Pacific Lutheran University welcomes all visitors to our campus and offers free parking passes to friends, family, guests and prospective students authorizing them to park in the PLU lots. Due to the limited parking in and around the PLU campus, parking regulations are strictly enforced. Visitors with passes are advised not to park in any reserved space, carpool space or handicap space (unless they have proper documentation) or they risk being towed. All visitors to campus are asked to stop by the Campus Safety front office to obtain a free day pass before continuing with their visit. Campus Safety is located at 12501 Park Ave. S, Tacoma, WA 98444. (Corner of 125th & Park Ave S) Parking is available behind the building. Neeb Center open hours are Mon-Fri 8am-5pm.

If a driver who is not affiliated with PLU (a visitor to campus, not a student or employee) has received a parking citation and contacts Campus Safety to provide their name, phone number and address, the citation will be waived. If the non-affiliated visitor continues to violate this policy the vehicle may be towed.

Register and apply for a decal on the PermitExpress Parking Portal. This portal takes you to a 3rd party site. Be prepared to create your own account and provide your PLU ID number and vehicle information. Before buying a permit, you must input contact information and a vehicle. If you have any further questions, reach out to parking@plu.edu or call Campus Safety.

Vehicles must be registered with the PermitExpress Parking Portal and permits must be renewed every academic year. Academic year distinctions follow the common format. This year is considered 2026-2027.

Permit orders typically take 2 to 3 business days to complete. An email will be sent to confirm pick up availability.

All registered vehicles are required to display a PLU parking decal on the driver’s side dashboard corner anytime they are parked in a PLU lot.  If, for some reason, your decal is not displayed on your registered vehicle, please stop by Campus Safety to request a free day pass to avoid being cited for failure to display ($30).   You can register multiple vehicles for use under your primary decal but the decal must be moved the vehicle you are currently using that day.  Any vehicles you plan to drive to campus must be re-registered every year under the current school year, as they are not automatically transferred over from the previous year. Please note if you do not have a rearview mirror in your vehicle you may place your hangtag on your dashboard on the driver’s side.

Any time you neglect to transfer/display your primary hang-tag on a registered /non-registered vehicle (e.g., rental car), you can obtain a free day pass from the Campus Safety office.  Otherwise, you risk ticketing for failure to display or register.  

Handwritten notes are not accepted as substitutes for a PLU day pass and will be subject to ticketing the same as an unregistered vehicle ($40). See the “PLU Towing Policy” tab below for more information.

• Employee: No Cost. Employees are eligible to purchase a second decal for the cost of $60*.
• Student: $65 per academic year (there is no half-year rate)
• South Hall Gated Lot: (open to resident students): Total $170 full academic year / $125 half academic year (Fall valid 09/01/2026 thru 01/31/2026 or Spring valid 01/01/2026 thru 05/31/2027)
• Replacement for Lost Decal: $20 – email parking@plu.edu; replacements will be charged to your student account

Refunds for decals may be requested within 30 days of permit purchase (with the exception of unique circumstances), with a $10 transaction fee. To request a refund, please email parking@plu.edu. 

Each decal type is assigned to designated PLU lots with signs posted at each lot entrance indicating which decal type is authorized to park in any given lot.  Should you park in a lot not authorized for your decal, you risk being ticketed for parking in an unauthorized lot ($40).

*Only one decal may be used at a time. Employees are not allowed to share the second decal or bring two cars to campus at one time. The purpose of the second decal is to provide the option of having a decal on two cars so you do not have to transfer a decal from car to car. Violations of this rule may result in forfeiture of the second decal.

Student

• Columbia Center Lot
• Harstad Lot
• Ivy Lot – general parking section only
• Library Lot
• Morken Lot – general parking section only
• Nesvig Lot
• Olson Lot – general parking section only
• Wheeler Lot
• Yakima Lot

Employee

• Columbia Center Lot
• East Hauge Lot
• Facilities Lot
• Ivy Lot
• Library Lot
• Morken Lot
• Neeb Lot
• Nesvig Lot
• Northwest Lot
• Olson Lot
• Tingelstad Staff Lot
• University Center Lot
• Wang Center Lot
• West Hauge Lot
• Wheeler Lot
• Yakima Lot

South Hall 

• South Hall Lot
• Morken Lot
• Library Lot

Citations: Warning vs Ticket

PLU Campus Safety issues two types of citations: Warnings and Tickets. Use the chart below to learn more about which types of citations recieve a warning first and which recieve an immediate ticket. You can easily tell which type of citation you recieved by looking at the top of your citation. Warnings do not come with any type of monetary fine. Please see below example.

Payment of Parking Tickets

• You can pay for your parking ticket online via your PermitExpress account by selecting “Pay Citations” from the home page or at Old Main Market in the University Center.
• Payments may be made with a card or you can request for it to be charged to your student account.
• Most, not all, tickets paid within 1 day of issuance are eligible for a 50% reduction of fine. See “PLU Tickets” below to see ticket types and which tickets do not get first time warnings or are non-reducible.
• Payment after one business day but less than 14 business days results in the original fine being charged.
• After 14 business days, payment or billing of parking ticket fines will have a $10.00 administrative fee included.
• Students: Unpaid fines will be assessed to student accounts after 30 days.
• Employees: Unpaid fines will be directed to Payroll for payroll deduction after 30 days.
• Unregistered vehicles parked in university parking lots with unresolved fines are subject to tow.
• If a driver of an unregistered vehicle is subsequently identified as a PLU student or employee, they will be responsible for payment of any tickets they have received.

Appealing Parking Tickets

You have the right to appeal a PLU parking ticket. The appeals form is also found within your PermitExpress account.

• Appeal requests must be completed within 14 days of the ticket issue date.
• Failure to appeal within the allotted time results in loss of the right to appeal.
• Tickets that are submitted for appeal are not eligible for the next business day 50% off reduction.
• Appeals will be cancelled out or unavailable once the ticket is paid.
• If your ticket is downgraded or your appeal is rejected and you do not pay the ticket by the date given, it will be billed to your student account for the original price of the ticket plus a $10 admin fee.
• Student tickets and Employee tickets will not be voided out at the Campus Safety office. You will need to submit an Appeal request. Your request will then be up for review.

The appeal review process has been altered to reach decisions in a more timely manner. The procedure when an appeal is submitted is as follows:

• The Campus Safety Administrative Officer will evaluate appeals based on existing Parking Regulations and an established rubric for valid claims.
• A decision, along with the justification for the decision, will be available in the PermitExpress Parking Portal along with an email, once an appeal decision has been made. The email used will be the email address given during the registration process.
• Those dissatisfied with the decision of the appeal can request a meeting with the Executive Director of Campus Safety & Emergency Management. A meeting can be requested in person or via email no later than 14-days of the original appeal decision.

For more information about parking appeals, please email parking@plu.edu

PLU Parking Tickets:

PLU reserves the right to tow any vehicle parked on campus property. This includes, but is not limited to, vehicles that are not parked in a marked parking area, vehicles that may impede university operations, be a safety risk, or have received repeated citations.

Once a vehicle has been towed, any subsequent violations may also result in immediate towing without further notice.

Vehicles that appear to be abandoned, broken down, or not in operating condition are subject to tow.

Overnight camping (or sleeping in any vehicle) is not permitted in campus parking lots or on any campus property. Recreational vehicles, campers, camper vans, camp trailers, or any similar vehicle are permitted to park during the day while visiting campus, however these classification of vehicles cannot remain in campus parking lots overnight.

Oversized vehicles, or any vehicle that cannot fit in a single parking stall, should park in the west end of the Morken Parking lot. During certain times, especially during busier events, oversize vehicle parking may not be available. Contact parking@plu.edu or the coordinator for the event you are attending to make notification that you will be bringing an oversized vehicle to campus.

Summer Parking for those leaving a vehicle on campus during the summer terms require notification from the vehicle owner to the parking administrator. Notify at parking@plu.edu.

For further questions, please reach out to parking@plu.edu.

Parking is available on many of the county roadways surrounding the campus. As a licensed driver in the State of Washington, it is the driver’s responsibility to know the Pierce County rules and regulations relative to parking on county roadways. When parking in and around the neighborhood surrounding PLU, please familiarize yourself with the county roadway laws and be respectful of members of the Parkland community. Campus Safety may also issue warning citations if in violation of county rules and regulations and cause a safety hazard to the community. Multiple warnings will result in a referral to Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Campus Safety does not write tickets for violations on streets within the perimeter of the University. However we do issue warnings and after you receive three warnings you will be referred to Student Conduct. Tickets received by Washington State police officers cannot be appealed at PLU through Campus Safety. All inquiries must be directed to Pierce County District Court as explained on the back of the infraction. The RCW’s (Revised Code of Washington) pertaining to parking on county roads can be found here: 46.61.560 – 46.61.590. Parking regulations enacted by Pierce County through the Pierce County Code can be found here: PCC Title 10. It is the responsibility of the driver to be familiar with state and city traffic laws.

The primary function of the Garfield Commons parking lot is for the patrons of the businesses located in the Garfield Commons. PLU staff and students should be utilizing the other authorized PLU lots using the available PLU parking decals for purchase.

Pacific Lutheran University Campus Safety is contracted to provide parking enforcement for the business of Garfield Commons. Campus Safety may issue, warnings, citations or tow notices to vehicles in violation of posted parking regulations.

• Ticketing hours are 8AM to 5PM Monday through Friday.
• You can pay for your parking ticket online via your PermitExpress account by selecting “Pay Citations” from the home page or at Old Main Market in the University Center on the PLU Campus.
• Payments may be made with card or charged to a student account.
• After 14 business days, payment or billing of parking ticket fines will have a $10.00 administrative fee included.
• Students: Unpaid fines will be assessed to student accounts after 30 days.
• Employees: Unpaid fines will be directed to Payroll for payroll deduction after 30 days.
• Vehicles with multiple citations for exceeding the 90 minute limit are subject to tow.

Garfield Commons parking enforcement policy

A vehicle in violation of posted parking regulations in Garfield Commons is subject to a parking citation.

The first instance and second instance of parking over the allotted 90 minute parking allowance will result in a warning.

The third instance of parking over the allotted 90 minute parking allowance will result in a ticket as well as a notification that the vehicle will be towed if found parked over the allotted 90 minutes a fourth time.

If the vehicle is subsequently found to be in violation a fourth time, it will be towed at the owner’s expense (if vehicle is found to be belonging to staff/faculty/student then Campus Safety will make a reasonable effort to contact individual by phone, if phone number can be located, before towing).

Once a vehicle has been towed, any subsequent violations for parking over the 90 minute allocation will also result in immediate towing without further notice.

Vehicles that appear to be abandoned, broken down, or not in operating condition are subject to tow.