Six People Slapped with 12 Tickets for Illegal Camping in Upstate New York

A large group of people got busted for illegally camping after their truck got stuck in snow.

12 Tickets Issued

A large group of people are now wishing they understood the rules of camping on state land after authorities from Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Forest Rangers descended upon their illegal campsite.

According to the DEC Forest Rangers' Week in Review, they received a tip on February 18 of a disabled vehicle at the Perkins Clearing Conservation Easement in the Village of Speculator.

Forest Ranger Snye and Deputy Wilt were dispatched to the scene and located the big red truck "in the deep snow." They were able to make contact with the truck's driver and learned he wasn't alone.

Upon further discussion, they learned six individuals had been illegally camping in the area for the past two days.

Twelve tickets were issued to the six individuals for cutting down trees, camping in a non-designated area, and erecting a structure on State land.

Adding further insult to injury, a tow company was called to remove the truck from the property.

Rules of Camping on Easements

New York State Law permits camping at designated campsites and nowhere else. Additionally, permits must be obtained by campers in groups of 10 or more people, or for those intending to spend more than three nights on site.

In addition, campsites must be at least 150 feet from the nearest road, trail, or body of water for safety reasons.

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Violating NYS law brings certain fines and punishments. One ticket carries a maximum fine of $250. For the group that received 12 of them, they are probably out a significant amount of money - and that's not adding in the costs associated with retrieving the truck from the tow company.