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General Parking Regulations

All students, faculty, and staff are responsible for knowing the information presented in the Parking Rules and Regulations. Failure to have knowledge of the rules will not be a valid defense against the issuance of citations. Rules and regulations may be subject to change during the year. Whenever you are in doubt please contact Parking Services at 221-4764.

1.  A decal or temporary pass is required to park on campus property at all times, beginning Monday at 7:00 a.m. until Friday at 5:00 p.m., except at metered spaces. 

2. Metered spaces are enforced as posted. Spaces marked "Reserved at all Times", "Faculty/Staff at all Times" and "Service Vehicle" spaces are enforced 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Parking is not permitted in any area not specifically designated for parking. Campus spaces are marked in the following manner: with curb blockers, signs, or striped spaces. Parking is not permitted on sidewalks, brick pathways, grass, mulched, or seeded areas. Authorized parking areas are listed on the parking map and further identified with signage by type as Faculty and Staff, Day, or Resident parking.

3. Upon purchase of a decal you must display your receipt until your decal arrives in the mail. Once a decal arrives it must be affixed to the vehicle immediately and you must park according to your classification.

4. Citations issued are tracked by license plate and each license plate will be issued one (1) no decal warning. No decal warnings once issued are not reset and may not be appealed. Each no decal violation after the warning will carry a fine as specified in the Schedule of Fines. Level I offenses are graduated with an increasing fine value and they reset on September 1st each year.

5. Hangtags must be displayed from the rear view mirror, adhesives must be affixed to the rear driver’s side window, or bumper so that the side with the hologram & decal number is facing out. Parking decals cannot be taped inside the vehicle. A decal is only valid for the vehicle(s) for which it was purchased.

6. An employee or commuter student who wishes to bring an alternate vehicle to campus may use their hangtag in that vehicle, as long as the vehicle is pre-registered with Parking Services. If the vehicle is not pre-registered with Parking Services, a "No Decal" violation may be issued.

7. Students may not park in faculty/staff spaces the Monday and Tuesday before each semester, unless those spaces are designated for loading and unloading. Resident students and Commuter-Day Students must park according to their decal designations.

8. Only Junior, Senior, and Graduate students classified as social (rather than academic) and assigned to campus administered housing may purchase resident decals. Juniors must have completed four regular semesters to be classified as social juniors. Residents who do not require frequent and regular use of their vehicle may opt to purchase a long term storage decal instead at ½ the cost of a full decal, the long-term storage parking lot is located at the School of Ed lot 3.

9. From 5 p.m. until 7:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, Student permit holders (except those with restricted use decals) are allowed to park in F/S spaces except for in spaces marked "reserved at all times" or "service vehicle." Exceptions to this rule are: 

  • Any student permit may be used to park in the Lake Matoaka Boathouse gravel lot from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. only. This area is closed during evening hours.
  • Commuter-Day and resident students may move into faculty/staff spaces at the Law School at 4:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Day students may park in faculty/staff spaces beginning at 3:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday in the Plant lot.
  • Students and staff with Restricted Use Decals must park in the Kaplan Arena lot at all times from Monday at 7:00 a.m. until Friday at 5:00 p.m. Students and staff with Restricted Use Decals may not park at meters or timed spaces, unless the space is also designated as a load/unload space then the specified time limit applies.

10.  Parking regulations on the Williamsburg campus are enforced year round, including during all published breaks, with the following exceptions: during the Thanksgiving Holiday (November) and when the college is officially closed during a portion of the Winter Break (December). Upon reopening parking designations posted as faculty, staff, resident, and day will be enforced, and decals are required at all times. Parking regulations at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are enforced throughout the calendar year.

11. Areas designated by No Parking signs and/or areas striped Red, Yellow, or White indicates an emergency/fire lane or service vehicle only area. Parking is not permitted day or night. Grass, seeded, mulched areas, crosswalks, and brick pedestrian paths and pads are designated No Parking zones. Parking in any portion of a No Parking zone is a violation.

12. Spaces marked as "Loading Zone" have a ONE HOUR limit and vehicles occupying these spaces must relocate within that hour or your vehicle will be subject to ticketing for each expired hour in the space.  Loading Zones are enforced as a loading zone from 7:00 am until 7:00 p.m. and are regular parking spaces from 7:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.  The use of hazard lights does not preclude the issuance of a citation if the vehicle is in violation of parking rules. Hazard lights should only be used in the event of an actual emergency.

13. Spaces marked as “Service Vehicle” spaces may only be used by vehicles displaying a current Faculty/staff or General decal WITH a Service Vehicle pass issued by Parking Services. These spaces are to be used only for delivery and pick-up and are intended to provide short-term access to congested areas for college business. Vehicles parked in service vehicle spaces must relocate their vehicles within one hour of occupying these spaces or will be subject to ticketing. State and/or university-owned vehicles are not exempt.  Contact Parking Services for service calls expected to last more than one hour to obtain approval. Contractors are not authorized to use these spaces without prior approval from Parking and special designation on their Contractor pass.

Service Vehicle passes are effective from Oct 1 - Sep 30. Requests for passes must be endorsed by the appropriate department representative and submitted on an as needed basis only.

14. Vehicles that are unauthorized to park in ADA spaces are subject to a fine of $100.00 to $500.00 in accordance with state law and may be towed off campus at the owner's expense.  ADA credentials issued by the state or university accessibility offices must be clearly displayed in the front or rear windshield or license plate.

15. Parking Meters and Passport Pay-by-phone spaces are located in high demand areas and are intended for high turnover.  Anyone, except students with Restricted Use permits, may park at a meter, or timed space and everyone (except those displaying a valid ADA tag) must pay. Meters are enforced Monday - Friday, except for the meters located by the Muscarelle Museum in the Morton Lot which are enforced 7 days a week. Monday through Thursday only after 5:00 p.m., customers with a decal are not required to pay at a meter. All other customers should continue to pay according to usage. Customers with valid ADA placards or plates may park at a meter or timed area without payment for a period not to exceed four (4) hours, at the end of this period payment is required to remain or you must relocate to another space. Report equipment malfunctions to Parking Services via email at Parked@wm.edu 

REMINDER: Multiple citations may be issued at meters or any other timed spaces. For example, at a 30 minute meter, tickets for expired meter violations may be issued at least 30 minutes apart. Meters by design will only accept the required coinage for maximum time (30 Min, 1 hr, or 2hr).  Overfeeding a meter will not register additional time beyond the maximum limit posted. Vehicles in Pay-by-space lots will be cited for "No decal" if found parked in an unpaid space.

16. Motorcycle, motor scooter and moped parking permits are available for purchase by students, and members of the university's faculty and staff. The permit entitles the registered vehicle to park on campus. Motorcycles or motorbikes must not be stored inside a building, stairwell, or parked in or near an entrance way. In order to comply with state regulations and to preclude possible fire hazards, these vehicles must be at least 50 feet from a building. Motorcycles, mopeds, and motorbikes found in violation will be ticketed and moved at the owner's expense when so parked.

17. Motorcycles, moped, or motor scooters must be registered and display a motorcycle permit from Monday at 7:00 AM through Friday at 5:00 PM.  Parking of a motorcycle shall be done ONLY in pre-defined and approved parking areas. Motorcycles parked in any location other than the pre-defined and approved parking areas listed are subject to a single warning citation. Subsequent violations will be issued a reserved space citation. 

18. Motorcycles, mopeds, or motor scooters may park in metered spaces as long as time is kept on the meter.

19. Mopeds, motor scooters meeting the state engine size requirements >49CC, seat high requirements >24" or capable of speeds in excess of 35 MPH must be registered with DMV and are treated as motorcycles for W&M parking registration.

20. Bicycles must be registered with Parking Services; storage is permitted in the bicycle racks provided at various locations on the campus. Do not chain or lock to light poles, stairwell rails, or sign poles. Bicycles found at these locations will be removed and impounded until claimed, if not claimed Parking Services will dispose of them after the mandatory 90-day holding period expires. 

21. Under no circumstances may any motor vehicle, other than police or emergency vehicles, be operated or parked at any time on the walkways, landscape, grass, or areas designated for grass.  Upon request the Director of Grounds or Parking Services may evaluate exceptions on a case by case basis and grant off-street exception passes for the period required.

22. Storage of vehicles, boats, RV's, PODs, and/or trailers is not permitted on university property.  W&M reserves the right to remove such vehicles or items at the owner's expense. When authorized to park, you must purchase a pass for the equivalent number of spaces occupied.

23. Vehicle Maintenance and Repairs - Only licensed businesses are authorized to perform maintenance or repairs in campus parking lots. Such maintenance and repairs is limited to windshield replacement, tire maintenance, or jumpstarts. Contact Parking Services if you require assistance. 

Individuals conducting repairs on personal vehicles on university grounds and parking areas may be cited and referred for disciplinary action. Individuals improperly disposing of hazardous materials (oil, power steering fluid, antifreeze, batteries, etc.) will be reported to the Department of Environmental Health & Safety for additional review.

24. Double parking and parking against the flow of traffic is never permitted. Drivers should not cross the lane of oncoming traffic on two-way aisles within a lot or campus roads to park with the driver’s side to the curb.

25. Curb blockers or wheel stops, if present, establish parking spaces. In lots such as Adair, Yates-Randolph, and Swem Faculty/Staff, where curb blockers are present, you must park at the curb blocker; parking in any other area will result in a citation being issued.

26. Thomas Nelson Community College decals will be honored on the main Williamsburg and VIMS campus in faculty/staff (not reserved at all times), and day spaces after 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday.  Co-enrolled students attending class before 4:00 p.m. must purchase and display a temporary pass or the appropriate student decal. Passes & decals are offered at a reduced rate.

27. The following designations are reserved and enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

  • Fire lanes
  • Loading zones
  • No Parking zones
  • Visitor Parking
  • Handicapped spaces
  • Reserved At All Times spaces
  • Motorcycle spaces
  • Official Vehicle spaces
  • Service Vehicle spaces
  • Time limit spaces
  • Meters as posted
  • Visitors of the President spaces
  • Faculty/Staff at all times spaces behind Millington Hall
  • Faculty/Staff at all times spaces at Jones Hall Lot and on Wake Drive
  • Faculty/Staff spaces at The Keck Lab
  • No parking on the east side of Brooks St between Compton and McClurg Dr
  • No Parking zones on the west (Jamestown dorm) side of Landrum Dr

28. During the evening hours, the Kaplan Arena lot and the School of Ed lot 6, and the Grad Plex Overflow lot will be controlled through use of the Passport Pay-by-Cell application. When parking in these areas you must make note of your license plate number and input this information into the app in order to apply time. Applicable rates are listed online. Faculty, Staff, and Students with valid W&M decals or temporary passes do not have to pay; all other patrons must pay according to usage. Report  app malfunctions to Parking Services via email to Parked@wm.edu or via phone during normal hours of operation at 221-4764.