All PLU lots are private property and require a parking decal or pass issued by PLU to park in them. A parking decal does not guarantee you a parking space in an authorized lot but rather affords you the opportunity to park in the lot should space be available. The only permissible parking spaces within the PLU lots must be outlined on both sides with painted white lines. Parking in any unmarked section of a PLU lot (i.e. grassy areas, unmarked spaces, etc.) is subject to ticketing for improper parking ($30). Ivy, Morken and Olson lots contain sections that are reserved for faculty. All parking regulations in PLU lots are enforced between 7:00 am -5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, throughout the school year. Areas that are enforced 24 hours per day are: fire lanes, restricted areas, handicapped spaces, carpool spaces, loading zones and reserved 24 hour spaces.
Personal vehicles are prohibited from driving on inner campus without prior authorization from CSAF. The only exception to this rule is during move-in and move-out when restricted access to certain areas of inner campus will be monitored and regulated by CSAF.
The university reserves the right to change designated use of parking lots at any time to provide for special needs. Only the decal for the current school year may be displayed. Previous school year decals must be removed. All vehicles parked on campus must be in operable condition.
Vehicle owners and operators park on campus at their own risk. PLU assumes no risk or liability for any damage or loss to any vehicle, nor the vehicle’s contents, while the vehicle is parked on university property. This includes damage incurred if the vehicle is towed.
- Commuter: Students commuting to campus from home regardless of class standing.
- Freshman: Students with freshman status who are living on campus.
- Resident: Students with statuses other than freshman status living on campus.
- Faculty/Staff: Any and all employees of PLU
- Morken: Offered as a secondary decal option to all employees and students with commuter decals only. See also “Morken Decal Information” in the “Vehicle Registration Information” section.
- South Hall: Open to all students (regardless of class standing) for an additional fee. These decals do not allow the owner to park in any other lots. Assigned spaces only. If someone is in your spot, please call x7441 with a description of the vehicle and your space number. Do NOT park in someone else’s spot while waiting for them to leave.
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).
Commuter Student Decal
- 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
- Tingelstad Lot
- Wheeler Lot
Resident Student Decal
- Columbia Center Lot
- Harstad Lot
- Ivy Lot – general parking section only
- Morken Lot – general parking section only
- Nesvig Lot
- Olson Lot – general parking section only
- Tingelstad Lot
- Yakima Lot
Faculty/Staff Decal
- Columbia Center Lot
- East Hauge Lot
- Facilities Lot
- Health Center 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
Freshman Decal
- Morken Lot – general parking section only
- Olson Lot – general parking section only
South Hall Decal
South Hall Gated Lot
– Open to all students
– Reserved spaces
– Additional fee required
- Faculty/Staff: No Cost. Employees are eligible to purchase a second decal for the cost of $60*.
- Students: $50 annually
- South Hall gated lot (open to all students): Total $130 year / $95 half year
*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 decals from car to car. Violations of this rule may result in forfeiture of the second decal.
All registered vehicles are required to display a PLU parking decal anytime they are parked in a PLU lot. If, for some reason, your decal is not displayed on your registered vehicle, please contact CSAF 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. Any vehicles you plan to drive to campus must be re-registered every year under the current school year decal, as they are not automatically transferred over from the previous year.
Any time you neglect to transfer/display your primary decal on a registered /non-registered vehicle (e.g., rental car), you can obtain a free day pass from the CSAF office. Otherwise, you risk ticketing for failure to display or register. Note: Handwritten notes are not accepted as substitutes for a PLU day pass and will be subject to ticketing the same as an unregistered vehicle ($80).
Your status at PLU (i.e., student vs. employee, commuter vs. resident, freshman, etc.) determines which parking decal you are allowed to register for.
Register Your Vehicle
Registration opens on June 20, 2022 for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. Parking decals are not required for the summer term. Enforcement will begin September 12, 2022. Decals issued for academic year 2022 – 2023 will expire on August 31, 2023.
We accept credit card payments online for parking decals. You can also pay with a credit card online for any parking citations you may receive during the academic year.
When you have completed your online registration, please allow seven days for processing and then pick up your decal at Campus Safety. Our front desk is open 24/7, and is located at the north entrance of Harstad Hall. If you have any questions about vehicle registration, please call 253-535-7249 or email parking@plu.edu.
PLEASE NOTE – STUDENT (Resident, Commuter, or Freshman), SOUTH HALL, and STAFF SECOND DECALS: Your registration is not complete until you have selected a payment method. You will need to scroll to the bottom of the screen after it is confirmed that your application has been submitted with your vehicle information.
MORKEN DECAL INFORMATION: The Morken decal is offered to employees and commuter students who register a second vehicle. The sole purpose of the Morken decal is to offer a free, alternative option for employees and commuter students with registered second vehicles to park in the Morken lot without transferring their primary decal to their second vehicle. When driving your second vehicle and displaying the Morken decal, you are only authorized to park in the Morken lot in the sections authorized by your respective primary decal (i.e., faculty/staff sections vs. student sections). A Morken decal eliminates the need to obtain a day pass to park in the Morken lot. Do not display your primary decal and Morken decal simultaneously or you risk ticketing for display of multiple decals ($20). The Morken decal does not authorize you to park in any other PLU lot. Only the individual that the decal was assigned to is authorized to use it.
Refunds for parking decals are typically given with in the first 30 days of school. If you are looking to obtain a refund after the 30 day mark, you will need to contact the parking supervisor for their review of the situation. If you have questions about a decal refund, please email parking@plu.edu
If you registered for a PLU parking decal and need to leave your vehicle in one of the student authorized lots in your absence, you are welcome to do so until the beginning of the next school year. You will need to obtain prior approval before you leave, so be sure to get summer parking organized well before you depart for your trip. Do not park your vehicle, leave for the trip, and then send in your summer parking information. Each summer there are various maintenance projects scheduled and you need to make sure you are not impeding those projects while parked on campus over the summer. You will need to provide the name and phone number for a local contact in the event your vehicle needs to be tended to in your absence. Inquiries about summer parking on campus can be addressed to parking@plu.edu. To continue parking in the PLU lots after August 31st, you will be required to purchase a new current school year decal.
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 ticketing and possibly towing. 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.
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. A list of common violations can be found in the “Tickets” section of the CSAF website. When parking in and around the neighborhood surrounding PLU, please familiarize yourself with the county roadway laws.
PLU parking lots provide dedicated parking spaces for PLU students, employees, and PLU guests. Use of lots requires either a clearly displayed PLU parking decal or guest pass. In order to preserve this PLU parking benefit, the following policy is in place:
An unregistered vehicle parked in a PLU lot without displaying a PLU parking decal or pass is subject to a parking citation for Failure to Register.
The first citation will be a warning requesting that the driver contact Campus Safety with their contact information and that they obtain a parking decal.
If the driver fails to contact Campus Safety and the vehicle is parked in a PLU lot a second time, the second citation will be an $80 ticket.
If the driver who has received a warning and a parking ticket still does not contact Campus Safety and the vehicle is parked in a PLU lot a third time, a second ticket will be issued. A towing notice will be posted on the vehicle advising it will be towed upon issuance of a third ticket without further notice.
If the vehicle is subsequently found to be parking in a PLU lot and still not registered, it will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Once an unregistered vehicle has been towed, any subsequent violations for failure to register will also result in immediate towing without further notice.
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 will be towed in the same manner listed.
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.
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.