Parking Challenges: Cost & Availability

Because of state regulations, state monies or tuition fees may not be used for any parking purposes on campus. This means construction, improvement, and maintenance of all parking facilities at UCCS are financed solely through permit sales, parking fines, and visitor parking. Annual revenues from parking must be sufficient to satisfy reasonable operating expenses and to repay revenue bonds sold to construct parking facilities.  

Yes. There are more than enough parking spaces on campus, the challenge is that not all available spaces are as close or convenient as some users prefer. Permits are broken out into three parking zones:  

  • Central Campus 

  • Border lots (100 series) 

  • 500 series 

While some individual lots fill up during peak hours, every zone generally has available parking somewhere in the zone. We utilize waitlists for some Central campus permits to ensure supply meets demand.   

Peak hours (9AM - 2 PM) cause congestion near central buildings. We recommend going straight to Gateway Garage upper floors during busy times.

Peak hours (9AM - 2 PM) cause congestion in the gravel lot (540) and the two lots adjacent to Hybl (571 & 572). We recommend the lot by Ent Center for the Arts (576) during busy times.

Permits & Regulations

All parking lots on campus require either a permit or hourly payment to park. 

Students and employees can register for a 500 series permit to park in 500 series lots for free. These lots are located on the west side of campus and have free shuttle service M-F, 6:45 AM–10:20 PM during academic semesters.

Paid parking (permit/hourly) is required and enforced Monday – Thursday 8am – 10pm and Fridays 8am-4pm during each academic semester.  

Except for paid parking, all other parking violations are enforced 24/7/365 (ie. Handicap, fire lane, 15 minute, reserved, Z permit, LEFE, parking over the line, etc.).

Parking and Transportation Regulations can be found by going to our Regulations page.

Yes. Most permits allow multiple license plates. However, only one vehicle per permit may be parked on campus at a time. 

Citations

We issue parking tickets to keep campus parking fair, safe, and reliable for everyone. When people park improperly or without paying, they take spaces from those who follow the rules, create congestion, and reduce the overall quality of service. Parking in fire lanes or restricted areas also creates safety hazards and can delay emergency response. Consistent enforcement ensures parking remains available, orderly, and functional, helping us provide the level of service the community depends on. 

No. Parking Services does not profit from citations. Citations are issued only as a necessary service to maintain the safety, fairness, and integrity of the campus parking system. Revenue from citations is used to cover the operational costs of enforcement, and any excess funds are donated to the on‑campus Family Development Center to support student scholarships for childcare services.

License plates must face outward so our enforcement vehicles can accurately read them using license‑plate‑recognition cameras. When a plate isn’t visible, staff must stop, exit the vehicle, and manually check the plate. If this happens frequently, it slows down enforcement across campus, reduces our ability to ensure fair and consistent permit compliance, and ultimately affects the quality of service for everyone who pays to park. Keeping your plate visible helps enforcement run efficiently and ensures an orderly, reliable parking system. 

Commuter Permit Waitlists

Commuter Student Central Campus permits (Full Central, M/W/F, and T/R/F) have limited availability to ensure that everyone who purchases one can reliably find parking. Alpine permits for commuter students are also capped so residential students have adequate space. 

 

See more details here for waitlists on the Commuter Student Permits page.