Student Permits

This is the place to find information on student parking permits. If you're an employee, please visit the Employee Permits Page.

Permit Information

Parking Portal

Access the Parking Portal

Parking on Campus

Parking on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods is extremely limited and parking regulations are strictly enforced. A valid WWU parking permit is required to park in all Western parking lots.

We recommend that students avoid bringing a car to campus. There are only 2,347 student parking spaces on campus for Western’s approximate 15,000 students, so most students will not receive a parking permit. There are 720 parking spaces for resident students, 1117 parking spaces for commuting students, and 510 of additional student parking spaces off-campus.

Calculate the Cost of Your Commute

Use this Commute Cost Calculator to determine how much it costs you to drive to and from campus. Reduce the number of days per week that you drive to campus and see your savings add up.

Student Parking Permit Rates

Lot	Permit Type
Lot	Quarterly	Academic	Annual	Summer
R (Resident)	$119	$357	$458	$101
C (Commuter)	$106	$318	$403	$85
Motorcycle	$23	$69	$88	$19
Lincoln Creek	$31	$93	$109	$16

To obtain a parking permit add yourself to the waitlist for your desired parking lot. This can done through the Parking Portal. The waitlist opens each year in August. Emails will be sent out in July, prior to waitlists opening, with specific dates, deadlines, and instructions.

Permits are awarded from the waitlist based on availability and waitlist position is ordered based on seniority (the number of credits you've completed). If you are awarded a permit you will receive an email notification with instructions on how to purchase your parking permit.

For Freshman and Transfer Students Starting in the Fall:

New students starting in the fall won't see the correct parking lot options until the new waitlists open during the August prior to fall quarter. To avoid requesting the wrong parking lot, please wait until these new waitlists are open before signing up. In July, an email will be sent to your WWU email address with the specific date when the new waitlists will open.

Parking Permit Renewals

Quarterly parking permits are eligible to be renewed throughout the academic year. Anyone who purchases a quarterly parking permit will automatically be sent a renewal offer without needing to reapply through the waitlist. Renewal offers are sent out approximately 3 weeks before the end of each quarter.

Academic parking permits are also able to be renewed for summer quarter.

Student permits renewals are not available between academic years.

Pay or Appeal a Parking Citation

Citations can be paid through the Parking Portal. From the home page, enter the citation number or the license plate number to locate the citation.

If you believe that your citation was issued in error, you can appeal the citation through the Parking Portal. Citation appeals must be made within 7 days of issuance, with the first day being the day following the citation’s issue date. All days, including weekends and holidays, are counted when determining the appeal deadline.

Transfer Your Parking Permit to a Different Parking Lot

If you have a permit and wish to transfer to a different lot, you can add yourself to the waitlist for your desired lot. If you are awarded a permit for a new lot, you can transfer the credit from your original permit and use it to pay for your new permit. Payment would be required or a refund would be generated if the two permits differ in price.

Park with a State Disability Parking Placard

Daytime hours (Monday – Friday, 7:00am – 4:30pm): A WWU permit is required along with your state disability placard. You can obtain a permit in lot C or 6V at the pay station or by using the Parkmobile app. This permit, along with your disability placard, will allow you to park in any disability space on campus. If the disability space nearest your destination is full, you can park in an adjacent, non-reserved, space.

After hours (Monday – Friday after 4:30pm, all day Saturday and Sunday): During these hours a WWU permit is not required as long as you are hanging your state disability placard. You can park in any available disability space or adjacent space.

Lincoln Creek Parking Lot Permits

The Lincoln Creek parking lot is an off-campus lot located on Lincoln Street. This lot is primarily used by students who live off-campus and who do not have access to bus service between their home and campus. Students travel to campus from the Lincoln Creek lot on Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) buses.

The Lincoln Creek lot is about a 10-minute bus ride from campus. Active Western students have a Western student bus pass on their Western Card. More information on using the WTA bus system to commute to campus can be found online at https://transportation.wwu.edu/bus.

To sign up for a Lincoln Creek parking permit go to the Parking Portal and add yourself to the Lincoln Creek lot waitlist. Permits are awarded weekly from the waitlist.

Lincoln Creek Lot Location

The location of the Lincoln Creek parking lot can be found on the bottom right corner of the Campus Permit Parking Map.

Traveling Between the Lincoln Creek Lot and Campus

The Lincoln Creek parking lot is serviced by multiple WTA bus lines. The bus lines that connect the Lincoln Creek lot and Western's main campus are:

Route 190, which goes in both directions to and from Lincoln Creek and WWU
Route 196, which goes from WWU to Lincoln Creek
Route 197, which goes from Lincoln Creek to WWU

Transportation Services has created a Reference Sheet that you can use to plan your commutes from the Lincoln Creek lot.

After Hours Permits

Weekday After Hours Parking	Weekend Parking
4:30 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. (M-F)	All Day

This is a free parking permit that allows students who do not have an active parking permit to park in lots 5G, 7G, 9G, 11G, and 19G (NO OTHER LOTS) in the evening and on weekends. You can sign up for an After Hours permit in the Parking Portal by clicking on the "get permits" button.
Parking permits are not required in the C and 12G (formerly 12A lots) between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and all hours on weekends.
Students who have an active parking permit may park in lots 5G, 7G, 9G, 11G, and 19G (NO OTHER LOTS) in the evening and on weekends without an After Hours Permit.
Temporary permits purchased through ParkMobile or the pay station are only valid for the lot in which they were purchased and cannot be used to move to another lot after hours.
After Hours Permits are not valid in:
- Reserved spaces
- Lots reserved for an event

Intersession Permits

Parking regulations are enforced normally during intersession and parking permits are still required.

Intersession permits are available for students and employees who either do not have a current permit or those who like to park in a larger selection of lots during intersession.

Parkers with a current permit who do not purchase an intersession permit, should continue to park in their assigned lots.

Intersession permits are valid in lots: C, 12G (formerly 12A), 19G, 7G, 9G, 22G, 33G, 32G, 24G

Motorcycle Permits

Motorcycle parking is available in many parking lots. Check the Parking Map for their locations. Purchasing a motorcycle parking permit allows you to park in any motorcycle parking space on campus.

If you purchase a parking permit for a car or truck in the C or R lots and you have a motorcycle, you can add the license plate number of the motorcycle to a C or R lot parking permit at no additional cost. Note that only one permitted vehicle may be parked on campus at a time.

Permit Refunds

Excerpts from WAC 516-12-460 Fees.

(3) Refunds will be made based on the valid time remaining according to the parking services refund schedule. Refunds may be made if unpaid fines and fees have been paid.

(a) The permit holder must return the permit to Parking Services before a refund will be authorized or a payroll deduction will be terminated.

(b) Unused quarters may be refunded in whole at respective rates.

Additional Notations for Processing Permit Refunds

Requests for a permit refund following an extended personal/emergency leave do not qualify for a retro-active refund. Unused quarters left on the permit will be refunded.
Permit refund balances are calculated from the date the refund is requested.