The following definitions are specifically for use with the
Seattle Pacific University parking regulations.
All students and employees who bring a car to campus must register their vehicle with the Office of Safety and Security utilizing the parking forms regardless of whether the vehicle is parked on the street or in an SPU parking lot. SPU does not charge for vehicle registration, but SPU does charge for parking, and also issues fines for vehicles that are not registered. Vehicles must be registered within 10 business days of the start of a quarter (for students) or of the start of employment (for employees). If a student or employee wants to park on campus, they need to register their vehicle with the Online Permit Registration portal. Wait times can vary for confirmations depending on the time of year.
- Commuter Permit: Within 14 business days (at or before quarter start) or within 7 business days (mid quarter).
- Residential Permit: Before the first day of classes (at or before quarter start) or within 7 business days (mid quarter)
- Street Parking Permit: No wait time. Automatically confirmed. You will not receive a confirmation email.
Spaces in the parking lots of Emerson Hall, Ashton Hall, Hill Hall, Arnett Hall, and campus apartments are reserved for students living in the corresponding areas. Level two of the Dravus Lot is also reserved for on campus residents when there are no spaces available in their residential parking area. On-campus student residents who register their vehicle and receive a space will be assigned a numbered space for the academic year. The assignment will be communicated via email.
Some parking lots have limited spaces. Space assignments will be issued based on application status and waitlists, depending on the building of residence. Students who have applied for a space but have not received one will be added to the waiting list compiled during the application process and may be assigned an alternative stall in another area or offered the option of switching to a Commuter Permit. Until a resident receives a space, their vehicle must be parked on the street.
Vehicles authorized to park in one of the above lots are not authorized to park in any other campus parking lot. Any unauthorized car parked in an assigned residential space is subject to ticketing and impoundment. Assignments to residence hall or apartment parking lots are based on:
- Date application is received by the Office of Safety and Security
- Living area of the student
- Need of the student
Faculty and staff parking
Faculty and staff who purchase an E-Permit are authorized to park in any commuter lot, as long as it is not an assigned space in one of those lots. We are offering a limited amount of reserved stalls to Faculty and Staff who would like to request one at a higher parking fee. More details to come soon.
Carpool Parking
The designated permit for vehicles in carpool lots is “Carpool.” Faculty or staff participating in a carpool with three or more riders may receive a free reserved parking space by completing a Commute Trip Reduction form and registering their vehicle with the E-Permit Application form. Carpool groups need to have the primary driver register their vehicle and apply for all riders including their SPU ID numbers with the E-Permit Application form which is submitted through our Online Permit Registration portal.
Those participating in a carpool with two riders may also receive a reserved parking space and will be charged half of the annual amount of a parking permit. For all carpools, participants will receive an E-Permit valid only in their space. In the event that one carpool member is unable to participate, he or she must park on the street. Parking in a lot, other than in the reserved carpool space, may result in a parking citation. All participants in carpools must register with the Office of Safety and Security to receive these preferred spaces.
Guest parking permits
All visitors are welcome to the campus and may park in the limited Visitor parking spaces in the lower Dravus lot, which visitors can park and can call the Office of Safety and Security at (206) 281-2922 or submitting this Visitor Parking form to register their vehicle for the day. Visitor permits are not required on weekends, holidays, during quarter breaks, and summer quarter. Visitors may not park in any reserved spaces. As noted below, there are also 30 minute parking spaces available on campus.
Disability Accessible Permits
Accessible parking areas are designated in each Commuter parking lot on the University campus. Designated accessibility areas require a University issued permit in addition to a State-Issued pass. Please follow the regular Parking Registration process through the E-Permit Application, or email transportation@dbctl.com to obtain an accessible parking permit.
Service parking permits
Service Zones are
designated throughout the campus for use by any University
department vehicle. Authorized, off-campus service vehicles
are also permitted to use these specially designated areas.
Bookstore parking area
Customers of the campus bookstore may park in this parking area for a period not to exceed 30 minutes. No permit is necessary. Vehicles parked in these stalls longer than the allotted time period will be cited.
30-minute and 60-minute parking zones: There are several 30–60 minute parking zones located around campus. These locations may be used without a permit for up to the allotted time by any visitors, as well as students, faculty and staff. Vehicles parked in these stalls longer than the allotted time period will be cited.
Other things you should know
Cancellations and Changes: These can be performed by submitting the relevant form under Parking Forms.
Fees: A fee schedule for parking privileges is documented on the parking application form.
Finals week: Parking rules and regulations are enforced during finals week.
Summer classes: During the summer, active visitors and students may park in any lot on campus, provided they park legally and do not park in any loading zone, reserved or an Accessible space (unless they have a state-issued permit), or in a fire lane. There is no long-term summer parking, as we do repaving, re-striping, and other construction during the summer.
License plate and address changes: These must be updated by submitting a Parking Account Change form.
Vehicles sold or traded: If a registered vehicle is sold or traded, the owner is responsible to update their permit or vehicle status accordingly.
Falsification or forgery: Any falsification of information renders the permit invalid and subjects the offender to disciplinary action from the University. Any falsification, forgery, or alteration of any permit issued by the University also subjects the offender to disciplinary action from the University.
Unattended vehicles/engine running: Vehicles may not be left unattended while the engine is running. The ignition key must be removed from all unattended vehicles.
Open parking: Open parking, except for reserved and Accessible spaces, is allowed in the Dravus, Crawford, Ross, OMH, McKenna, and Sixth Avenue West lots between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., Monday through Friday, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday. Persons living off campus but attending night classes at SPU, either for credit or for audit, are permitted to park in these lots during these times as long as their vehicle is registered with the Office of Safety and Security, which is free of charge.
Places on campus to never park
Illegal parking: Any vehicle or any part of a vehicle that is not authorized to park in a fire lane, loading zone, service zone, reserved space, visitor parking, or on a lawn or sidewalk will be subject to fines, towing, or both. Any vehicle that is double-parked or outside the parking stall is subject to a citation. Any vehicle that is parked in a manner which obstructs the flow of traffic or is parked in an unmarked space or alleyway will be subject to towing.
Towing policy: The owner of a vehicle that receives five parking violations will receive a letter as warning that the next citation will result in the immediate impoundment of the vehicle, without further warning at the owner's risk and expense. Under the following circumstances, owners of vehicles will not receive a letter of warning:
- Fire lane: Any unattended vehicle parked with any part of the vehicle extending into a fire lane area will be impounded if not moved within one hour from the time the citation is issued.
- Service zone: Service areas are designated as 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week tow-away zones, and are restricted to vehicles with special designations or authorization. Any unauthorized vehicle in a service zone may be towed or impounded at any time.
- Accessible spaces: Accessible spaces are designated as 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week tow-away zones, and are restricted to vehicles with special State decals and valid purchased Accessible permits. Any unauthorized vehicle in an accessible space may be towed or impounded at any time.
- Residential spaces: Residential students with assigned spaces may, through complaint to the Office of Safety and Security, arrange to have violators parked in their assigned spaces either ticketed or towed at the expense of the owner of the vehicle. Any vehicle parked in a reserved residential space without authorization may be towed or impounded at any time.
- Obstructing: Any vehicle which is obstructing an access route to a parking lot or building shall be impounded if not moved within one half hour from the time the citation is issued.
- Ignoring direct warning: If the owner or driver of a vehicle ignores a request to move the vehicle by a Campus Security officer, the vehicle may be towed or impounded without further warning. Emergency Situations: Any vehicle which experiences parking brake failure, thus posing a hazard to vehicles and to people in the vicinity, or any vehicle which is leaking gasoline, may be towed immediately, unless the owner can be located to assist in the situation.
- Special events or construction areas: Occasionally, there may be the need to have vehicles cleared from an area of campus in order to prepare for a special event or to secure a construction area to provide access for construction vehicles. In such a situation, all attempts will be made to locate the vehicle's owner. If signs were posted, and if the owner is not located, the vehicle will be impounded at the owner's expense. If circumstances require that cars must be towed without warning, towing will take place at the University's expense.
What happens if I violate parking regulations?
Responsibility for citations
Students, faculty, and staff are responsible for any citations issued to their vehicle, regardless of whether the vehicle is registered with the Office of Safety and Security. If a visitor receives a citation in a vehicle registered to a person affiliated with the University, the person to whom the vehicle is registered is responsible for the citation. It is the responsibility of the students or faculty/staff members to instruct others who drive their vehicle as to where they may park.
Parking citations
Citations will be issued to any vehicle parked on University property that is in violation of the Parking Regulations. All vehicles must be registered. If you receive a citation for being unregistered, and you then register, that citation will be voided on the first offense only. If someone parks in another resident's assigned parking space, they will be subject to impoundment at the owner’s risk and expense, without further warning and without a waiting period.
If, after the Office of Safety and Security has issued five citations and a warning, a vehicle is found again in violation of the Parking Regulations, it will be subject to impoundment at the owner’s risk and expense, without further warning and without a waiting period. Payment of any towing and storage fees does not preclude the payment of the citation for failure to register or of any monies due on the issued citations.
Schedule of fines
- 1st offense: $35
- 2nd offense: $35
- 3rd offense: $35
- 4th offense: $35
- Each additional offense: $35
- Accessible space: $45
- Fire lane: $45
- Failure to register: $35
Where to pay parking fines
University Faculty/Staff: Employees of SPU will be billed to their SPU SFS account for all citations and parking violations issued. Failure to pay fines may result in suspension of all parking privileges. Information about Faculty/Staff accounts is available in Student Financial Services.
Students: Charges for citations and other violations are assessed against the student's account in Student Financial Services. Information about Student accounts is available in Student Financial Services and in the SPU catalog.
Guests/Visitors/Vendors: Guests of the university or Vendors may pay their citation by reaching out to the Transportation team by emailing transportation@dbctl.com.
How to appeal a parking citation
All appeals must be initiated within 10 days of the citation being issued or the individual will lose the right to appeal. Appeals will be reviewed by the Transportation Manager, who will communicate the decision via email within 14 business days after receiving the petition.
- Guests, Visitors, Vendors, and SPU Faculty, Staff and Students may submit a Parking Citation Petition. All decisions are final and additional petitions for the same citation will not be considered valid.
Accidents and Collisions
It is the responsibility of any person involved in any traffic accident on Seattle Pacific University property to report the incident immediately to the Office of Safety and Security, either in person at 601 W Emerson or by calling 206- 281-2911.
Private Property
The Seattle Pacific University campus is private property. The University reserves the right to deny any person permission to operate or maintain a motor vehicle thereon. Failure to heed such a denial may constitute a trespass. The University reserves the right to inspect any unidentified motor vehicle parked on University property in order to learn the identity of the owner or operator, and to remove, by impoundment, any vehicle that violates these regulations, is improperly parked, or constitutes a hazard to the health or property of others.
The University assumes no responsibility for the care of, protection of, or damage to, any motor vehicle or its contents at any time it is operated on, parked on, or removed from University property.