Business Services Policies

BS03 Faculty and Staff Parking Rules and Regulations

Policy Status:

Active

Policy Steward:

Associate Vice President for Auxiliary & Business Services

PURPOSE:

To set forth the current policy regarding parking privileges for faculty/staff in University parking areas. Certain people not employed by, but affiliated with, the University also fall within this policy.

POLICY:

Every faculty/staff employee of the University or of an affiliated program (regardless of shift or office location) wishing to use parking facilities operated by the University Parking Office on the University Park campus, or any property owned or leased by The Pennsylvania State University, must register their vehicle with the Parking Office and, while parked, properly display an authorized parking permit.

ELIGIBILTY:

Any faculty/staff employee of the University or of an affiliated program, working on campus, is eligible for campus parking privileges, unless privileges have been revoked.

VEHICLE REGISTRATION:

Vehicle registration, assignment to a parking area, and issuance of a parking permit is made by the hiring college or department (Parking Chairperson).

Fees:

Any faculty/staff member (or affiliate) wishing to park at University Park, or at nearby facilities used by the University, must pay a parking registration fee to obtain a parking permit.

Parking permit fees may be paid either through payroll deduction or by advance payment. Fees must be paid while in possession of the permit, regardless of use. Sabbatical, medical leave, or absence from the campus does not excuse the permit-holder from payment.

Payment is required unless the permit is returned to the Parking Chairperson or the Parking Office. Failure to remit payment will result in permit revocation. Vehicles associated with revoked permits will be towed at the owner's expense.

Permits are specific to the employee and the vehicles (license plates) to which they are registered. Permits may not be transferred, sold or duplicated.

All permits remain the property of PSU and must be returned upon leave without pay, termination, retirement, or by request of the Parking Office.

Lost/Stolen Permits:

If a permit is lost or stolen, the incident must be reported to the designated Parking Chairperson immediately. A non-refundable processing fee of $25 will be assessed for hangtag permits and $50 for transponders. This is not a replacement fee. The fee must be paid regardless of whether or not a new permit is issued.

Short Term Permits:

Vehicles may be registered for weekly or daily periods for employees who use vehicles on an occasional basis.

Single-day permits may be purchased at the Kiosk Information booths, the Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center, or the Parking Office.

Permits exceeding one day in duration are available only at the Parking Office.

Address and License Plate Changes:

Permit-holders are responsible for reporting address and license plate changes to the Parking Office.

Failure to report these changes may result in tickets being processed to the District Justice, at which time additional fees are assessed by the courts.

PARKING LOT/PERMIT CLASSIFICATIONS:

Reserved (Yellow, Brown, Green, Red): These lots are restricted to specific faculty/staff permits between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, unless otherwise noted. All restricted faculty/staff lots become open staff lots at 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and on weekends except Lot Green H, which becomes an open staff lot at 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Valid permits must always be displayed. Faculty/staff are not permitted to park in reserved resident student lots at any time, for any reason.
Open (Orange): These lots are authorized for any faculty/staff permit (excluding Commuter and Evening/Weekend permits) between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Commuter (Lot 44, Stadium West, Porter North): All faculty/staff (excluding Evening/Weekend permits) or Commuter permits are authorized between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. No parking is permitted in the commuter lots between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., seven days a week. Access to central campus is available via the Campus Bus Service (see LOOP and LINK schedules for times and stops).
Evening/Weekend Permit: This permit allows for parking after 4 p.m. weekdays and all weekend long. It does not allow for any parking, including loading/unloading or dropping off/picking up passengers between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is the only permit that may be used in conjunction with the Ride for Five Bus Pass. It is not valid with a floater permit.
Dining Halls: Lots adjacent to dining halls may have different hours of reservation than other lots in that area. Check lot entrance signs carefully for specifics.
East, HUB and Nittany Parking Decks: Parking in these facilities is by permit only between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., Monday through Friday(restricted seven days a week at HUB Deck).
Events and Special Circumstances: All lots are subject to additional hours of restriction based on special campus events or University needs as determined by the Parking Office. Two primary special needs include (but are not limited to):
- Home Football Games: Lot 44 (Jordan East), Stadium West, Porter North, Porter South, Orange L East, Orange A West OPP, Orange B Softball, Orange O, Yellow H Shields, Yellow H Wagner, Yellow H South (Pegula) and Yellow H Intramural Building are restricted from all parking from midnight Friday until the resumption of normal traffic patterns after the game. Any vehicle that remains in the lot after midnight will be ticketed and towed.
- Bryce Jordan Center/Pegula Ice Arena Events: Faculty/staff and student permits are honored in the Commuter lots (Lot 44, Stadium West and Porter North) for most events at the Bryce Jordan Center and Pegula Ice Arena. Select sections of these lots, along with other faculty/staff lots, may be reserved for VIP parking for select events.

REGULATIONS:

General Information

Parking is authorized only in lots identified by color and lot designation of the assigned parking permit. All parking regulations remain in effect, regardless of whether or not classes are in session.

Service/delivery permits are required to park in service/delivery spaces. These spaces are designated by signs and/or yellow painted lines and are reserved twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Only service/delivery companies can purchase these permits.

If the assigned lot is full or unavailable for any reason, vehicles must be parked in Orange open staff or commuter lots. The Parking Office reserves the right to change lot usage to accommodate special circumstances.

Each lot entrance is signed, listing specific hours of reservation and restrictions.

Vehicles parked on campus are at the owner’s risk. The University assumes no liability for vehicles parked on Penn State property.

Rules and regulations are subject to change. Permit holders are responsible for all regulations currently in effect.

Single-Space Meters and Multi-Space Pay Stations

Meters and pay stations are available for short-term parking provided time has been purchased by the customer. Meters accept U.S. quarters only, while pay stations accept major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover), LionCash+, and U.S. quarters, dimes, nickels and $1 coins. Use of flashers at meter and pay station spaces is not permitted at any time. Hours of operation are posted on the back of the single space meter head or on each multi-space meter machine. All meters must be paid during the posted hours of reservation on the lot entrance sign.

Short Term Parking With Flasher Spaces

All short term parking spaces on campus require the use of emergency flashers. Please read all signs carefully to see what the maximum time allowed is for that particular space.

Flashers are never valid at metered or pay-by-space parking spaces, along curbs or on sidewalks, hindering/damaging University operations or property, or obstructing roadways, designated handicap spaces, wheelchair ramp laydown (hashed out) areas, or reserved spaces. Violators will be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense.

Permit Display

Parking permits must be properly displayed while parked:

Motorcycles: Permit must be clearly visible from the front or rear of the motorcycle.
Automobiles: Hang permit from rear view mirror, facing forward. Permit must be clearly visible. If windshield tint strip prevents clear display, permit hangers are available from the Parking Office.
AVI: Mount tag on the upper center of the windshield, on the driver's side of the rearview mirror mounting post. If tint strip, place just below to ensure clear visibility.

Parking Spaces

All parts of the vehicle must be inside the designated parking space; generally indicated by two white lines. (Note: Some spaces also include a back line.) Parking in grassed areas is not permitted unless at the direction of special event parking staff.

Motorcycles with motorcycle permits must be parked in designated Faculty/Staff motorcycle spaces. If automobile permit is clearly displayed on the motorcycle, parking is authorized in automobile spaces in the lot designated by lot color and letter on the permit. Permit holders are responsible for any lost or stolen permits displayed on motorcycles.

Any vehicle not parked in a designated legal space is subject to ticketing and/or towing at the owner's expense.

Any vehicle parked along curbs or on sidewalks, hindering/damaging University operations or property, or obstructing roadways, designated handicap spaces, wheelchair ramp laydown (hashed out) areas, and reserved spaces is subject to ticketing and/or towing at the owner's expense.

Parking is not permitted in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) spaces without a state-issued handicap placard and a PSU parking permit for the designated lot (additional fees may be assessed). The ramp laydown (hashed out) area adjacent to the space is considered part of the space and will be enforced accordingly.

Reserved spaces are reserved 24 hours a day, seven days a week unless otherwise noted on the sign. This includes holidays and times when the University is not in full operation.

Parking in East, Eisenhower, and Nittany Decks is head in only. Vehicles backed into spaces are subject to ticketing and or towing at the owner’s expense. Most end spaces and compact spaces are signed “Vehicle Must be Within All Lines.” Violators will be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense.

Loading/Unloading

Vehicles with current faculty/staff permits (excluding the Evening/Weekend Permit before 4 p.m.) may park in a designated loading zone or legal faculty/staff parking space for a maximum of 15 minutes for the purpose of loading/unloading supplies or equipment. A current permit (excluding EVM evening/weekend) must be properly displayed, and the vehicle’s four-way flashers must be operating.

This privilege does not extend to meters, resident student lots, sidewalks, traffic or fire lanes, building entrances, handicap spaces, or handicap access ways (access to sidewalks, ramps, etc.).

Floating Permits

Valid only on vehicles displaying current faculty/staff permits. Not valid with Commuter permits (CR) or Evening/Weekend permits.

Floaters are not valid in all parking areas. Valid lots are listed on the back of the floater permit.

Floating permits are issued to departments for occasional use by employees performing business functions. They are not for use by individuals on a consistent, daily basis. Permits may be revoked for unauthorized use.

Disabled Vehicles

If a vehicle is disabled, the permit holder must notify University Police (863-1111) immediately, with their name, the vehicle's license plate number, and location.

A grace period of up to 12 hours may be allowed. No extensions will be granted. A lost/broken vehicle key is considered disabled and falls under this policy. If 12 hours is not sufficient time to remove the vehicle, the owner is required to contact a towing company to have the vehicle removed at their expense.

This grace period does not automatically exempt your vehicle from being ticketed; however, it may be used as an appeal aid.

Notes left on a vehicle stating that the vehicle is mechanically disabled are given no consideration by enforcement personnel. Vehicles not properly reported to University Police may be ticketed and/or towed at the owner's expense.

Semester/University Holidays, Arrival, and Departures

During the first week of each semester, finals week, and University holiday breaks, student or parent vehicles are authorized temporary (15 minutes) parking in faculty/staff lots to facilitate moving in or out of residence halls. Vehicles must be moved to an appropriate parking area immediately upon completion of the act of loading or unloading. All parking regulations remain in effect, regardless of whether or not classes are in session.

Long-Term Storage

If storing a vehicle in a campus parking facility for more than one week, please contact the Parking Office in advance so that arrangements can be made to store the vehicle in the most appropriate location related to projected weather and upcoming campus events.

Midnight Clear/Winter Parking

No parking is allowed in any faculty/staff surface lot on nights of announced "Midnight Clear" activity. The snow restriction hours are 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. in most lots. Check lot entry signs for specifics.

Employees wishing to leave a vehicle on campus overnight during snow removal must use the covered parking levels of East, Eisenhower, HUB, or Nittany parking decks. Parking on the top level of these facilities is not allowed. Vehicles must be returned to assigned lots by 8 a.m. the next business day. Midnight Clear activity is announced over local radio, television stations, the L-PSUPARK Listserv, and the department’s website and social media pages. This policy also extends to University vehicles.

Individuals With Disabilities (Temporary or Permanent)

Transportation Services offers a campus-wide, ADA compliant, mass transit system. In most cases, transit services will provide closer access to destinations than available parking spaces. Schedules are available at the Parking Office and from our website: www.parking.psu.edu.

Individuals who require access to marked handicap accessible parking spaces must apply for a state-issued handicap license plate or parking placard. Applications for Pennsylvania ADA placards and information for obtaining the placard are available from the Parking Office, 1 Eisenhower Parking Deck. Penn State is not authorized to issue handicap parking placards. All handicap parking placards, permanent or temporary, must be obtained through the state. Employees must display both their ADA placard and PSU parking permit for the designated lot. An additional fee may be charged for the ADA upgrade permit. More information is available at www.equity.psu.edu/ods/ssti/.

PARKING TICKETS:

Tickets issued to vehicles registered with the Parking Office are the responsibility of the permit holder, regardless of who drives the vehicle. Tickets issued to vehicles NOT registered with the Parking Office are held 30 days for payment. After 30 days, tickets become citations and are sent to the District Justice where additional court fees will be assessed.

Payment

Tickets may be paid by major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) on the Parking Office website: www.parking.psu.edu. Payment may also be submitted by check or money order payable to: The Pennsylvania State University. Cash is accepted in person. Do not send cash through the mail.

If payment is NOT received within thirty (30) calendar days from date of the violation the penalty will be increased by $3.00 and payroll deducted for current permit holders.

All payments are processed through the Parking Office, 1 Eisenhower Parking Deck, University Park, PA 16802-2116.

The Parking Office is not responsible for payments or correspondence lost in the mail.

Appeals Policy

Parking violations may be appealed by using the online appeals link at www.parking.psu.edu or by submitting a written appeal to the Parking Office. Frivolous appeals will not be accepted. Not all tickets can be appealed online.

Appeals must be received within twenty (20) calendar days from the date of the violation in order to be accepted and processed to the Appeals Committee.

Payment in full must accompany all written appeals. If the appeal is decided in favor of the appellant, no payroll deduction will occur if appealing online. If appeal was in written form, the full amount of the ticket will be refunded. If the appeal decision is in favor of the University, the ticket amount will be deducted from your next scheduled pay if filed online, and the matter is considered paid in full. There is a $3.00 fee added to each ticket that is processed to payroll deduction.

The Parking Office submits appeals to the appropriate Appeals Committee for independent review. The appellant is notified of the committee's decision.

Note: The ticket history (if any) is attached to the appeals form for the committee's consideration.

Appeals Committee decisions are final.

Abuse of Parking Privileges

Warnings are sent by email to permit holders after four (4) tickets are written against his/her permit in a fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).

If eight (8) or more tickets are issued during a fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), the permit holder's parking privileges will be revoked for one month and a fine will be assessed.

All tickets written for fraudulent/altered/unauthorized use of a permit carry severe penalties that include, but are not limited to, a large fine, referral to Human Resources, and revocation of parking privileges. It is also possible that charges of theft of services will be filed by University Police. These matters are not taken lightly and are immediately addressed.

Failure to follow direction of Parking Office personnel or blatant disregard of parking policies will result in immediate revocation of parking privileges.

There are no refunds of money paid for a revoked permit.

All revoked permits must be returned immediately upon notification. Return permits to the Parking Chairperson.

Additional tickets issued while under revocation, or subsequent to a revocation within the same fiscal year, will result in an additional month added to the revocation period, an additional fine, referral to Human Resources and/or towing of the vehicle at the owner’s expense.

Appeals for revocations will not be accepted.

VISITOR PARKING:

Overnight: Overnight guests must obtain a permit from the Parking Office to park on campus Monday-Friday. Guests of the Nittany Lion Inn may park in the Nittany Deck with an "Overnight Guest" pass issued by the Inn.
Weekdays: Visitors may use metered or pay station parking or obtain a visitor parking permit from a Parking Information Kiosk, the Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center or the Parking Office. Hourly parking is available in the East, HUB, and Nittany Parking Decks. Overnight parking is by permit only.
Weekends: Most lots are open to visitors on weekends. Check individual lot restrictions posted on lot entrance signs. Parking is not permitted in 24/7 reserved lots.
Recreational Vehicles: RV parking is not permitted on campus. Special parking facilities are available near Beaver Stadium during home football weekends. For more information, please contact the Athletic Ticket Office at (814) 863-1000 or 1-800-NITTANY.

Students and employees of any Penn State location or campus are not considered visitors at any time. Non-University Park Penn State faculty/staff permits are only valid in Orange Open Staff Lots, Stadium West, Lot 44, or Porter North.

VEHICLES OWNED BY THE UNIVERSITY, FEDERAL, STATE OR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT:

Vehicles owned by the University, Federal, State or local governments, and identified by special parking stickers or license plates, are permitted "any area" parking privileges, but must be parked in a bona fide parking space not reserved by license number or permit. Any parking violations by University-owned vehicles will be the responsibility of the renter.

FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS NOT ASSIGNED TO THE UNIVERSITY PARK CAMPUS:

Faculty and staff members assigned away from the University Park Campus are issued parking permits by their respective college or campus.

Prior to 4 p.m. on weekdays, non-University Park Penn State faculty/staff permits are only valid in Orange Open Staff Lots, Stadium West, Lot 44 or Porter North.

Only a floating permit displayed along with the current parking permit authorizes parking in reserved lots at University Park, subject to the restriction of the floating permit.

After 4 p.m. on weekdays, all faculty/staff lots are open to all non-University Park Penn State faculty/staff permits except Lot Green H, which is open to all non-University Park Penn faculty/staff permits after 6 p.m.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

For questions, additional detail, or to request changes to this policy, please contact the Office of the Associate Vice President, Auxiliary & Business Services.

Effective Date: February 13, 2015

Date Approved: February 8, 2015

Date Published: February 13, 2015

Most Recent Changes:

February 8, 2015- Major revisions have been made to the entire policy to reflect current operations.

Revision History (and effective date):

October 25, 2013 - Editorial changes. Addition of policy steward information, in the event that there are questions or requests for changes to the policy.
June 14, 2006 - Revision History added.
July 12, 2000 - Major Revisions. Policy wording suggested that unpermitted vehicles may not be driven on campus; wording clarified that is it parking that is disallowed. References to 'Department of Safety' changed to 'University Police'; references to 'District Magistrate' changed to 'District Justice'; changed parking lot reserved times from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Winter Parking discussion now appears as a separate section of policy. Under Parking Lot Classifications, several lots where no permits were required on certain days now require permits. The Park and Pool at the Research Park no longer exists. Penalty payments not received within 30 calendar days will now be payroll deducted for current permit holders. Other editorial changes.
March 10, 1998 - Policy revised, relocated and renumbered from SY15.
August 30, 1993 - Office address and Title changes. Major revisions throughout the policy.
September 1, 1987 - Revisions to Policy, Parking Privileges, Regulations, and Faculty/Staff Not Assigned to UP sections.
September 13, 1984 - Changed bumper sticker references to Window Sticker.
August 4, 1983 - Major changes.

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