UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Transportation Services has announced several changes to parking at University Park that will take effect prior to the start of the fall semester.
Select lots to be reserved 24/7
The following campus parking areas will be reserved for permit holders or will require payment (where available) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, beginning Monday, Aug. 2:
- Commuter lots (Jordan East, Stadium West, Porter North) - ParkMobile and pay station visitor parking will remain available.
- Porter South (Medlar Field).
- Red A (south of Westgate Building).
- Orange A (Housing & Food Services Building, Office of Physical Plant).
- Orange B (Softball Park) - ParkMobile visitor parking will remain available.
- Orange L (Bryce Jordan Center, Indoor Multi-Sport Facility).
- Orange N (Procurement).
- Orange O (Meats Lab, former Visitor Center, Park Avenue pavilion).
This change also took effect at the Orange A parking area near the Katz Building on Monday, July 19, and was enacted in most central campus parking areas in 2019.
These changes will affect non-permitted visitors only. Evening and weekend parking access to these lots associated with faculty/staff and student permits will not change.
Pay station and ParkMobile visitor parking will remain available at the Commuter lots, Orange A at Katz Building, Orange B, and the OPP Visitor Lot, which now will also require payment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pay station and ParkMobile parking will also remain available at other select campus locations, as will hourly and overnight visitor parking at the East, HUB, Nittany and West decks at the rate of $1 per hour ($12 daily maximum fee). Visit the Transportation Services website for more information on daily visitor parking options.
Frequent campus visitors and departments hosting evening and weekend events are encouraged to contact Transportation Services to discuss whether purchasing a permit may better suit their parking needs.
New head-in parking requirement
Head-in parking is currently required at the East, Eisenhower, Nittany and West parking decks, and all surface parking lots with angled spaces. Beginning Monday, Aug. 16, parking in all other campus parking areas will require vehicles to be parked so that the license plate is facing the drive aisle located closest to their parking space. This means that head-in parking will be required in these areas except for vehicles with a front license plate.
Requirements will be posted on the signage located at the entrance to each parking area.
This new rule is being enacted as part of Transportation Services' implementation of license plate recognition (LPR) technology for parking enforcement. Implementing this new rule is a critical step in utilizing this technology to eliminate the need for physical parking permits, which is expected to occur over the next few years.
For drivers who wish to continue backing into spaces in eligible areas, Transportation Services will offer a special front license plate that when installed will allow for vehicles to back into non-angled spaces. The license plate will cost $20 and may be purchased in person at the Transportation Services Office at 1 Eisenhower Parking Deck.
Parking designation changes
The following parking designation changes will go into effect beginning Monday, Aug. 2:
- The section of student Lot 42 located between Nittany Apartments and East Area Lockers will change to Silver J faculty/staff parking.
- The section of Green Y parking (formerly graduate student Lot 10) located along Railroad Avenue behind the West Campus Chiller Plant will change to Red A parking.
- The Yellow A surface lot located between Research West and the Water Tunnel will change to Red A parking.
- The temporary designation of select Brown 11 student parking areas as Yellow Z faculty/staff parking will end.
With these changes, the additional parking allowances at West Campus for Red A, Yellow A, Green Y, ACR, and Yellow Z permit holders will end Friday, July 30. All-day parking for each of these permits will only be valid in their assigned area, Orange lots, and the Commuter lots. Evening/weekend access to other faculty/staff parking areas will remain available.
For more information, email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436.