UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Installation of new equipment at the East, HUB and Nittany parking decks is nearly complete, and new procedures for these facilities will go into effect at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14.
Note that parking staff will be present in each of the parking decks over the next few weeks to assist customers who may have questions about the new equipment and procedures. Each entry, exit and pay station will also be equipped with an intercom button that will connect customers with a parking staff member. This service will be available on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and midnight for the next few months, and before the end of fall semester it will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Questions? Contact the Parking Office at 814-865-1436 or parking@psu.edu.
Visitor parking
Visitors parking at the East, HUB and Nittany decks will be required to take their entry ticket with them after parking their vehicle, as payment will be due before returning to the vehicle to exit. Entry tickets will still be issued from stations at the entrance to each facility, and the standard hourly parking rate will remain $1 per hour, with the exception of the East Deck, where the fee for the first hour of parking will be prorated at $0.25 for each 15-minute period.
When ready to exit, visitors will pay for parking by walking to one of the new pay stations located within each facility before returning to their vehicle. These machines allow payment with a major credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover), as well as with U.S. currency (cash or coin). Once payment has been received, visitors will return to their vehicle to exit the facility, submitting the paid ticket into any of the exit lane machines to open the exit gate.
Pay-on-foot stations will be available at the following locations within each parking deck:
- East Deck — three stations on the ground level near each elevator and behind the stairs near the vehicle entrance
- HUB Deck — two stations on the basement and plaza levels near the elevator
- Nittany Deck – three stations on ground level near each elevator and near pedestrian exit along west side of deck
Through the end of the fall semester, visitors will be required to pay for parking only on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and midnight, and during any special events as determined by the Parking Office. Following the University’s winter break, the East, HUB and Nittany decks will move to 24/7 operations, with a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee required 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Visitors should also note the new restriction on motorcycle parking at the East, HUB and Nittany decks. If visiting campus by motorcycle, please contact the Parking Office for information on available motorcycle parking.
East, HUB and Nittany deck permits
For East, HUB and Nittany deck permit holders, the new chip-embedded permit (displayed on the vehicle’s rearview mirror) will be used to enter and exit each user’s assigned deck in the same manner as the previous transponder permit. These permits will also open the entry gates at the other gated facilities. If the vehicle is parked only during hours in which the permit is valid there, these permits will also open the exit gate with no payment due. However, if the vehicle is parked during any hours in which the permit is not valid at that location, the total amount due will be calculated at the exit lane station only and the permit holder will be required to submit payment with a credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) before the exit gate will open.
Other faculty/staff and student permits
Faculty/staff permit holders from other University Park parking areas and student permit holders who wish to park at these facilities will no longer take an entry ticket at any time, and instead will scan their permit’s barcode via the entrance station’s barcode reader (located below the ticket button) to open the entry lane gate at each facility.
When ready to exit the facility, permit holders will drive to the exit and must scan their permit’s barcode through the barcode reader at any available exit lane station. If the vehicle is parked only during hours in which the respective permit is valid, the exit gate will open with no payment due. However, if the vehicle is parked during any hours when the permit is not valid, the total amount due will be calculated at the exit lane station only and the permit holder will be required to submit payment with a credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) before the exit gate will open. University Park faculty/staff and student permits will continue to be valid at these facilities on weekdays after 4 p.m. and throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays, but student parking in these areas will remain prohibited on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Temporary-issue permits and faculty/staff floater permits
Faculty, staff, students and anyone else currently registered for a handwritten temporary-issue permit that does not include a barcode will need to exchange their current permit for an updated version if they wish to park at any time at the East, HUB or Nittany parking decks. New permits may be obtained at the Parking Office, located at 1 Eisenhower Parking Deck, and open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Parking Office is in the process of obtaining barcode stickers for placement on faculty/staff floater permits purchased by University departments. Offices currently registered for these permits will be contacted soon with information regarding how these stickers will be distributed. In the meantime, faculty and staff who wish to use a floater permit at the East, HUB or Nittany deck will still need to take an entry ticket to enter the facility. When exiting, the customer must press the intercom button at any of the exit lane machines, at which time a parking staff member will verify the presence of a valid floater and core faculty/staff permit and open the exit gate.
Commonwealth Campus permits
Because the barcode technology is now being used for permit holder access, Penn State Commonwealth Campus permits will no longer be valid at the East, HUB or Nittany parking decks. Faculty, staff and student permit holders from Commonwealth Campus locations who wish to use these facilities will be required to pay the applicable parking fee, with student access prior to 4 p.m. remaining prohibited.
All other parking access to other University Park parking areas normally granted to Commonwealth Campus faculty/staff and student permit holders will remain available.
Customer assistance and contact information
Parking staff will be present in each of the parking decks over the next few weeks to assist customers who may have questions about the new equipment and procedures. Each entry, exit and pay station will also be equipped with an intercom button that will connect customers with a parking staff member. This service will be available on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and midnight for the next few months, and before the end of fall semester it will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Questions? Contact the Parking Office at 814-865-1436 or parking@psu.edu.