Community/Visitor Parking Permit

The Community/Visitor permit will be available to local community members and frequent campus visitors, including non-Penn State employees who purchase their own Commuter-access parking permit, non-Emeritus Penn State retirees, and Commonwealth Campus students not enrolled in classes at University Park.

Priced at $15 per month, this permit will be available to purchase monthly through the online parking portal.

Permit Notes:

• Parking outside of the permit's valid hours will require payment of the applicable hourly or event fee, where available.
• The permit is not valid on home football game days.
• Orange L lots near the Bryce Jordan Center will not be accessible during Penn State events on the east side of campus. 
• Transportation Services reserves the right to restrict permit access based on event needs and will communicate any changes to permit holders by email.

ADA Parking:

• A Community/Visitor parking permit and valid ADA parking placard or license plate only provides ADA parking in areas and during hours authorized by the Community/Visitor permit.
• All event parking areas have designated ADA parking, but ParkMobile prepayment or day-of-event payment is required in addition to a valid ADA parking placard if parking in a lot not authorized by the Community parking permit.
• If closer parking is needed for non-event parking, contact Transportation Services for additional options.

Event Parking:

Click on the link below for information on the closest available evening/weekend parking locations near campus event venues with the Community/Visitor permit:

Community/Visitor Permit Evening/Weekend Event Parking Locations by Venue

Those who wish to park in closer event lots than what is available with the new Community/Visitor permit (such as Stadium West and Jordan East for evening/weekend Bryce Jordan Center and Pegula Ice Arena events, Nittany Deck for Rec Hall events, and Eisenhower Deck for Eisenhower Auditorium events) may prepay for event parking through ParkMobile or pay the day-of-event rate, if available. Discounted prepaid parking for many special events is available through ParkMobile, including season parking packages for select Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics teams.

This is a virtual permit enforced by license plate recognition. The license plate associated with the permit must match the license plate on the vehicle driven to campus. 

Please keep a printed or mobile version of the permit readily available in case parking staff needs to verify parking permit. 

Commuter and Orange Lots: 

• Park in any of the Commuter or Orange lots with license plate facing the drive aisle. 

West Deck: 

• Use any entry lane and pull up to the entry lane machine. 
• Wait for the gate to lift and proceed to park in the deck. 
• When ready to exit, pull up to the exit lane machine and wait until gate lifts completely before exiting. 
  • If the gate does not lift, scan the QR code on a printed or mobile version of your permit. 

Note: If you park at the West Deck outside of the permit's valid hours, gates will still lift automatically and payment by credit card will be required at the exit lane machine. 

Q: Why can’t I purchase this permit for more than one month at a time?

A: Due to the ever-changing landscape of campus and ongoing construction projects, this permit option will only be available as an online renewable one-month permit to allow for Transportation Services to adjust availability as needed in response to campus operational needs.

Q: What do I do if I can’t purchase this permit online? / Can I go into the Transportation Services Office to purchase a permit? / I don't have an email/computer - what do I do?

A: If you do not have access to a computer or are unable to purchase this permit online, customers may visit the Transportation Services Office and a team member will assist you at one of the self-service kiosks in the lobby. An valid email address is required to purchase this permit.

Q: Where/how do I find other parking options if I do not want to purchase this permit?

A: If this permit does not meet your parking needs, please visit our Visitor Parking page on our website to learn more about our daily and event parking options.

Q: Will it store my credit card?

A: Due to Payment Card Security Standards compliance, we are unable to store credit card information.

Q: Why can't you process the monthly renewal automatically?

A: Due to Payment Card Security Standards compliance, we are unable to store credit card information, and therefore, are unable to renew a permit automatically.

Q: Why can't I park in West Deck or Orange Lots from 2am-4am?

A: This permit does not have overnight parking privileges. If you work for a company that is not affiliated with Penn State but need overnight parking access, have your supervisor contact our office at [email protected] for assistance.

Q: What am I supposed to do for parking during an event on campus?

A: ​​​​​​​For special events, you may park in the areas associated with this permit during authorized hours. If you wish to park closer to the event venue, you can pre-pay for parking at a discounted rate for most events through ParkMobile. If you want to stay up to date on parking options for all events, subscribe to our listserv.

Q: I have an ADA placard, and these parking options are not suitable for me. What other options do I have? Will there be a shuttle running during these events?

A: ​​​​​​​All event parking areas have designated ADA parking, but ParkMobile prepayment or day-of-event payment is required in addition to a valid ADA parking placard if parking in a lot not authorized by the Community parking permit. The Campus Shuttles as well as the CATA buses are ADA accessible, and information on those can be found on the Buses and Shuttles page on our website.

Q: I work on campus and receive a different lot than the Commuter Lots. Do I have to park in the Commuter Lots now?

A: This permit option is not for Penn State faculty/staff employees. If you are a faculty/staff permit holder, please refer to the Faculty/Staff Parking page for more information on your parking access, rules, and regulations. If you are not affiliated with Penn State but are working on campus, please have your supervisor contact us to learn more about what parking options are available. 

Q: Why am I paying the same amount for less access?

A: ​​​​​​​To prevent a significant increase in the price of this permit option, additional location and hour restrictions were required. As a self-supporting operation responsible for offering campus transit, bike programs, ride sharing, and other transportation services, we must generate sufficient parking revenue to support these services and cover the costs of operating the campus parking program. The hourly, daily, and event parking rates charged for parking on campus are the market rates, and moving forward, reduced-cost monthly and semester permits with full campus and event parking access will be a benefit limited to Penn State employees and students. Additionally, we expect to see a decrease in our available parking supply, with approximately 400 spaces offline during Beaver Stadium renovations and a significant reallocation of spaces at the Nittany Deck for Nittany Lion usage as part of their land lease agreement with the University. If these permits continued to have access in their current areas and hours, they would have a negative impact on parking and traffic related to events, as lots would fill more quickly and more often.

Q: How far in advance can I purchase my permit?

A: ​​​​​​​The permit will start the day that it is purchased. Customers will have seven days to renew their permit from when they receive the reminder notice.

Q: I work as an usher/security near the BJC/Stadium. Where am I supposed to park?

A: ​​​​​​​If you are not affiliated with Penn State but are working on campus, please have your supervisor contact us to learn more about what parking options are available. ​​​​​Part-time Penn State employees can login to the parking portal and explore what options are available for them. For more information on this, please visit our Faculty/Staff Parking page on our website.