Parking Policies

To Get a Parking Permit

Parking permits for employees of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences can be requested from the College Parking Chair, Diane Ault, by email at dla17@psu.edu or in person at 510 Barron Innovation Hub. 

POLICY

All College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) employee parking (Faculty, Staff, Wage Payroll, and Post-Doctoral) is covered by this policy. Requested exceptions to this policy must meet the criteria outlined below.

AVAILABLE LOTS

• Brown A (Deike) - distributed by seniority of employment at Penn State and proximity to the lot
• Red A (West Campus) - distributed by seniority of employment at Penn State and proximity to the lot
• Red J (Barron Innovation Hub Basement) - distributed by seniority of employment at Penn State and proximity to the lot
• Orange S (Open Orange Lots)
• Green B (Nittany Lion Inn Deck)
• Yellow A (West Campus Deck)
• Yellow C (Hub Deck)
• Silver B (by the EMS Energy Institute)
• CR (Commuter Lots)

Check rates at https://transportation.psu.edu/parking-permit-rates

BACKGROUND: The Penn State Parking Office allocates a specific number of passes for each lot. EMS has the authority to determine how we distribute our allotment.

EMS GUIDELINES

• Brown A, Red A, and Red J permits are distributed on the basis of seniority at Penn State and on the employees’ proximity to the lot.
• Associate and Assistant Deans, Department Heads, and Institute Directors will always be offered their preferred lot regardless of seniority. Associate and Assistant Deans, Department Heads, and Institute Directors who step out of their administrative roles and back into the faculty ranks will be able to retain their preferred parking permit.
• The following lots are distributed to full-time faculty and staff. This does not include graduate students or post-doctoral appointments, per Penn State policy. Appointments must be for durations of more than six months in an academic year to obtain a pass from the college. Appointments of less than six months can obtain a pass directly from the parking office.
  • Orange S
  • Green B
  • Yellow A and C
  • Silver B
  • CR
• Post-doctoral researchers are eligible for a CR (Commuter) pass, which can be obtained from the College Parking Chair. The bus runs regularly across campus to and from the commuter lot.
• Wage payroll employees are eligible for the CR (Commuter) pass, which can be purchased directly from the parking office.
• The following items of Penn State parking policy are noted (View full policy).
  • Sharing or transferring parking passes is prohibited.
  • You may only park in the lots identified by the color and lot designation of your assigned parking permit. Your pass must be displayed on your review mirror at all times.
  • You need to park as noted on all posted signage, to include those which note “Head In Parking Only”. Improper parking, even with a pass, may result in a fine.
• Your permit may only be used in the vehicles on your signed registration form. Please edit changes to your vehicle and license plate information at https://transportation.psu.edu/manage-vehicle-information when your license plates and vehicles change.
• If a permit is lost or stolen, report the incident to the College Parking Chair immediately. Additional information about permit replacement and fees can be found at https://transportation.psu.edu/vehicle-permits#registration.
• Any employee wishing to temporarily turn in their pass while on sabbatical may do so and receive that pass back when they return. They will not be responsible for payment of the pass if it is turned in during that time. They may choose to keep the pass and use it, as long as they are not allowing someone else to use the pass. We do encourage Brown A, Red A, and Red J pass holders to turn in their permit to allow another employee on the wait list to park in those lots during that time.
• Faculty and staff who would benefit from parking in Brown A, Red A, and Red J temporarily (e.g., during late-stage or high-risk pregnancies, nursing mothers of babies aged younger than nine months, those with injuries, those undergoing short-term rehabilitation, those with valid medical reasons for close proximity parking) may request a permit from the College Parking Chair. If a permit is not available, the college will solicit a volunteer to turn in or exchange their Brown A, Red A, or Red J permit temporarily to assist the needy employee. Requests should be made via email to the College Parking Chair or in person at 510 Barron Innovation Hub.
  • For those with short-term medical issues, a pass of typically no more than two weeks duration may be requested (unless a doctor’s note conveys a longer period is required).
  • For pregnancy requests, a pass of typically 4-12 weeks may be requested (unless a doctor’s note attests that a longer period is required due to the risk to the mother or baby.
  • For nursing mothers, the period for the temporary pass is expected to be a few months, depending on the need and situation, and can be requested in four-week time blocks.

TEMPORARY DONATION OF BROWN A, RED A, OR RED J PARKING PASS

If you would like to donate the use of your Brown A, Red A, or Red J parking pass for a specific period of time to faculty/staff with conditions as outlined above, please contact Diane Ault (dla17@psu.edu), College Parking Chair, at 510 Barron Innovation Hub.

Approved by Executive Council on March 1, 2016
Non-substantive updates made on July 18, 2024

FAQs

1. What is the EMS parking permit allocation?
EMS currently receives the following allocation:

• Brown A – 59
• Red A – 25
• Red J - 10
• Green B - 31
• Yellow C - 12
• Yellow A – 150
• Orange S – 31
• Silver B – 16
• Commuter Lots – 10

The parking office will not allow us to have any additional permits beyond our allocation.

2. How does this policy impact Brown A pass wait times for current faculty on the list?
This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on attrition. We may have a large number of permit holders retire/leave the University in one year and then go several years without significant turn over.

3. How long have people typically waited to receive a Brown A pass?
In recent years, the average time of employment at Penn State to qualify for a Brown A pass has been as high as 15 years. Again, referring to the answer for Question 2, there are many variables that impact the wait time.

4. How will volunteers be contacted?
Volunteers will be solicited from the group of employees who hold Brown A, Red A, or Red J parking permits. They will be contacted via e-mail by the Dean’s Office to determine if they are willing to temporarily donate their parking permit.

5. Will volunteers be expected to cover the whole period, for example in cases where a temporary permit is needed for several weeks or longer?
No. For those in need of a longer term temporary permit, the period can be covered by multiple volunteers. A web based schedule will be designed to accommodate needs and volunteer periods.