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Parking 101

Parking at KU can be a challenge! Regrettably, there is limited space availability in most zones on campus. Front door parking is unrealistic. We here at the Parking Department recommend that you only drive or bring a car to campus if it is absolutely necessary, and hope this parking "Primer" will help you avoid confusion, frustration and maybe even a towing charge.

  1. Parking permits are oversold. The purchase of a parking permit DOES NOT guarantee you a parking space. Make sure you take a parking map and familiarize yourself with your parking lot options.

  2. All vehicles parked in campus parking lots must have a current KU parking permit, unless the vehicle is parked for the hourly rate in a parking facility, or at a paid meter. Permits are not valid at meters. If you park at one, you must pay the meter! During restricted hours, there is no free parking on campus.

  3. Parking permits are movable stickers that are applied to the inside of the car's front windshield. Permits should be applied to the front lower driver's side window - do not apply to tinted windows. Your permit can be easily moved by lifting any corner and gently pulling away from windshield.

  4. Except for garage permits, permits are sold for a specific color zone, not for a specific lot. For a quick outline of where your specific permit is valid, please visit our "Intro to..." pages on this web site.

  5. You may only purchase one car permit. Effective August 1, 2006, incoming freshmen who live off campus and who wish to drive a car to campus may only purchase the Park & Ride permit. Returning students who live off campus may purchase either a Yellow permit or a Park & Ride permit. Students who live in University Housing will be assigned a permit according to the residence hall to which they are assigned.

  6. If your vehicle becomes disabled on campus and you are unable to move it, contact the Parking Department immediately. We'll need your license plate number and where you're parked (we are more likely to cancel tickets that you get if you let us know that you're having car problems!).

  7. If you find a permit, please turn it in to the Parking office (it's the right thing to do!) Using a lost, stolen, forged or altered permit will result in the removal of the vehicle from campus, a fine of $100.00, possible criminal charges and revocation of campus parking privileges for one year.

  8. A prorated rate will be charged to replace a lost or stolen permit. There are no free replacement permits. No exceptions will be made!!!

  9. If you drive to campus without your parking permit, you must come to the office and get a short-term courtesy permit at no charge. You may receive two weeks of courtesy days per semester.

  10. It is very important to read and understand the signs. All lots have signs at the entrances that indicate the type of permit allowed (a colored stripe) and the hours of restriction. Yellow commuter student lots are restricted until 4:00PM, and most staff lots until 5:00PM. Some lots are not open until 7:30PM, and some are never open (restricted 24/7). Keep in mind that many staff areas are "towaway" zones, and we will not notify you before ticketing and towing your vehicle.

    Residence hall lots are restricted from 7:00 AM Monday morning through 5:00 PM Friday evening - 24 hours. A sign that says "7AM Mon - 5PM Fri" means 24 hours between those two times.

  11. Once you've found a place to park, the easiest way to move between buildings is to walk. The traffic on campus during a class change can be complete gridlock!

  12. YOU are responsible for any tickets issued when your permit is displayed - no matter whose car it is or who was driving. So if you loan your permit or your car with your permit in it, the tickets will be assigned to you. An expired permit will stay in your name for at least three years after the expiration date - do not throw away your permit or sell your car with a permit on it!

  13. We identify tickets by permit number first. If no permit is displayed, we will identify it by the license tag number. When that happens, we will send it to either the registered owner or the individual on campus with a familial relationship to the registered owner.

  14. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TICKETS BEING REMOVED FROM YOUR VEHICLE. Some people will walk along and remove tickets from vehicles just to be funny. If you were parked incorrectly (or if your meter is out of time) but you didn't find a ticket on your vehicle, please feel free to call us the next day and we can tell you if you got a ticket. Better yet, avoid parking illegally.

  15. Unpaid parking tickets will result in a hold on enrollment and transcripts and the removal of your car from campus (you pay the towing fee). If you are a faculty or staff member, you will not be allowed to purchase a new parking permit until your outstanding balance is paid. Any vehicle with three or more unpaid citations more than ten (10) business days old may be towed from campus, impounded until all citations are paid and assessed an additional $50.00 citation (plus towing charge) - whether you are parked legally or not. Don't let tickets add up.

  16. Do not assume that we will automatically know your new information when you move. We occasionally get updated information from the student, faculty and staff records databases, but feel free to contact us to verify that we have your current address.

  17. Lot preemptions: Parking is preempted near Memorial Stadium for all home football games and near Allen Fieldhouse during all men's home basketball games. Preempted lots are posted at least 48 hours in advance; on days of preemption, all cars must be moved by the time specified. There are times when preemptions fall on class days. If you cannot move your car by the specified time, we suggest that you park in an alternate lot (one not preempted for the game) when you first arrive on campus.

  18. If you need to come to the Parking Department to conduct parking business, park in the parking garage where our office is located and we'll validate your parking for the time that you're in our office doing parking business.