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Office of Parking Operations

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General Information

The purpose of the Indiana University parking system is to expedite the efficient flow of traffic on the IU Bloomington campus and to provide parking facilities for faculty, staff, students and visitors.

The Indiana University parking system is a self-supporting service, receiving no funds from the State of Indiana, the university budget, or student fees. It is, therefore, necessary to apply a system of user service charges to all vehicles operated on university property.

Income derived from the sale of parking permits and from the collection of monetary penalties assessed under the parking regulations is used for the administration, maintenance and improvement of parking facilities.

The university reserves the right to temporarily close any campus parking area or facility or to change the alphabetic designation of any parking area. Amendments to the parking rules and regulations will be announced in the campus newspaper and other appropriate media. Any such changes shall not be cause for appeal of illegal parking.

At no time will the employees of Parking Operations and Parking Enforcement be subject to verbal or physical abuse, including being threatened, cursed or assaulted in any fashion. Any such abuse will be reported to the appropriate university authorities for disciplinary action.

All IU parking facilities, except those for visitors and pay lots, are regulated by a system of alphabetic coding. To park in any alphabetic-coded lot, the vehicle must be registered with the university. This regulation is always in effect, except that any vehicle, with or without a permit, may park in any D or E space from Friday at 5 p.m. until Sunday at 11 p.m., unless posted otherwise.

Authority

Indiana State laws governing the movement, operation, and parking of motor vehicles shall apply on university property. The Office of the Dean of Students has jurisdiction over student operation of motor vehicles.

The Board of Trustees of a state educational institution may regulate the traffic of the following on on all real property owned, used, occupied, or controlled by the state educational institution:

• Motor vehicles;
• Bicycles;
• Other vehicles; and
• Pedestrians;

Regulations adopted by the Board of Trustees of a state educational institution that are applicable to traffic and parking may include the following provisions:

• Provisions governing the registration, speed, operation, and parking and the times, places, and manner of use of motor vehicles, bicycles, and other vehicles.
• Provisions prescribing penalties for the violation of regulations. Penalties may include the following:
  
  
  • Imposition of reasonable charges;
  • Removing and impounding (at the expense of the violator) vehicles that are operated or parked in violation of regulations;
  • Denial of permission to operate vehicles on the property of the state educational institution.

Parking Guidelines

• Parking regulations are in effect year round, including semester breaks. These enforcement regulations apply to all persons who operate motor vehicles or bicycles on Indiana University property.
• It is the owner’s responsibility to read and fully understand the parking regulations. Professing ignorance of them will not be accepted as an excuse to alleviate fines assessed for violations.
• Vehicles must park in established parking spaces only. Vehicles parked with tires touching or over the stall marker are subject to ticketing. In gravel lots, bumper blocks (if present) establish parking spaces. Parking on the landscape is never allowed.
• The university reserves the right to change any parking regulation. Changes in the regulations will be announced through the campus newspaper and other appropriate media.
• A parking permit is not a guarantee of a specific parking space. The driver is responsible for finding an authorized parking space and the lack of a space does not justify illegal parking.
• The registrant of the vehicle is responsible for any citation assigned, regardless of who is driving the vehicle at the time of the violation.

Motorcycle Regulations

For campus safety, motorcycles should only be operated on the streets, and not operated on sidewalks or pedestrian paths.

Motorcycles must park in designated motorcycle areas and may also occupy an automobile space. Since motorcycles are permitted to use a car space, the driver is responsible for observing the same regulations as those governing automobiles.

Some motorcycle areas may be designated with a modified sign for specific alphabetic permits. For example, at the Ballantine garage, motorcycle parking with an 'A' permit only is permitted.

Motorcycles may not park at bicycle racks, on sidewalks, near bus shelters, behind buildings, in administrative or classroom buildings or on the landscape.

Motorcycle parking areas are located at the following:

• Third St. and Indiana
• Tenth St. lot
• Tenth St. and bypass
• Atwater garage
• Dorm lots
• Ernie Pyle
• Education
• Fine Arts
• Geology
• Law School
• Library
• Memorial Hall
• Myers Hall
• Optometry lot
• Poplars garage
• Von Lee parking lot

Any wheeled vehicle with a gasoline engine (excluding cars and trucks) is considered a motorcycle and must be registered with Parking Operations and display a valid permit.

Motorcycles parked so as to obstruct roadways, hinder university operations, and/or damage property are subject to being towed at the owner’s expense.

Automobile Regulations

Accidents involving motor vehicles should be reported without delay to the IU Police Department at (812) 855-4111.

Driving and parking of motor vehicles on university property is to be confined to areas designated for those purposes only.

The parking regulations apply all year long, during academic breaks as well as during academic terms. Weather conditions do not affect the applicability or enforcement of the regulations.

During the period when students are moving in and out of residence halls at the beginning and end of each semester, vehicles may be permitted to stand in adjacent driveways for up to 30 minutes for loading purposes. Each such vehicle must be constantly attended by a person who can move it immediately in the event of an emergency. An unattended vehicle may be towed at the owner's expense.

All IU Bloomington parking garages provide free parking all day on Saturday and Sunday.

The parking meters must be paid 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. The parking meters are free from Friday at 10 p.m. until Monday at 7 a.m.

Metered parking designated as Visitor Parking is not to be used by students, faculty, or staff between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Vehicles must park in established parking spaces only and are to be in conformity with the alphabetic-coded zoning allocation of spaces. Vehicles parked with tires touching or over the stall marker are subject to ticketing. In gravel lots, bumper blocks, if present, establish parking spaces.

Parking on the landscape is always prohibited. Parking on the grass, sidewalks, crosswalks, service drives, loading zones, truck spaces, or on streets, except where specifically marked for parking, is prohibited.

Yellow curbs, fire drives and loading zones are not parking spaces. The vehicle may be ticketed and towed if it is left unattended in these areas.

Any area of roadway, including that area within a parking lot which is not specifically marked for parking, loading, or as a Fire Lane, is defined as a driveway. Parking in driveways is prohibited.

The fact that other vehicles are parked improperly shall not constitute a defense for parking in violation of the regulations nor for parking outside of lines in an otherwise legal parking lot.

The fact that a vehicle, including IU Service Vehicles, is parked in violation of any rule or regulation and does not receive a citation does not mean that the rule or regulation is no longer in effect.

The fact that a vehicle is mechanically disabled shall not constitute a defense for parking in violation of the rules and regulations. Notes to that effect left on vehicles by the owners/operators will not be acknowledged by enforcement officers.

The absence of 'No Parking' signs does not mean that parking is allowed. Parking is not allowed along curbs in parking lots unless marked for parking. Parking is permitted only within marked stalls. All areas not specifically designated for parking shall be considered 'No Parking' zones.

Double parking is prohibited at all times.

Parallel parking on the wrong side of the street is prohibited at all times.

Activated flashers on an illegally parked vehicle do not exempt the vehicle from receiving a parking citation.

Registered vehicles must display current permits only. The registrant is held responsible for any violation involving the registered vehicle when he/she is operating it or when another individual is using the vehicle.

The registration of a vehicle in no way guarantees that a parking space convenient for the individual will be provided. The responsibility for finding a legal parking space rests with the motor vehicle operator. Inability to locate a legal parking space is not an acceptable excuse for violation of these regulations.

*For specific registration details, please select your affiliation (audience type) from the radio buttons at the top of the page.

The cost of a fraudulent registration citation is $200. Fraudulent registration includes but is not restricted to:

• Purchasing a permit in another person's name;
• Registering a vehicle which is to be used by and for a person not authorized such registration;
• Display or use of an IU parking permit on a vehicle other than the vehicle registered;
• Unauthorized use of visitor permits. Faculty, staff, and students are not considered visitors;
• Altering a visitor permit constitutes fraudulent registration and the appropriate fine will be imposed;
• Misrepresentation of one's eligibility for permit purchases.

Any vehicle in violation of the parking regulations may be towed away without prior notice and stored at the owner’s expense. Vehicles apparently abandoned on university property will be disposed of according to Indiana State law.

Parking spaces designated for Disabled parking are reserved for vehicles bearing an IU Disabled Permit on a 24-hour basis unless it is a Disabled space with a parking meter. A vehicle parked illegally in a space designated for Disabled parking will be ticketed and towed without prior notice at the owner’s expense.

Disabled Parking Regulations

Vehicles displaying Indiana issued Disabled American Veteran license plates may park at any campus meter without feeding the meter if the disabled veteran is driving or being transported in the vehicle. Vehicles with any IU campus Disabled Permit may park at the Disabled meters and are not required to pay the meter. Only vehicles displaying a state-issued Disabled license plate/plaque are required to pay the meter.

Any valid state issued Disabled plaque/plate may park in an IU Disabled space after 5 p.m. without an IU Disabled Permit.

• It is a violation to leave standing in a Disabled parking space any vehicle not displaying a current IU Disabled Permit.
• It is a violation for any person not qualifying for the rights and privileges extended to disabled persons to exercise or attempt to exercise such rights or privileges by the unauthorized use of a distinguishing license plate, removable hang tag or temporary removable hang tag; and to park or leave standing any vehicle so as to obstruct a curb ramp or curb cut for disabled persons.

For more information on Disabled Parking and Disabled Permits, please see:

• ADA-Accessible Parking
• Disabled Permits