Parking & Tickets

• Commuter: Students commuting to campus from home regardless of class standing.
• Resident: Students living on campus.
• Faculty/Staff: Full-time employees of PLU
• South Hall:  Open to all resident students (regardless of class standing) for an additional fee.

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
• 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
• 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

South Hall Decal

• South Hall Lot
• Morken Lot
• Library Lot

• Faculty/Staff: No Cost. Employees are eligible to purchase a second decal for the cost of $60*.
• Students: $50 per academic year
• South Hall gated lot (open to all resident students): Total $130 full academic year / $95 half academic year
• Replacements for lost decals: $20 per decal lost

*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.

Refunds for parking decals may be requested with in 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

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 are outlined on both sides with painted white lines. Parking in any unmarked section of a PLU lot (i.e. grassy areas, unmarked spaces, sidewalks, 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, South Hall Lot, handicapped spaces, carpool spaces, loading zones and reserved 24 hour spaces.

Personal vehicles are prohibited from driving on inner campus without prior authorization from Campus Safety.  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 Campus Safety.

The university reserves the right to change designated use of parking lots at any time to provide for special needs.  The decal for the current school year must be displayed properly, at the bottom driver’s side of the windshield. Previous school year decals must be removed or moved to a different location.

All vehicles parked on campus must be in operable condition. Repair or maintenance of vehicles is not permitted in PLU Parking lots.

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. 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.

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 instance of parking in a PLU lot without a decal or pass will be a Failure to Register warning requesting that the driver register their vehicle for a PLU parking permit.

The second instance of parking in a PLU lot without a decal or pass will be a Failure to Register ticket.

The third instance of parking in a PLU lot without a decal or pass will be a Failure to Register ticket as well as a notification that vehicle will be towed if found parked in a PLU lot a fourth time.

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 (if vehicle is found to be belonging to staff/faculty/student Campus Safety will make a reasonable effort to contact individual by phone, if phone number can be located, before towing).

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.

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.

Lot Maintenance Summer 2024: Harstad Lot, Olson Lot, Columbia Center Lot and Morken Lot are all scheduled to be re-striped. Notice will be given.

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