Ticketing hours are 7AM to 5PM Monday through Friday. Ticketing for J-Term and Spring starts January 2, 2024.
Vehicle Registration and Parking is also within the Student Code of Conduct.
Ticket and Appeal information is found on the tickets tab to the left, or via this Ticketing and Appeals link.
Winter Break/J-Term parking temporarily available. See the “Summer/Winter/J-Term Parking” tab below for more information.
Register and apply for a permit 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 2023-2024.
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.
Ticketing hours are 7AM to 5PM Monday through Friday.
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 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 ($80). See the “PLU Towing Policy” tab below for more information.
Your status at PLU (i.e., student vs. employee, commuter vs. resident, freshman, etc.) determines which parking decal you are allowed to register for.
MORKEN DECAL INFORMATION: MUST HAVE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR DECAL FIRST. 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.
An initial decal must be purchased before a Morken decal is approved. You are required to enter your initial decal number in order to complete the Morken Registration Form.
- Commuter: Students commuting to campus from home regardless of class standing.
- Freshman: Students with freshman status who are living on campus.
- Resident: Students with sophomore standing or higher living on campus.
- Faculty/Staff: Employees of PLU
- Morken: Offered as a secondary decal option to employees and commuter students only. See also “Morken Decal Information” within the “Register Your Vehicle” 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.
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
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
– Additional fee required
- only allows South Hall Lot
- Faculty/Staff: No Cost. Employees are eligible to purchase a second decal for the cost of $60*. Must be renewed each academic year
- Students: $50 per academic year
- South Hall gated lot (open to all 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 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.
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.
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 Campus Safety 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 request that the driver contact Campus Safety with their contact information and that they pay their fine. Once paid, they will be issued a forced registration and 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 issued.
If the driver who has received two parking tickets still does not contact Campus Safety and the vehicle is parked in a PLU lot a third time, an additional ticket will be issued. A towing notice will also be posted on the vehicle, advising it will be towed upon issuance of a fourth 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.
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
The Tingelstad Gated Lot is temporarily available for PLU students to leave their vehicles in as they have in the past for the winter break and J-Term months.
The owner will be requiring a liability waiver be signed by the driver of the vehicle staying within the gate.
Vehicles will be left inside the locked and secured gate between the driver requested dates, but not outside of winter break and J-Term.
For further questions, please reach out to parking@plu.edu.