gallon minimum capacity. BLM does not consider port-a-potty systems, systems that utilize portable holding tanks, or permanent holding tanks of less than 10-gallon capacity, to be self-contained

Long Term Visitor Areas, Supplementary Rules, BLM

If I Only Have a Composting Toilet, Can I Still Camp at an LTVA?

Yes, but only in the following situations…

  • You are camping at an LTVA that has a restroom facility. This could be a permanent restroom facility, such as a pit toilet, or a porta-potty. However, you will be required to camp within 500 feet of that facility.
  • Attach a storage tank to your vehicle for the purpose of holding composting waste. The tank has to be at least 10-gallons in capacity, and it has to be permanently attached. This could be as simple as a garbage can bolted into the bed of your pickup truck. We don’t know of anyone who has done this, but if the camp host approves it, let us know.

Can I Still Get Away With a Just Composting Toilet?

That’s tough to say. When you arrive at an LTVA, you are required to check-in with the camp host. One of the questions the camp host is required to ask you is if your vehicle is self-contained. If you answer “no” and explain that you have a composting toilet, they are required to turn you away.

However, we’ve camped in LTVAs before and we have witnessed many vans being accepted in. Our assumption is that they told the camp host “yes”, that their van is self-contained, though we tend to think they lied.

It’s probably also depends on camp hosts themselves. Some may be very militant about enforcing the rules, while others may be much more lenient.

Read More About Camping at an LTVA

  • LTVA Rules for Camping
  • Boondocking at LTVA Long Term Visitor Areas
  • Hot Springs LTVA, Holtville, CA
Tags:Long Term Visitor AreasToilet

Was this helpful?

1 Yes  No
Related Articles
  • How to do Laundry While Boondocking
  • Can You Wash an RV While Camping at an Army Corps of Engineers Campground?
  • 30 Tips to Make Your RV’s Water Tank Last for a Month
  • Where to Take a Shower When You Live in a Car?
  • How Does a Composting Toilet Work?
  • Can I Dump Gray Water on the Ground in Arizona?

Didn't find your answer? Contact Us

Leave A Comment Cancel reply

Boondocking Water and Sewage
  • Are Composting Toilets Allowed in LTVAs?
  • Can I Dump my Gray Water on the Ground?
  • Can I Still Shower Everyday When Boondocking?
  • Can I Still Flush the Toilet When Boondocking?
  • How to Find an RV Dump Station with Potable Water
  • How Do I Know if RV Dump Station Water is Potable?
View All 22  
Popular Articles
  • Is it Illegal to Live in a Tent in Your Backyard?
  • What Do the Different Colors Mean on Google Maps?
  • How Many Solar Panels Do I Need for Boondocking?
  • Can I Run My RV Air Conditioner on Battery Power?
  • Camping on Arizona State Trust Lands
KB Categories
  • Boondocking Water and Sewage
  • Kansas
  • Overnight Parking
  • California
  • Getting Started With Boondocking
  • Boondocking Electrical
  • Arkansas
  • Costs
  • Boondocking Tips
  • Montana
  • How to Find Boondocking Sites
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Colorado
  • Outfitting Your RV
  • Idaho Department of Transportation
  • Idaho
  • Boondocking Safety
  • Oregon
  • Boondocking Myths
  • Where to Find Boondocking
  • New Mexico
  • Boondocking in National Forests
  • Utah
  • Boondocking in National Parks
  • New York
  • Tennessee
  • Boondocking Etiquette
  • Washington
  • Connecticut
  • Boondocking Rules
  • Alabama
  • Delaware
  • Boondocking on BLM Land
  • Alaska
  • Florida
  • Boondocking on National Wildlife Refuges
  • Arizona
  • Georgia
  • Boondocking on Bureau of Reclamation Lands
  • Michigan
  • Boondocking and Off-Road Vehicles
  • Massachusetts

boondocking trailers

  30 Tips to Make Your RV’s Water Tank Last for a Month

Where to Take a Shower When You Live in a Car?  

boondockers bible logo

We answer your questions about Boondocking, Free Camping, and Overnight Parking using facts and actual experiences. Dispell the myths of boondocking and arm yourself with the laws and truths. Elevate your RVing and car-camping and become a boondocker!

Useful Help Links
  • Weekly Boondocking Series
  • About Us
  • Ask a Question
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • © 2019-2022 Too Much Tina. All Rights Reserved.

Popular Search:Solar Panels, Battery Banks, Joshua Tree