Parking Permits
Are all vehicles on campus required to have a parking permit?
Faculty, staff and students must be registered for a parking permit when parking on campus and park so the license plate faces the drive lane. Visitors may park in the Grant Street Parking Garage or Harrison Street Parking Garage (hourly fees apply) or in metered parking spaces without a parking permit. Daily visitor permits may be obtained from the online parking portal for a rate of $5.00 per day.
What do I need in order to obtain a parking permit?
Students need to upload proof of a local address (e.g., a bill or rental agreement on which your name and local address are printed) into the online parking portal.
Faculty and staff are typically already listed in the Parking Facilities electronic system; new faculty or staff members who are not in the parking database are required to provide their offer letter or authorization from their business office to Parking Facilities during regular business hours.
To purchase a parking permit, follow the instructions on the Purchasing a Permit webpage.
Are students allowed to obtain parking permits?
Students living outside the C permit boundary from campus may purchase "C" permits.
The approximate boundaries include the following markers:
- North of Cherry Lane and Hillcrest Road in West Lafayette
- East of Harrison Bridge in West Lafayette
- South of River Road/U.S. 231 in West Lafayette
- West of U.S. 231 in West Lafayette
A boundary map (PDF) is included online for reference. Contact Parking Facilities if you need assistance determining if a specific address is eligible for a "C" permit.
Where do I purchase a parking permit?
Permits may be purchased online only through the parking portal. Instructions are available on the Purchasing a Permit webpage.
How long does it take to receive a permit once it has been purchased?
With the implementation of License Plate Recognition, the registered vehicle may park in surface lots on campus immediately following the purchase of a permit.
Garage access cards are delivered to purchasers of "A" permits through campus mail. Use of a current garage access card is required to enter and exit the gated parking garages.
What type of permit am I eligible to purchase?
Staff or faculty members are able to purchase an "A," "B" or "ID" parking permit. "ID" parking permits are only offered to evening, late evening or night shift staff members.
Students living outside of the C permit boundaries (PDF) or more off campus may purchase "C" parking permits, unless they reserved a "C garage" permit the previous spring. Students living in university residence halls who are a semester 03 classification or higher (i.e. typically sophomore level or above) may be eligible to may obtain parking permits. Students may view potential parking permit eligibility through their online parking profile.
What is required in order to obtain a faculty or staff permit?
In order to obtain a faculty or staff permit, you must work at Purdue University. If you are a student, you must be employed and paid by Purdue University at a rate of 3/4 time or more (30 hours or more per week).
Additional information is available on the Faculty and Staff webpage.
For how long is a parking permit valid?
Faculty, staff and student parking permits, i.e. "A," "B," "C" and "C garage" permits, are good for approximately one year, from August 1 of the purchasing year to August 15 of the following year.
May I return my permit if I no longer need it?
If you notify Parking Facilities prior to March 1, you will receive a prorated refund if you paid for the permit in full, or authorized payroll deductions will cease at that time. If you are no longer employed or taking classes at the University, you are no longer eligible for a permit and must return it to the Parking Facilities office. Any individual with a garage access card must return it to Parking Facilities upon the end of employment at Purdue University.
Can I switch my parking permit between vehicles?
Parking permits are registered to the individual and to linked vehicles through the online parking portal. Please note, the parking permit is only to be used by the person to whom the permit was issued. For questions regarding University Residence permits, please visit the University Residences website.
Faculty and staff will be able to register an unlimited number of vehicles to their online parking profile, but a maximum of five vehicles can be linked to one permit. Of the linked vehicles, only one may be parked on campus at a time.
Students may only register one vehicle per permit.
Does Parking Facilities require me to provide information regarding the type of vehicle I own in order to obtain a permit?
YES. Vehicle make/model/color and license plate number are required to be added to the system. Additional information is provided on the License Plate Recognition webpage.
