"From Alabama to Zion National Park"

Before I wrecked my life and ended up on Florida’s Sex Offender registry I always intended to travel in my retirement. Now, after prison and probation, I am in fact retired, and “free,” and have not given up my dream of seeing natural wonders and historic sites, visiting great cities, traveling to as many places as possible within the restrictions placed on me as a registered citizen.

While I may attempt traveling the world in the future, everything I’ve heard and read about International Megan’s Law requirements makes it sound difficult and even dangerous for a registered person. I therefore decided that my own home country is a pretty big place that, so far at least, nobody can keep my out of. Including all of its states and territories the United States spans half the globe and extends from the arctic to the equator. A guy could spend his whole retirement traveling this great land and never really see all of it.

As many of you may have discovered, however, interstate travel as a registered citizen isn’t as simple as getting in your car and driving away. Unless you don’t mind the prospect of inadvertently violating the registry laws of either your own state or whatever state you’re in at the time and ending up back in prison for a registry violation, it’s crucial to be conversant with and obey the registry laws of every state you plan to pass thru, which for me is every US state and territory.

However, all of this research – whether the state laws themselves, written responses to letters, or the oral responses by a random person in a state SOR office – may bear no relation at all to what you or I may experience if pulled over by an over-eager redneck sheriff’s deputy because you have a blown tail light. Do you want to be the first person to test the limits of any of this? I’ll bet the answer to that is NO.

So be careful out there, and safe travels!
Legal Disclaimer

I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY. THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE AND SHOULD NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR QUALIFIED LEGAL ADVICE.

Because sex offender laws are frequently revised by legislatures and reviewed by courts, the most current version of the applicable laws should be consulted and can generally be found by using your search engine to locate the statutes referenced on this site. This website does not include all laws that may apply to registrants in any particular state.


NEW! Updated 4/25! State & Territorial Visitor Registration Laws Guide

Click HERE. It'll pop up on your screen in a separate window.

NEW! Updated 6/25! Research on Local Restrictions

Derek Logue of OnceFallen is conducting research on local registry restrictions around the US, prioritizing the states with the worst local restrictions first. Be sure to check this site out if you are concerned about local laws.

Click HERE to see this research.


Updated 9/24! State & Territorial Visitor Registration Laws for FORMER & LONG-TERM Registrants

MANY REGISTRANTS DO NOT UNDERSTAND that most states have registration laws that apply to out-of-state visitors even if you have served your registration duty in your state of offense and are no longer required to register there. Violating these states' laws during your visit can get you caught in these states' registries or even incarcerated EVEN THOUGH you have been removed from your own state's registry!

Furthermore, you may be surprised to learn that some states' registration laws may not apply to visiting registrants who have, in your state of offense, served your registration duty for the number of years specified by law in the state you are visiting - even if you are still on the registry in your state of offense.

Because confusion surrounding this issue will be a growing problem as more and more Americans (including myself) become long-term or former registrants, I have researched the registration laws of every U.S. state and territory related to this issue.

Click HERE to see this new research.


Recorded 10/24: My 2024 ACSOL conference domestic travel presentation

I have given several presentations on domestic travel at NARSOL and other national conferences. My presentation at the 2024 ACSOL conference was recorded and is now available as a You Tube video.

This is about an hour long but contains a lot of information about domestic travel, so Click HERE to watch.


The Traveling Registrant

The Once Fallen website offers this must-read information for all registrants planning to travel. Click here: http://www.oncefallen.com/travel.html

Unwelcome Images

My personal story of prison, probation and ... redemption? is posted on Medium. If you're interested you can click here:

https://therabbitisin.com/unwelcome-images-c06a3760b11a

Your first hurdle:

Permission to leave town

My state of offense (Florida) has a registry law that, like those of many other states, is completely silent on the question of what notice I as a registered person have to provide in the event that I intend to travel out of state temporarily but have no intention of establishing any “permanent residence,” “temporary residence” or “transient residence” in any other state. Instead, Florida’s SOR law reads as follows:

“A sexual offender who intends to establish a permanent, temporary, or transient residence in another state or jurisdiction other than the State of Florida shall report in person to the sheriff of the county of current residence within 48 hours before the date he or she intends to leave this state to establish residence in another state or jurisdiction … The sexual offender shall provide to the sheriff the address, municipality, county, [and] state … of intended residence … The department shall notify the statewide law enforcement agency, or a comparable agency, in the intended state [or] jurisdiction … of the sexual offender’s intended residence. The failure of a sexual offender to provide his or her intended place of residence is punishable as [a third degree felony].”

943.0435(7) FS.

Apparently, the drafters of Florida’s SOR law – and the many similarly worded statutes of other US states – never anticipated that a registered person would ever leave their state for any other reason than to establish a “permanent residence,” “temporary residence” or “transient residence” wherever they're going. Therefore I assume that I and many of you could legitimately assume we would be within our legal rights to just leave our state without telling anybody as long as you have no intention of, and scrupulously avoid, establishing any kind of residence that would violate your state’s statutes.

However, I DO NOT recommend doing this under any circumstances.

Why? Because there’s a 120% chance that your local sheriff’s department believes you have to tell them you’re leaving and where you’re going no matter what your state’s SOR law says or doesn’t say. Suppose you get pulled over somewhere for having a blown tail light. The sheriff’s deputy looks you up and discovers you’re an out-of-state registered offender. Next, he calls local law enforcement in your home state and asks, “Hey, did y’all know this guy was here?” They of course will say “No, we didn’t even know he left our state and we think that’s a registry violation – he is an ABSCONDER!” at which point you’ll be arrested, handcuffed and sent back to prison.

I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I want to spend my vacation.

Therefore I strongly suggest that you visit your local sheriff’s department or registry office and inform them of your intention to travel. I did this for the first time in October 2020, and have traveled out of state frequently since then, each time making sure to do so “within 48 hours before the date he or she intends to leave this state.”

Having gained some experience with traveling while registered I offer you the following advice:

Always notify your local law enforcement of your intention to travel and provide as much detail as possible about your travel plans. In particular, it helps to have at least one specific destination for your trip. Your local law enforcement is expecting you to have a destination. You probably do have at least one destination, and if it’s not a friend or relative’s home you probably had to make some kind of reservation ahead of time. Either way you know at least one address where you’ll be, so give it to the staff person behind the glass. They will feel more comfortable with this even if your plans include extended time to get to and return from the specific destination(s), during which you’ll be enjoying yourself.

I have found that if I give a general description of your travel, like some of the states you’ll be passing through, the staff person will happily enter that onto whatever form their filling out as “additional notes.” This may actually help you in case you get pulled over someplace because when the sheriff’s deputy calls your home state it’s all right there in the computer.

Recently I established a summer home in Iowa. Unlike Florida and many other states, Iowa’s registry law explicitly, but clumsily, addresses out-of-state travel. It says:

“[A] sex offender, within five business days of a change, shall also appear in person to notify the sheriff of the county of principal residence [i.e. the principle residence in Iowa], of any location in which the offender is staying when away from the principal residence of the offender for more than five days, by identifying the location and the period of time the offender is staying in such location.” 692A.105 IS.

While I was at my new Iowa sheriff’s department registering, getting photographed, fingerprinted and providing a DNA sample, I took the opportunity to ask how travel was going to work in my new state. I pointed out that although I can always provide a destination when traveling, there is no way I’ll be able provide locations and addresses ahead of time for every campground or motel room I might be staying at along the way.

The lady behind the bullet-proof glass stated that their policy for this type of travel is that I will need to keep a travel log for each trip, which I will need to turn in upon my return. This just shows how local sheriff’s departments come up with some policy to deal with these situations. As you know from reading elsewhere on this blog, I recommend you always keep a travel log as well as all receipts just in case you need to prove your whereabouts, so this sheriff’s department requirement, while ridiculous, turns out not to be a problem for me or anyone following my recommendations.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

 Yellowstone National Park / Wyoming

From the 50 state visitor guide (Wyoming):

Wyo. Stat. 2019 §§7-19-301 through  7-19-320

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial registration and updates, including temporary trips and vacations. “Temporary residence” includes hotels, motels, camping areas & parks. §7-19-301(xi)(C).

Visitors must register within 3 business days. §7-19-302(c)(iv).

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

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: Adults “who are required to register … pursuant to §7-19-302” may not reside within 1,000 ft. from schools. §6-2-320.

Presence restrictions:  Adults “who are required to register … pursuant to §7-19-302” may not enter school grounds if s/he “has reason to believe children … are present and are involved in school activity or when children are presents w/in 30 mins. before or after scheduled school activity” and may not “knowingly loiter on a public way within 1,000 feet from the property line of school grounds.” Various exceptions apply. §6-2-320.

Because §6-2-320 says these restrictions apply to adults “who are required to register … pursuant to §7-19-302”, and visitors in state for less than 3 business days are not required to register, such visitors would, in theory, not be subject to these restrictions.  However, this theory remains untested.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime; petitions for removal available. §7-19-304. Updates: §7-19-302.

From the 50 state visitor guide (Montana):

Mont. Code Ann. 2019 §§46-23-504 through 46-23-520.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial registration and updates; transients shall register within 3 business days of entering state. 

Visitors: Must register within 3 business days of entering the state for a temporary residence of 10 days or more, or for an aggregate period of 30 days in calendar year. §§46-23-504, 46-23-505.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition to remove – T1 - 10 yrs.  T2 – 25 yrs.

Updates by mail: T1 – annual; T2 – 6 mo.; T3 –90 days. Transients in person - 30 days. §§46-23-504, 56-23-506.

From the 50 state visitor guide (Idaho):

Idaho Code 2019 §§18-8301 through 18-8414

I.D.A.P.A. §11.10.03.000 through 11.10.03.012.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

2 working days for initial registration and updates.  Transient registrants must report location every 7 days. §§18-8307, 18-8308.

Visitors: Statutes do not address registration requirements for visitors.  However, "Temporary lodging" means any place in which the offender is staying when away from his or her residence for seven (7) or more days. 18-8323 (1)(h). Added Aug. 2024.

Temporary volunteers or employees:  Must register if in state for more than ten consecutive days, or for an aggregate period of 30 days in a calendar year.  If “employment involves counseling, coaching, teaching, supervising or working with minors in any way,” must register “regardless of the period of employment.” §18-8303(6).

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

May not reside or loiter within 500 ft. of school, and may not reside within more than one person also required to register, with certain exceptions. §§18-8331, 18-8332.

Presence restriction:  Day cares, unless picking up or dropping off one’s own children. §18-8327.

Duration & updates:

Life.  Petition to remove – 10 yrs.  Sexually Violent Persons must update every 3 months.  All others update annually. §18-8307.

Four days in Yellowstone: July 2025


Herd of buffalo on their way to the river to get their morning drink

What? you say.  How can I have spent four consecutive days at Yellowstone National Park when the third day in Wyoming triggers an obligation to register there?

The answer, of course, is that in Wyoming it’s business days.  Therefore by entering the state early on Saturday and leaving late on Tuesday you can spend four full days at Yellowstone, which I can tell you is enough.  Enough days to see everything even with a family, but just enough so you don’t get tired of it.

But if you want more time in Wyoming, which offers a lot more than Yellowstone, I’ll show you how to spend just Wednesday in Montana or Idaho before re-starting the clock for Thursday – Sunday.

First let’s compare the visitor requirements of each of these three states.  Most important is Wyoming, where visitors must register within 3 business days. §7-19-302(c)(iv).  NOTE: “Within 3 business days” means the third day will trigger your obligation to register, so you really only get two days; however, it’s business days, so if you include a weekend that stretches it to four days (five if you can throw in a holiday).  Keep in mind that, as with many other states, partial days will count.  Also, Wyoming law defines “temporary residence” to include hotels, motels, camping areas & parks. §7-19-301(xi)(C), so they’ve got you covered no matter where you spend the night.

However, Wyoming has no limitations on the number of return visits per month or year.  This is an important consideration for registered visitors because it means that if you leave the state for at least two nights and one day (so that the intervening day can’t be counted against you as a “partial day”) you can return and restart the clock.  By planning carefully you can have the time you need to really see Yellowstone.  However, I advise against abusing this part of Wyoming law by coming back multiple times.  I doubt any local sheriff’s department would take kindly to it.


Yellowstone Falls as seen from Lookout Point

If you need to spend a little time outside Wyoming, the obvious choice for registered visitors is Montana.  That’s because unless you’re staying 10 or more days there (or 30 per calendar year) you don’t need to register.  Also, Montana has no statewide residency or presence restrictions.  So your Yellowstone trip can be split into two 4-5 day weekends with a mid-week side trip to Montana.  How bad can that be?

Yellowstone’s northern entrance (via U.S. 89) and western entrance (via U.S. 20) both take you to Montana, although the western entrance also takes you in short order to Idaho. Both entrances have tourist towns with motels, resorts and campgrounds for you to choose from as you are staging yourself for your Yellowstone visit.

Speaking of Idaho, as I noted in my most recent blog entry about that state, calling the Idaho SOR office is useless because all you get is an outgoing message that says they only answer questions from attorneys.  Therefore in discussing the number of days you can be in this state or what restrictions might apply to you while visiting I need to err on the side of caution.

Idaho statutes do not address registration requirements for visitors.  However, "Temporary lodging" means any place in which the offender is staying when away from his or her residence for seven (7) or more days 18-8323 (1)(h) and establishing such would presumably require you to register.

Where to “reside” – Montana


Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

For my July 2025 Yellowstone visit I decided the best strategy of all – which I now recommend to you – is to never spend the night in Wyoming, BUT still conform myself to Wyoming’s number of days rule for my daily trips to the park.  That way neither state can possibly lay a hand on me.  The truth is you can’t get a campground or lodge reservation inside Yellowstone anyway except by reserving at least a year in advance.  No matter your accommodation, you’ll be staying somewhere outside the park and commuting in daily. 

You may ask, how should you go about reporting this down at your local registry office?  When you report travel you are required to include a “destination” in the form of an address or location where you will be “residing.”  For my trip that was a campground in Montana, about 20 miles from the West Yellowstone entrance. Even for this I had to make advance reservations because it was peak season and a weekend, so I already had everything I needed to report travel. 

But notice – that’s in Montana.  Technically you could just report that address, never say anything about Yellowstone or Wyoming, and no one would ever notice.  But for my trip I decided to cover all bases by asking the lady behind the bulletproof glass to include, down in the “Notes” section of my sheet, a list of the states I would be traveling through on my trip, and that of course included Wyoming. 

I do this frequently on longer trips – in fact this registry lady knows me well enough that she even asked me if I wanted to do that.  I do this because having it right there on your sheet answers all potential questions for any random cop that might stop me for some mundane reason.  And yet, because Yellowstone was only in the Notes and not listed as a destination, my local registry office would be notifying only Montana of my arrival, not Wyoming.

One other consideration – Because I was coming from Iowa and needed to avoid spending any extra time in Wyoming, I needed to bypass WY and instead approach Yellowstone though Montana.  That meant my Day 1 in Montana actually occurred one day before my Day 1 at Yellowstone.

To avoid crowds, get to the main attractions early in the morning (except Old Faithful)


Cistern Spring at Norris Geyser Basin

Day 1: The road network in Yellowstone is laid out in a Figure 8 pattern.  Nearly all of the main attractions – Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Grand Canyon and Falls, West Thumb etc. etc. – are located along these main roads and don’t require strenuous hikes. 

Yellowstone’s northeast entrance is its most remote and with the fewest staging services.  It was peak season and Saturday morning and I was concerned about crowds so I got to the gate mad early (5:50 am).  I was surprised by how few people were there and was greeted by a large herd of buffalo (hundreds!) lumbering across the entrance road on their way to get a morning drink from the Lamar River.

I didn’t know enough to follow my advice above on Day 1, but my first major stop was Yellowstone Grand Canyon and Falls, one of the places you should get to early, so that worked out fine.  What did not work out was Norris Geyser Basin which I didn’t get to until afternoon.  There was overflow parking available and they even have a separate path from there to the entrance – but it’s SO LONG and then you have miles of walking to do around the basin.  I was so beat I had to bail out and then trapse all the way back to overflow parking.  Uggh!  But I learned my lesson.


It's Grand !! It's Prismatic !!

PS – Feel free to skip Artists Paint Pots.  It’s a long walk (2 miles round trip), some of the stuff is still bubbling, but the Artists Paint Pots are mostly dried up, much like Mammoth Hot Springs (see Day 3).

Day 2: Why do I say you don’t have to get to Old Faithful early in the day?  Because the Parks Service has created an enormous complex for it with so much parking you’ll always find a space (just get ready to walk a ways).  That’s especially good because in addition to Old Faithful there’s a whole basin full of bubbling geysers and lots of trails. Also food and services.  You’ll be there for hours so it’s good to know you can make an afternoon of it.

The place nearby that you do want to get to early is Midway Geyser Basin, home of Grand Prismatic Spring.  Everybody wants to see it and you should too, so just get there early.

West Thumb is not as big a deal as it looks on the map, and I didn’t have any trouble parking in the afternoon.  Biscuit Basin is “closed due to thermal hazard”!


Yes that's it !! Old Faithful !!

Day 3: Skip Mammoth Hot Springs – Unfortunately, Mammoth Hot Springs has almost completely dried up in the past 10 years!  Yes there are a few things bubbling here and there but you don’t have to make this a focus of your attention or get there early.  Instead, here are some other cool places that get less attention:

Mud Volcano – Unlike Artists Paint Pots, this one is still going strong, you can find parking in the afternoon, and includes several other sights, so set aside over an hour.

Sheepeater Cliffs – Super cool, close to parking and there’s an even bigger cliff down a short walk.


Sheepeater Cliffs

Forces of the North Range Nature Trail – Most national parks include easy nature trails for us old geezers, they often feature something you wouldn’t expect at that park, they’re better than you think they’re gonna be and this is no exception.

Firehole Canyon Drive and Blacktail Plateau Drive – Scenic Drives with great views in Yellowstone.  How bad can that be?

Day 4: I set aside Day 4 to get back to a few things I’d had to bail out on before, and to see a few things a second time.  In the first category was Norris Geyser Basin Part 2 where I entered the parking lot at 8:30 am and easily found a great space.  I was fresh, the weather was cool and this time I enjoyed a nice walk through the basin.

In the second category was of course Old Faithful.  I arrived early afternoon, had no trouble finding parking, watched the geyser go off and had lunch at the grill.


Elk

On my way out of the park that last afternoon I stopped at a picnic area I had been passing along the Madison River and decided I had time to stop and enjoy it.  When I did I looked across the river and saw a herd of about 15-20 elk, just grazing in the scenery.  This was an apt bookend to the bison herd I’d seen on my first morning.

I stayed at my Montana campground that night before proceeding on to the Pacific Coast, so all together that was six days in Montana (including partial days) and four days in Wyoming (but only two business days).  Only Montana would be notified of my travel plans and I was well within their nine day grace period (because the 10th day triggers a registry obligation).  But I also conformed myself to Wyoming’s rules so I’d be covered no matter what.

Suppose you need more time in Wyoming?

As noted above, there’s a lot more to Wyoming than Yellowstone.  Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Wind Canyon, Thermopolis, and oh – you may even have business in Wyoming that you need more time to complete.

Also as noted, if you leave the state late Tuesday and spend the next two nights and Wednesday (so that Wednesday can’t be counted against you as a “partial day”) you can return Thursday and restart the clock without penalty as long as you don’t abuse the privilege.  That gives you until the following Sunday afternoon – nine days total of which eight were in Wyoming.

On your second pass through Wyoming I suggest going legit and “residing” right in Wyoming.  It’s your last two business days in state so there’s no fear – plus the fact that you’ll be running out of grace days in Montana by this time, so unless you want to commute in from Idaho there isn’t much choice.

In September 2023 I was in Wyoming for parts of three consecutive days, Thursday – Saturday.  You could say that trip was like the Part 2 trip I describe above because I stayed the two business day nights in Wyoming.  Because that third day was a Saturday I was in compliance with state law no matter how harshly you interpret it.  If you want to read about that see my Wyoming blog entry.

Epilogue:  Earthquake Lake Geological Area

As I was commuting back and forth from my campground off US 287 west of Yellowstone I kept seeing display boards for something called the Earthquaake Lake Geological Area.  Apparently in 1959 there was a huge 7.5 Richter Scale earthquake REALLY closeby.  On my last afternoon I had enough time left to go tour this geological area – they even have a visitors center! – only to discover that this earthquake had split the ground apart and raised one side up about 15 feet, creating a huge scarp! See photo!

But the most unnerving thing was that this happened so close to my campground that I could easily see the scarp from my campsite!  In fact the scarp is named after my campground, which got almost split in half by this fracture.

This made my last night at Cabin Creek Campground a little creepy, but if you think about it, every time you visit Yellowstone you’re walking on top of boiling magma that could go at any minute.  How much safer is that?


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