You’ve pulled into one of UF’s parking lots. Gulp. At least there are 24,000 spaces on campus.
After crawling along the packed rows, you finally grab a spot. Another hard-won victory.
Learning the rules early, however, can make the battle easier.
All students who want to park on campus between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. are required to purchase and display a parking decal or permit. Some lots have different hours of restriction as displayed by signs.
All parking decals can be purchased through the UF Transportation and Parking Services’ website.
An annual decal for a car, motorcycle or scooter costs $150. Students can also purchase permits semesterly or monthly, which cost $75 and $35, respectively.
Students living on campus with fewer than 50 credit hours can purchase Red 3 decals. These decals allow parking in “All Red” lots.
Red 1 decals are reserved for on-campus students with 50 or more credit hours. These students can park in Red 1 and “All Red” parking areas.
Students who live in family housing can park in Brown lots, while disabled students can park anywhere.
Off-campus students can purchase a Park and Ride decal, which allows them to park in designated lots and take a Regional Transit System bus further into campus.
Students driving a motorcycle or scooter can purchase separate decals to park in designated areas across campus.
Having her car on campus during the second half of her freshman year made Heather Snyder more mobile. But the 20-year-old health science junior said she prefers to take a bus now that she lives off campus.
“I didn’t want to hassle with trying to get to campus early to find a spot,” she said.
For those who do purchase decals, a set of strict rules governs parking on campus. Failure to comply can result in fines.
Common citations are given to students who park without decals, in restricted areas or on the grass, resulting in $30 fines. False registration or parking with a stolen or duplicate decal garner $150 penalties.
Steve Giordano, a 21-year-old computer science engineering senior, said he’s been slapped with about 15 parking citations, but that he’s been able to reduce or even reverse about half of them.
If your car sports one of those dreaded yellow envelopes, you can appeal the ticket at http://www.parking.ufl.edu.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
