Regulations
Parking and Transportation is authorized to regulate and enforce parking at the University of Iowa via Chapter 262 of the Iowa Code, Section 681-4 of the Iowa Administrative Code and the University’s Operations Manual. Parking, bus pass and bicycle regulations are compiled into one document available in the Parking and Transportation Regulations.
Parking Enforcement
Our enforcement team is always available for assistance – please don’t hesitate to ask for help if you see us on campus.
Parking can seem confusing for first time users on campus. The primary element to understand is that all parking on campus is either public or reserved parking. Public parking charges by the hour and is located in ramps, gated lots, meters and mobile payment zones. Payment is required to use or when exiting public parking facilities. All other parking on campus is reserved for student, employee or service parking and requires a permit. See the Employee Parking or Student Parking pages for related permit information.
Parking and Transportation uses License Plate Recognition for most enforcement on campus. Your license plate is your permit. At meters or mobile payment zones, your license plate is tied to your paid parking session.
All parking rules and regulations can be found in the Parking and Transportation Regulations.
Hours of Enforcement
Reserved Faculty/Staff/Student lots are enforced from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday including interim periods, unless otherwise posted.
24/7 Enforcement Areas include:
- All motorcycle parking lots
- All service vehicle zones & loading zones
- All ADA parking stalls, permit and public
- Bicycle parking areas
- Prohibited parking areas
- Specific faculty / staff lots signed as 24/7
Citation Rates
Citations are cumulative for the academic year beginning on August 1 and continuing through July 31. The following citations apply to all vehicles.
| Citation Type | Citation Rate | Citation Rate for student Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Reserved for Handicap | $200.00 | $200.00 |
| Fraudulent Use of Permit | $50.00 | $50.00 |
| Employees Prohibited in Ramp | $30.00 | $30.00 |
| Prohibited Zone | $50.00 | $50.00 |
| Reserved Area | $20.00 | $15.00 |
| Improper Display of Hangtag | $7.00 | $5.00 |
| Improper Display of Decal | $15.00 | $10.00 |
| Area Not Open to Parking | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Loading Zone | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Irregular Manner | $15.00 | $10.00 |
| Service Vehicle Zone | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Motorcycles Prohibited | $20.00 | $15.00 |
| Other Violations | $20.00 | $15.00 |
| Expired Meter | $15.00 | $8.00 |
Parking User Fee of $7.00 will be issued if a vehicle is parked at an out-of-order or malfunctioning meter.
Citation Payment and Appeals
Citation payments and appeals can be made online in the Parking Portal. Citation payments can also be made in person at the Parking and Transportation Office.
If you feel that your parking citation was issued contrary to the Parking and Transportation Regulations or was simply issued in error, you may appeal your parking citation in the Parking Portal. For step-by-step instructions for filing appeals, see the Parking Portal Information page. Appeals must be submitted within ten (10) calendar days of the issuance of the citation. Appeals submitted after this time frame will not be accepted.
For specific information about the appeals process, see the Parking and Transportation Regulations.
There are four separate ways appeals are processed by the Parking and Transportation Department. All routes are summarized below:
Appeals Options
Administrative appeals are processed by Parking and Transportation staff. These appeals are primarily for first time offenses and are specific to employee or student citations including: expired meter citations, 48-hour permit rule, license plate data entry errors and LPR camera read errors.
This committee is comprised of faculty and staff that are appointed by either the UI Faculty Senate or UI Staff Council. Other than specific first-time citations handled by staff, all employee appeals are forwarded to this committee for review and final decision.
Student parking citation appeals are heard by a committee of the Student Judicial Court (SJC), which is a joint committee between the University of Iowa Student Government (UISG) and the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG), and the Student Elections Commissioner (SEC). Other than specific first-time citations handled by staff, all student appeals are forwarded to this committee for review and final decision.
Public appeals are processed administratively by the Parking and Transportation staff.
Towing
Vehicles parked on campus may be towed and impounded at the owner’s expense if:
- The vehicle has $200 or more in parking violations.
- The vehicle must be moved immediately because it is blocking access to, prevents use of or inhibits operation of a facility, structure or activity; or it is causing damage, or represents a safety hazard.
- The vehicle is abandoned.
For more information about towing on campus, see the Parking and Transportation Regulations and the Tow Policy.
Reclaiming Your Vehicle
Before getting vehicle back after a tow, vehicle owners/operators must first sign a release at the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety (UIPD).
Towed vehicles are not stored at UIPD, but at an impound lot managed by Big Ten University Towing, the University's towing vendor. All vendor towing fees must be paid to the towing company before the vehicle is released from impound.