Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area: A Special Report

From the 50 State Visitor Guide (Kentucky):

K.R.S. 2019  §§17.500 through 17.580.  502 K.A.R. 31:020

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

K.R.S. §17.510 states 5 working days for initial registration and updates.  Registrants employed in the state must register if present for a period of 14 consecutive days or 30 days in a calendar year.  Per Kentucky SOR office, visitors are not required to register unless present for 14 consecutive days, or 30 days in a calendar year.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 1,000 ft. of schools, day care facilities, and publicly owned playgrounds; must move out of residence within 90 days if a new facility opens.  §17.545.  The state notes that the Kentucky Supreme Court forbid retroactive application of this law to those who committed offenses prior to July 12, 2006 and states “The Kentucky State Police do not evaluate or approve particular locations for compliance with sex offender residence restrictions. If you have any questions concerning whether you are subject to the residence restrictions in KRS 17.545 or whether you may legally reside at a particular location you may wish to consult an attorney.”

Presence restriction:  May not be present on grounds of school or daycare or publicly owned pool or splash pad without advanced written permission.  K.R.S. §17.545.  Registrants are prohibited from using certain social media and chat rooms, and are forbidden to photograph or videotape minors without parental consent.  §17.546. Updated Aug. 2024

Per Kentucky SOR office, a procedure is available for removal from registry after departure.

Duration & updates:

20 years or lifetime, depending on offense. §17.520. Updates annual or every 90 days, depending on offense. §17.520. No tiers.

From the 50 State Visitor Guide (Tennessee):

Tenn. Code Ann. 2019  §§40-39-201 through 40-39-306

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

48 hours for initial reg. and updates, but “within 48 hours” is defined to not include weekends and holidays.  §40-39-202(32).  

Visitors must register “within 48 hours” of entering state. Per Tenn. SOR office, the 48 hour clock starts upon crossing the state line but will be interrupted from midnight to midnight on weekends and holidays. Also, per SOR office there is no limit on number of repeat visits per week, month or year.

“Primary residence” established after 5 consecutive days. “Secondary residence” means any residence for 14 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or 4 or more days in a month.  “Residence” means physical presence. §§40-39-202, 40-39-203.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence & Employment Restriction:  1,000 ft. from school, day care center, child care facility, public park, playground, recreation center or athletic field, or the offender’s victim or victim’s family. §40-39-211.  In 2019 TN applied new restrictions to residence with any minor; these restrictions are under a Temporary 

Restraining Order pending trial (see NARSOL Digest 8/19 p. 5).

Residence restriction:  Violent offenders and those with convictions against minors may not reside in on-campus housing of any institution of higher education. 

Presence restriction: 1,000 ft. from school, day care center, child care facility, public park, playground, recreation center or athletic field, with exceptions. §40-39-211.  Tennessee libraries have authority to restrict access by Registrants.  §40-39-216.

Per Tenn. SOR office, these restrictions DO apply to visitors during the 48 hour grace period.

Duration & updates:

Life.  Petition to remove – 10 years from end of probation.  §163A.125.

Violent offenders update quarterly; all others annually.  §40-39-207

Most recent visit: May 2026

Land Between the Lakes is not a national park but rather one of the crown jewels of America’s National Recreation Area system, which is in turn administered by the National Parks Service – which means, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is also partly in Tennessee, that it is “out of the jurisdiction” of state and local law enforcement.  The harsh residency and presence restrictions of the states where it’s located are not enforced here.

My May 2026 campground

In May 2026 I camped at one of the little campgrounds near a boat ramp on the Tennessee side of Land Between the Lakes.  This was Night #2 of my two-nights-and-one-day-but-less-than-48-hours trip the long way through Tennessee just to show how it can be done.  It was an off-season weeknight so I had the place almost to myself, so I took a lakeside site with a beautiful view.

Land Between the Lakes is a creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, situated between two long skinny lakes (Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley) created as a result of the construction of Kentucky Dam at the confluence of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.  The two rivers, and therefore the two lakes, run parallel to each other for over 50 miles and the TVA acquired this land as part of its water quality control plan.  

Now it’s a National Recreation Area with lots to offer in a part of our country where high quality outdoor recreation opportunities can be hard for registered people to find.  According to Kentucky state statutes, no registered person may reside within 1,000 ft. of schools, day care facilities, and publicly owned playgrounds.  K.R.S. §17.545.  Per the state SOR office, yes these restrictions will apply to you during the 14 consecutive days or 30 days per calendar year you are allowed to be in-state before you have to register.  

So what this means is, yes you can go to Kentucky state and local parks but you can’t camp anywhere within 1000 feet of a playground.  And guess what?  Most Kentucky state parks have playgrounds conveniently located in each of their campgrounds.  Oh well!  But Land Between the Lakes is out of their jurisdiction. Yey!

Tennessee is even worse, as I have pointed out in other blog posts.  Tennessee has statewide 1000 ft. residency AND presence restrictions preventing you from getting anywhere close to having any healthy outdoor recreation at their state and local parks.  Who knows what additional punishments local governments have piled on.  Oh well!  But Land Between the Lakes is out of their jurisdiction. Yey!

Notice that Law Enforcement is part of Parks Administration

Now let’s be clear – there is a reason why Land Between the Lakes is not a national park.  It doesn’t have natural wonders or places of historical or cultural significance.  It just happens to be a (large) spit of land between these two hydroelectric reservoirs.  

BUT!  If you want to go boating, swimming, water skiing, ATVing, dirt biking, hiking, backpacking (they have a 57.8 mile long “North-South Trail”), visit the planetarium at the visitors center, or for that matter go admire the dam which is an amazing piece of engineering, you can do so at Land Between the Lakes without fear of violating any state or local rule, and without worrying that some dickhead sheriff’s deputy is going to hassle you.  And that is a very good thing.

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.  It’s a place every registered traveler should know about, and visit often.

I think this is Barkley Dam

 North Carolina

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

N.C. Gen. Stat. 2019 Art. 27A, §§14-208.5 through 14-208.45

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial reg. and updates.  §§14-207, 14-208.9. New residents: w/in 3 business days of establishing residence, or whenever present in the state for 15 days, whichever comes first (“residence” not defined). §14-208.7.  “Employed” means more than 14 days or more than 30 days in a calendar year.  §14-208.6

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 1,000 ft. of school or child care center, with exceptions.  §14-208.16.  NC law includes a very expansive definition of “child care” that includes e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs. §110-86. However, “school” does not include “institutions of higher education” or “home schools” as defined in §115C-563.

Presence restrictions:  For offenses involving a victim under 16 and other offenses, may not be present on “place intended primarily for the use, care, or supervision of minors,” or w/in 300 ft. of such a place if it is located on another property such as a mall. Also may not be present “where minors gather regularly for scheduled educational, recreational, or social programs.”  Various exceptions for parents on school business, or in need of medical care. §14-208.18.  

Duration & updates:

30 years to life. Petition to remove – 10 years. Tier III updates every 90 days; all others every six months. §§14-208.7A, 14-209A

North Carolina Arboretum, Ashville

Most recent visit: May 2026

North North Carolina has a lot of onerous residence and presence restrictions which you should be concerned about.  However, according to state law (§14-208.16) these restrictions apply to “an offender who is required to register,” and therefore in theory not to a visitor who is not required to register because you’re in the state for less than 15 days.  Unfortunately, when I put this question to the nice lady at the NC SOR office in 2022 she said that actually they do apply.  What do you expect, right?

Therefore I would certainly suggest staying away from schools, child care centers and “places where minors gather regularly.”  You can, however, attend your college reunion because “institutions of higher education” are excluded by definition from the term “school.”

North Carolina has no law against registered people visiting parks, whether local, state or national parks.  You can visit Smokey Mountains National Park, national forests or any state park in North Carolina without fear.  You can also visit historic sites, museums and monuments of which the state has many. Just stay away from the playgrounds!

In May 2026 I entered North Carolina from Myrtle Beach, SC on US 17. My primary destination this time was the Outer Banks, but on Partial Day 1 I only wanted to get as far as a very nice campground in Croatan National Forest. 

In the morning of Day 2 I drove the very long way to the Outer Banks by taking Scenic Route US 264 through marshy coastal towns along Pamlico Sound.  I had not ridden this road in 55 years. 

Outer Banks

In my teen years growing up in New Jersey, my parents took us to the Outer Banks for our annual summer vacation.  US 264 is still the same and as scenic as ever, but Outer Banks towns like Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills have completely re-invented themselves since 1970.  I remember one two lane road with mostly bait shops along it, and sandy old beach bungalows like the one my family stayed at every year.

Bodie Lighthouse

There have been enough devastating hurricanes in the past 55 years to wipe away those old beach towns, providing ample opportunities to re-build themselves to withstand 150 mph sustained winds. Big, expensive and up on stilts is the Outer Banks new calling card.  US 158 is now a four lane by-pass highway with commercial pods in accordance with modern suburban planning principles (get ready for some round-abouts!).

Wright Memorial, showing Kill Devil Hill in background and landing spots in foreground

That afternoon I first visited Cape Hatteras National Seashore, especially Bodie Island Lighthouse. Next stop Wright Brothers National Memorial, followed by Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.  Fortunately it was too early in the season to see the Lost Colony play – as a kid I was forced to watch it a couple of times and didn’t like it.

Kitty Hawk Kites

Only two businesses that I know of survive from the old days – Kitty Hawk Kites, where I tried unsuccessfully to learn hang-gliding as a teenager, and:

Regional liquor store chain you should know about:

Brew Thru – Yes that’s right, it looks like a big car wash but you drive thru displays of alcoholic beverages.  When I was a kid there was only one, but now it’s a chain.

Regional restaurant chain you should be warned about:

Smithfields - It's a BBQ chain, it's in NC, so you would think the BBQ would be good, right? No.

That evening of Day 2 I retreated inland and found a cheap motel in Williamston.  My only objective for Day 3 was to drive across NC so I’d be set up for my visit to Pisgah National Forest.

Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah is the National Forest covering most of North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains region.  It is in two big pieces, northeast of and southwest of Asheville.  Like Smoky Mtns. National Park (see my separate “special report” blog post) it’s federal land so you can see its many natural wonders and points of interest without worry. 

Waterfalls in Pisgah Nat. Forest

While traveling with family in the past (see “previous visit” below) they have usually focused on Asheville, Biltmore, and areas southwest.  On Day 3 of this visit I decided to spend a day in the other part of Pisgah to the northeast, with emphasis on seeing as many waterfalls as I could get to easily.  The entire Pisgah region is known for its waterfalls.

This region is also dominated by Grandfather Mountain – which is a mountain, a state park (just off the Blue Ridge Parkway), and also a pretty good private tourist attraction.

"Mile High" suspension bridge and the view from it at Grandfather Mtn. attraction

At the end of Day 3 my goal was to take I-40 just over the TN state line and find a motel there, thus starting the clock on my two-nights-and-one-day-but-less-than-48-hours drive through Tennessee (see my “Tennessee/Nashville/Memphis” blog).

Blue Ridge Parkway

Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway near Ashville

The Blue Ridge Parkway is perhaps America’s most famous Depression-era road building project. It.  At the north end it connects with Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park.  It is under the jurisdiction of the US Parks Service.  Therefore you can safely travel on this road, which twists though the majestic Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains in VA and NC, with reduced fear of local sheriffs departments. You can safely stay at any of the campgrounds and visit attractions along its length, as I had on previous occasions.

Registered travelers should always take advantage of opportunities like the Blue Ridge Parkway to see great sights and visit great places without fear of local police harassment.

Previous visit – March 2024

In March 2024 I joined my family for their Spring Break vacation in the mountains of North Carolina.  They came from Florida.  I came from Iowa, but afterwards traveled with my family to Florida, all of which I properly reported at my local Iowa sheriff’s department as a 6 1/2 week trip with multiple destinations in multiple states.  I even told them that in the middle of this trip I’d be inserting another trip with my ex from Florida to New Jersey and back before returning to Iowa. 

The view from Chimney Rock State Park, NC

Iowa had no problem entering this level of travel complexity into my registry sheet – which just goes to show that you shouldn’t worry about complex travel plans.  I like to think that having my sheet with the answers to any suspicious police officer’s questions sitting right in my glove compartment protects me during my travels.

During my NC family vacation we visited the usual attractions – museums, quaint small towns, Chimney Rock State Park, drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped at the Folk Art Center, etc.  We arrived on Monday and left on Friday, so even including partial days that makes five days, well within the 14 days allowed by North Carolina without triggering an obligation to register.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

  South Carolina

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

S.C. Code Ann. 2019  §§23-3-400 through 23-3-550.  AWA Compliant.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial registration and updates for “residence.”  Residence / temporary residence means one’s home, or any place where one “habitually resides” or resides for a period of 10 consecutive days or more.  Residing in the state for 30 or more days during a 12-month period also establishes a residence. §§23-3-430, 23-3-450, 23-3-460.

Visitors: “Summary” FAQ website states that registration is required if you are planning to visit for 10 days or more.

Per Rolfe Survey, Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: For certain offenses against minors, may not reside w/in 1,000 ft. of school, day care center, “children’s recreational facility,” park, or playground.  §23-3-535.

State pre-emption: A local government may not enact an ordinance that: (1) contains penalties that exceed or are less lenient than the penalties contained in state statutes; or (2) expands or contracts the boundaries of areas in which a sex offender may or may not reside. §23-3-535(E).

Duration & updates:

Lifetime.  Tier III and SVP update every 90 days; all others every 6 mo.  §23-3-460.

Most recent visit: May 2026

Yes, while visiting South Carolina you will be bound by their registry restrictions.  However, for a visitor these restrictions are “relatively” few. In fact, if your offense was not against a minor you’re off the hook, and only apply for “certain hands-on offenses” although I’m not ready to offer a definition of “hands-on” here.

Also, SC is one of nine states that have laws pre-empting local governments from adopting any law more restrictive than the state law.  So believe it or not – in South Carolina yet – you can travel without fear of getting snagged by a local restriction.

Congaree National Forest

Boardwalk trail at Congaree Nat. Pk.

Even so, in my travels to date through South Carolina I have never tried to test their system. When camping I still prefer national parks and forests.  My main objective for this trip was Charleston, but on this trip I figured an afternoon would be enough and that left time to go visit Congaree National Forest, which is SE of the state capitol Columbia. 

Congaree is a vast southern swamp, so remote back in the day that slave holders were unwilling to enter it in search of for escaped slaves.  The freedom seekers built their own town and sustained themselves there for many years.  Nowadays there are trails and boardwalks and yes – campgrounds.

Charleston

I have actually been to Charleston a fair number of times, usually with family, and usually going to the same places – the Battery, City Market, Rainbow Row, and eating at a downtown restaurant.  On this trip I was, as usual, running behind after my side trip to Congaree National Forest, but I wasn’t concerned because I had already decided to get on an on-off tour trolley and stop wherever I wanted.

Rainbow Row

Unfortunately it turns out that Charleston has no on-off trolley! This really surprised me.  They do have an ordinary city tour bus that takes you to all the sites, and I did that, but I didn’t have the energy left to go retrace my steps to see anything I couldn’t get off to see on the tour.  In the end I was disappointed.

The Battery

One thing to point out about Charleston:  Their visitors center is centrally located and has plenty of all day parking (which of course you have to pay for). It’s a good jumping off point for your day in Charleston and it’s where you should go first.

City Market

Upon leaving Charleston I found a campground in Francis Marion National Forest. The next morning I passed through Myrtle Beach, which is just as touristy as you can imagine, but also has a beachfront state park.  It was a Saturday morning, but it was off season so few people were there. But I’ll bet it’s a nightmare in the summer.

 After that it was on to North Carolina and the Outer Banks.

 Georgia

Including Atlanta, Savannah 

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

2019 O.C.G.A. §§42-1-12 through 42-1-19

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 140-2-18.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Registration required within 72 hours of establishing a residence or entering the state. §42-1-12(f).  Visitors: registration required if in the state for 14 consecutive days, or for more than 30 days in calendar year.  §42-1-12(e)(7). Per SOR office, residency & presence restrictions DO NOT apply during the 14 day grace period. Updated Aug 2024.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

All persons required to register may not reside, loiter, or be employed within 1,000 ft. of child care facility, church, school, or “area where minors congregate” defined to “include all public & private parks & recreation facilities, playgrounds, skating rinks, neighborhood centers, gymnasiums, school bus stops, public libraries, & public & community swimming pools” §42-1-12(3).  However, visitors are not “required to register.” Updated Aug. 2024.  Certain employment restrictions apply.  §§42-1-15 through 42-1-17.  It is a misdemeanor to intentionally photograph a minor in Georgia without parental consent.  §42-1-18.

Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED. (per Rolfe Survey and confirmed by state registry office).

Duration & updates:

Life.  Sexually Dangerous Predator updates every 6 months.  All others update annually within 72 hours of birthday.

Registry removal restrictions:

Per NARSOL Digest Aug/Sep 2024 pp.13-14: SB 493 (effective 7/1/24) makes 2 changes –

1. Some registrants 80+ yrs old may petition for removal.

2. Those with out-of-state offenses must have been removed “in another state,” presumably the state where offended. This makes Georgia a “whichever is longer” state by petition for all convictions after 7/1/24. Updated Sept. 2024

Savannah waterfront

2024 Georgia Update – Fewer restrictions on visitors …

In 2020 I called every state SOR office and spoke to anyone who would answer the phone during a pandemic.  One question I asked every SOR office was: While I am in your state as a visitor and leaving before the end of your grace period (GA = 14 days), do your residency and presence restrictions (which in GA are many and horrible) apply to me as a visitor?  In 2020, Georgia was among states that answered “yes” to that question.

However, since 2020 the GA SOR office has completely changed its tune.  In 2022 they said the weirdest thing ever – that any restrictions applying to you in your home state will apply to you while in Georgia.  After I hung up the phone I laughed and asked myself, how the hell are you going to enforce that? Are my restrictions different if I’m coming from my home in Iowa vs. Florida?

By 2024 the GA SOR office has come full circle – now they say residency & presence restrictions DO NOT apply during the 14 day grace period.  Apparently, GA law enforcement has concluded that trying to inflict all their oppressive requirements on unwitting tourists is a waste of their time and resources. Wow! – stop making sense!

To me, however, the most important point is – they figured this out all by themselves.  Nobody pushed them or lobbied them.  Nobody begged or pleaded with them.  And the thought occurs to me – if Georgia law enforcement, of all people, can figure out the stupidity of arresting hapless tourists on bogus charges – well, maybe with a little help, law enforcement agencies in other states can figure this out too.

If there is anyone out there with a good enough relationship with Georgia law enforcement to inquire as to how they were able to come to this relatively humane decision, we at Atwo Zee, Registered Traveler would really appreciate your help.  Maybe together we can spread logic and reason to other state SOR offices.

… but making it harder to get removed

I think people from other parts of the US may be somewhat surprised by this, but in my experience (at group therapy, meet & greets etc.) Georgia has enjoyed an undeserved reputation as some kind of beacon on the hill among Florida registrants – mainly because even though their registry totally sucks, they have at least until now always had a provision allowing those with so-called “low level offenses” an opportunity to apply to be removed from their registry (whereas Florida is famously lifetime with no chance of getting off). 

Because of this, rumors have spread that (I’m sure you’ve all heard similar bullshit before no matter where you live) all you have to do is move to Georgia and get off the registry and all your problems will magically disappear.  I actually looked into this by calling a GA attorney who spoke at a NARSOL conference, and he made it clear these rumors are false.  Nobody gets away with flying into Atlanta and heading to the nearest courthouse to get off the registry.  This attorney opined that if you have at least 5 years residency in Georgia, a judge might be willing to entertain your application. Meanwhile you get to live with all the horrors of being a Georgia registrant.

And now the Georgia legislature has closed even this tiny loophole.  As reported in the NARSOL Digest, Aug/Sep 2024 pp.13-14 (and posted on our “Former and Long-term Registrant Chart”), SB 493 (effective 7/1/24) makes 2 changes –

1. Some registrants 80+ yrs old may petition for removal (gee whiz, thanks for nothing. “Some registrants may apply?”).

And here comes the important one:

2. Those with out-of-state offenses must have been removed “in another state,” presumably the state where you offended.  At least they inserted a grandfather clause that allows those with convictions before 7/1/24 to continue to apply for removal.  What kind of reception you might get in a GA courtroom is anybody’s guess.

Sorry about that.

Also, according to the state SOR office, national parks and forests are “out of our jurisdiction,” and there are quite a few of those, especially in northern and central Georgia.  Since most of my cross-country travel plans involve camping overnight at national park or national forest campgrounds, that’s good news for me.

NOTE:  Georgia is one of about 15 states where there is no procedure for removal from the registry upon returning to your home state.  So be extra careful.

Savannah

Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters

My two most recent visits to Georgia included a stop in Savannah. In April 2024 my ex-wife and still Best Friend Forever and I were traveling on our way back to Florida from attending a wedding in New Jersey when we decided to stop overnight and spend a little time in Savannah.  We entered Georgia from South Carolina on I-95 and checked into a hotel near Savannah Airport.  Given its location in a primarily airport-industrial area I didn’t worry about either Georgia’s residency or presence rules.  We just checked in and got some sleep that night.

The next morning I continued to not worry about Georgia’s presence or loitering rules. Instead my BFF and I toured downtown Savannah, checked out the waterfront and tourist commercial district, had lunch at a local restaurant and were on our way, arriving home in Florida in time to have dinner with family.

That’s two partial days in Georgia, far fewer than the 14 consecutive days the state allows.  That’s also a nice morning touring Savannah with my best friend without being excessively paranoid about state rules.

Savannah's City Market District as seen from a nearby square

In May 2026 I was travelling on my way to NC’s Outer Banks after having visited my BFF in Florida and returned for an afternoon and evening on my own in Savannah, this time this time working from a list of “top sights to see in Savannah.”  Sights I saw:  Savannah’s famous squares, Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, City Market, and Forsyth Park. Notice again that I didn’t worry about either Georgia’s residency or presence rules.  Had dinner at a downtown restaurant.  Stayed overnight a local hotel before proceeding to South Carolina.

Atlanta

I have not traveled to Atlanta too much (except for NARSOL conferences) because, actually, I’m not fond of this city.  I have an old friend whose family moved to Atlanta after we met in New Jersey in 6th grade.  We remained friends and I visited him in Atlanta through my high school years and since. 

Unfortunately my old friend is … hmmmm … “self oriented,” and as a result he never cared at all about Atlanta except in so much as it had something to do with him.  Therefore I never saw much of it except dirty streets, a crumbling downtown and expressways – lots of them. And since then I’ve never been very interested in Atlanta.

On a visit to GA in April 2022 I entered Georgia from Tennessee in the morning, enjoying a beautiful mountain drive through Chattahoochee National Forest.  I stopped to see De Soto Falls – very nice. Then I continued to Historic Dahlonega, which at that time I hadn’t been to for long time.

Historic Dahlonega, GA

After a nice lunch in Dahlonega I continued on to Atlanta, where I visited the World of Coca Cola.  That was a mistake.  I was expecting an interesting factory tour like one finds at Pabst in Milwaukee, Jim Beam in Tennessee or Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, but no such luck. The World of Coca Cola sucks.  It’s all advertising and no education. And it’s right next door to the Georgia Aquarium which I’m sure would’ve been a better bet.  Oh well. 

The World of Coca Cola. My advice is to skip it.

Afterward I had an early supper at the Varsity, Atlanta’s culinary must stop.  I only say that because my old friend took me there in the 1970’s and said it was great.  These days it’s looking a little long in the tooth.  Then it was southeast bound to the Lake Sinclair, the southernmost campground in Oconee National Forest, the southernmost national forest in Georgia. Very nice, secluded and has hot showers.  The next morning I made my way southward toward Macon, I-75 and back to Florida.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

 

DIFFICULT DESTINATIONS SERIES

Florida update #4 – Yes you can visit Florida, but just make it quick!

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Fla. Stat. 2019; Fla. Stat. §§775.21, 775.215; Fla. Stat. §§943.043 through 943.0435; Fla. Stat. §§944.606 through 944.607;  Fla. Stat. §947.1405, §985.481

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residence” means either (1) a place where one spends 3 or more consecutive days, (2) a place where one spends 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or (3) a county in which one is present for 3 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  In all cases, 3rd day triggers registry obligation.

Registrants must appear to register with law enforcement w/in 48 hours of establishing a residence, and must appear to provide any updates within 48 hours.

Transient registrants update every 30 days.

NOTE: "Day" will now be defined in Florida's SOR law to mean "any part of a day" except that your day of arrival doesn't count. Updated 3/2024.

Registrants must also appear to register with the driver’s license office of the FL DMV within 48 hours of registration to obtain a driver’s license or ID card labeled either “SEXUAL PREDATOR” or “943.0435, F.S.”

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  May not reside within 1,000 ft. of school, child care facility, park, NEW IN 2026: “public” swimming pool (the definition includes some pools that aren’t actually public), or playground under certain circumstances. §775.215.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements upwards of 3000 feet.

Presence restriction: Registrants with conviction involving a minor cannot be within 300 feet “of place where children are congregating,” NEW IN 2026: “public” swimming pool (the definition includes some pools that aren’t actually public), and face restrictions on ability to be present in schools and parks.  NOTE: Individual cities and counties often have additional more burdensome requirements.  Fla. Stat. §856.022

Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime.  Petition: 25 years.  “Predators” and certain others update quarterly.  All others update every 6 months.

Florida’s restrictions on registrants are particularly onerous and should be carefully consulted before visiting the state.

Every major national or state registrant advocacy group – including NARSOL, ACSOL, Florida Action Committee (FAC) – strongly recommends that you avoid visiting Florida if at all possible.  To this I add my own voice.  Florida’s registry is lifetime for all offenses, no matter how minor.  Florida has no tiered registry – only “sex offenders” and “sexual predators.”  Furthermore, Florida is one of about 15 states where there is no procedure for removal from the registry upon returning to your home state. 

Because of that, of the about 80,000 Florida registrants less than 35,000 actually live in Florida (not counting incarcerated registrants)! All the rest – which is to say the majority of Florida registrants – DO NOT actually live in Florida. Since I moved my primary residence to Iowa, I am now included in that number.

And it just so happens that May 2026 became the third year in a row that I  have I found myself in a position similar to what I have heard many times: I was an out of state registrant who needed to go to Florida to attend to family business but did not want to be there long enough to trigger any registry obligation in Florida – in my case because I had enough to do in a short time and no time to go down and screw around with registry office.

This year my side trip to Florida was just that – I happened to be traveling through AL & GA, so if I had not told my ex-wife and lifelong BFF that I would be happy to swing by and help her out with a couple of little projects, she would have been disappointed with that and I never want that.  Everything went swimmingly and I was in and out of FL in plenty of time.

Therefore I’m going to re-post here my 2025 story, which is much more illustrative of the problems you might face in making your quick trip to Florida.

Using my state’s registry software “Comments” field to overcome a thorny registry concern

Although my May 2025 road trip was mainly to the US Northeast, it began with a quick trip to Tallahassee, FL to attend my granddaughter’s high school graduation.  In that way this leg of the trip was much like the stories I hear from people who need to go to Florida for family reasons.  Also, there was other business for me to take care of while I was in Tallahassee and that was much like others whose family obligations pile on when you go to your mom’s funeral and there’s nobody else to take care of those things.

So for this trip I was bound, just like other out of state visitors, to Florida’s three-days-aggregate-per-calendar-year-but-your-day-of-arrival-doesn’t-count visitor rule.

However, I also faced a problem in reporting this travel at my local Iowa sheriff’s office.  Iowa’s registry reporting software is so crappy, and whoever developed this software was so inept and ignorant of either the state’s or it’s registrants’ likely reporting needs that they included no box for providing an end date for travel.  That me ant that when I went to report my travel the lady behind the bulletproof glass would only be able to enter the start date for my Florida visit, NOT the end date.

Graduation

Iowa registry offices have a work-around for this where they enter the end date somewhere when you get back, and that has always served well enough in the past, but on this trip I was concerned that Iowa might report my travel to Florida with no end date, and then try to report an end date after I got back two weeks later.  I was concerned that Florida might misinterpret Iowa’s report as a permanent move to Florida, and whether I did or didn’t go try to fix that while I was in Florida they might consider it a registry violation.

I didn’t want to risk that, but I also wanted my travel intentions to be clear on my registry sheet in case any little question came up while I was traveling (or afterward).  So I briefly explained my concern to the lady behind the bulletproof glass who I deal with frequently, and asked her if, instead of listing Tallahassee in the destination field where it would be reported to the state of Florida, would she please describe my trip to Florida in the Comments field (some states might call this the Notes field) including the start and end dates, where it would NOT be reported to Florida? 

She went along with that, and I gave her my brother’s address in Rhode Island as the official destination for my road trip (which in fact it was).  By doing this I properly reported everything without ever letting Florida know I was coming.  Even if any question had come up while I was in Florida, all the answers were there on my Iowa sheet in my glove compartment.

Just get everything done in three days (including partial days)

Florida is among the stingiest states when it comes to its visitors’ grace period.  You get just three days aggregate per calendar year, partial days count and the third aggregate day triggers your obligation to register.  However, in an uncommon act of generosity, last year they decided your day of arrival doesn’t count.  That means you could zoom in and out in a single calendar day with no penalty, or it means that if you are staying you get three actual days (including partial days).  After that you’d better be gone.

My granddaughter’s graduation was on a Tuesday evening, and I decided to drive into Tallahassee as early on Monday (Day 1) as possible (mid-afternoon).  That way I could check on the status of my latest project there – I had purchased a duplex that I intend to convert into an Assisted Living Facility that meets every registry and zoning requirement and will allow PFR’s as clients (including me of course). 

Then I’d have all of Tuesday (Day 2) free to pick my brother up at the airport and run errands for my family etc. and be the proudest grandpa ever that evening.  After dropping my brother off at the airport Wednesday morning (Day 3) I’d continue on my road trip, surely leaving Florida by mid-morning.

Unfortunately, a few days before arriving I learned that a very important property regrading project which the sellers were required to pay for but only if it gets done by July 31, 2025 … that project was completely stalled and I was going to have to somehow rescue it while I was in town.  So this aspect of my visit became like what I have heard from other PFR’s who find that once they get roped into whatever family obligation brings them to Florida other obligations and duties begin to pile on. 

Sure enough, when I arrived on that afternoon of Day 1 the situation seemed hopeless.  In addition to any family obligations I had, I would have to fire the grading crew, find and hire a new grading crew, and ensure that the work was actually underway and wouldn’t stall again as soon as I left town … all before the end of Day 3.

My purpose here is not to bore you with the details but to illustrate what I have heard many times, that isn’t there some way to work around the three day limit so you can take care of all of your obligations there?  Answer – No.  And remember – because it’s 3 days aggregate per calendar year, no you cannot leave the state and return to restart the clock.

Very fortunately, by the afternoon of Day 2 I was able to find a new grading crew and told them the deal wasn’t final until I saw a big pile of dirt in my yard no later than the morning of Day 3.  Then I took off for the graduation, cheered and yelled my head off and had a great time (see me beaming with pride).

Dirt

After congratulating my granddaughter one more time the next morning and saying goodbye for now to my family, I dropped my brother off at the airport the morning of Day 3 and scurried over to my house … only to discover the dirt was delayed!  Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!!  It finally arrived at about 2:00 pm, and as I write this I am happy to report the dirt is nicely smoothed out across my property, but things could have gone south very easily and this whole episode just shows how carefully you have to choreograph your quick visit to Florida.

Regional restaurant chain you should know about:

Sonny’s BBQ – Yes they’ve gone national but they started out as just a really good Southern regional BBQ chain, and I still think of them that way.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

 Alabama

Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma AL

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Code of Alabama 2019 §13A-11-204, §§15-20A-1 through 15-20A-48

Ala. Admin Code. 760-X-1-.21

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Initial registration and updates to registration info must be done “immediately,” defined as 3 days. §§15-20A-10, 15-20A-14.

“Reside” means “to be habitually or systematically present at a place,” and includes 4 or more hours at a place per day for a duration of:

(a) 3 or more consecutive days, or

(b) 10 or more days in a calendar month.

Because 4 or more hours at a place constitutes a day, overnights are not required to establish a residence.  §15-20A-4(20).

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 2,000 ft. of school, child care facility, resident camp facility, victim or victim’s immediate family; exceptions apply. §15-20A-11.  Additional restrictions apply to residence with any minor.

Employment restriction: 2,000 ft. of school or childcare facility; 500 ft. of playground, park, athletic field or facility, or child-focused business or facility.  §15-20A-13.

Presence restriction:  For conviction involving minor, “loitering” 500 ft. of school, child care facility, playground, park, athletic field or facility, school bus stop, college or university, or any child-focused business; registrant must be asked to leave by an “authorized person.” §15-20A-17.

Travel regulations:   Registrants in AL must notify law enforcement whenever traveling for 3 or more consecutive days; travel without this notification will be deemed a change of residence.  §15-20A-15.

Relief from certain residency and employment restrictions is available.

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Duration & updates:

Life.  Homeless registrants report once every 7 calendar days.  §15-20A-12.

All others quarterly.  §15-20A-10.

Most recent visit: May 2026

Alabama has become notorious for having among the harshest and most inhumane registry laws in the U.S., but for visitors to this state it is not quite the worst.  Those distinctions belong to Illinois (third day aggregate per calendar year triggers registration, and it’s lifetime for out-of-state offenders) and of course my home state of Florida (third day aggregate per calendar year triggers registration, lifetime for all offenders including out-of-state, and you will never be removed when you return to your home state).

Instead, in Alabama the third consecutive day triggers registration (including partial days), or ten or more days per calendar month.  Furthermore, “Reside” is defined by statute to mean “to be habitually or systematically present at a place,” and includes 4 or more hours at a place per day.  Therefore overnights are not required to establish a residence.  §15-20A-4(20).

This over-definition of the word “reside” could mean, in theory, that if you arrive at your Alabama destination after 8:01 PM one evening that day would not count, you could stay there for the next two calendar days, then make sure to skedaddle by 3:59 AM the following morning and you’d be okay.  That remains just a theory, however, and I have no intention of ever testing it.

Alabama also has a long list of residency, presence and employment restrictions and yes they will all apply to you as a visitor even before you are required to register.  The 2000 ft. residence restriction is among the nation’s worst but the list of the places you can’t reside near is relatively short - schools, child care facilities, resident camp facilities, victim or victim’s immediate family.

The term “resident camp facility” is, as usual, undefined, but “residence” is and it takes you right back to the 3 day rule. So in theory that means a summer camp like where kids go for a week or two; however, I assume law enforcement would interpret it as broadly as they can get away with. That means in AL, all private campgrounds and RV parks are OUT.

Even more troubling are the presence restrictions – for convictions involving a minor, “loitering” within 500 ft. of school, child care facility, playground, park, athletic field or facility, school bus stop, college or university, or any child-focused business. NOTE colleges and universities. So no, unfortunately, you won’t be able to attend your loved one’s college commencement!

However … as bad as all this is, Alabama law also has a unique provision which states: “An adult sex offender does not violate this subsection unless he or she has first been asked to leave a prohibited location by a person authorized to exclude the adult sex offender from the premises” §15-20A-17, with a list of authorized people. So in theory you have not violated the law until and unless you don’t leave when one of those authorized people tells you to.  Hmmmm … and if you’re stupid enough to refuse to leave when a university security tells you to, you kinda deserve what you get.

In May 2026 I passed through Alabama as part of my 2026 Southern Tour. This trip wasn’t nearly as ambitious as my 2022 visit (see below), I was just passing through on my way from Tupelo, MS to my home in Tallahassee, FL.  In northern AL I visited the same 2 natural wonders as I had last time – Dismal's Canyon and Natural Bridge – before proceeding to camp at the one new place I wanted to check out, Tuskegee National Forest. 

Dismal's Canyon

You can still camp at national parks and forests in Alabama because even here they are “out of AL’s jurisdiction.” Tuskegee Nat. Forest is kind of by itself in east central Alabama and has no designated campgrounds (Chewacla St. Pk. is nearby but you can’t go there). However, dispersed camping is allowed and I found a secluded picnic area with a vault toilet to bed down for the night.

When I stopped at a Forest Ranger Station the next morning to pick up a map, the Ranger confirmed that “Oh yeah, no problem.” Then it was off to Florida. On the way I tried to stop at Alabama Pioneer Museum in Troy, but just as on my 2022 visit (see below) I showed up on the wrong day (Tuesday again!).

Previous visit: March and April 2022

As part of my 2022 Deep South Tour I passed through Alabama not once but twice. But I did so in two separate calendar months, which meant I could count my consecutive days and days per month separately on each pass.  Because the third consecutive day would trigger registration I made sure to be in state no more than two days each way. 

The only other option to lengthen my stay in Alabama without triggering registration would have been to leave the state not just for one night but two consecutive nights and then return for two days. Why? Because if I were to leave the state for just one night and then return, that first partial day back of four hours or more would automatically become the third consecutive day, and I didn’t want that!

Early one morning in late March I entered the state from Florida.  Traveling up US 231 I intended to stop at the Alabama Pioneer Museum in Troy, but OOPS, that was on a Tuesday and it’s only open Thursday-Saturday.  Oh well, I continued on to Montgomery where I visited the Rosa Parks Museum and the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Yikes! Who knew that church is within site of the Alabama state capital building?! Must’ve been a scary place to organize a bus boycott!

From Montgomery I travelled the Montgomery March Highway to Selma, walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge which links the Selma Interpretive Center (which was open) with the National Voting Rights Museum (which was closed).  After a fabulous barbeque dinner I bedded down at a Talladega National Forest campground, equipped with a nice heated shower house.  The next morning I slept in, then cruised westward toward the Mississippi state line.

On the return leg of my Deep South Tour, in early April, I entered Alabama from Tupelo on I-22.  That afternoon I stopped at two natural wonders, Dismal Canyon and Natural Bridge, before settling in for the night at a Bankhead National Forest campground.  The big stop on my second day was the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Very cool! Before leaving Alabama for Tennessee I stopped to see a couple of Alabama’s “famous covered bridges.”  Who knew?  But then it was on to Chattanooga.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville AL