PARKING RULES, EFFECTIVE FY26

Approved in Fiscal Year 2026

I. STATEMENT OF INTENT

The intent of these motor vehicle, parking, and transportation rules of Cleveland State University (CSU) is to facilitate the work of the students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors at CSU. Changes to these rules will be recommended by the Executive Director of Capital Planning, Access, and Campus Experience for approval by the University.

II. PRESUMPTIONS

All vehicles parking on CSU property are expected to pay for parking.  If any motor vehicle found on University property is in violation of traffic laws or rules of the State of Ohio or of the University, the citation will be issued to the member of the University community to whom the car is registered in the Department of Parking & Transportation Services (PTS). If the vehicle is not registered with the University, the citation will be issued to the legally registered owner of the vehicle according to the state of Ohio or its equivalent.  Vehicles identified through a vehicle ownership check will be linked to the community member with a matching address and last name.  Parking permits can only be used by the registered permit holder and allow for only one registered vehicle to park at any given time.  Parking permits are non-transferable and cannot be shared or used by anyone other than the registered permit holder. The Parking and Transportation Department (PTS) follows all university and department policies, including but not limited to the Viking Card ID Policies and Student Conduct Codes.  

III. VEHICLE CONTROL

A. Parking Registration, Rates, and Privileges

CSU students, faculty, and staff must register with PTS in order to park in any University operated parking location. An employee is considered an employee regardless of whether they are actively taking classes.

Registered patrons may obtain a pre-paid parking credential, which is defined as a token (e.g., permit, access card, OTM, validation, etc.) for which the holder has registered and paid the entire cost in advance or has approved payroll deductions with PTS for access to parking lots prior to coming to a CSU parking facility to park.  For employees on payroll deduction, if a monthly deduction is missed for any reason, PTS may spread the missed balance evenly across remaining payroll deductions for the permit.  Every vehicle utilizing a prepaid parking credential must be registered by license plate and linked to the patron's parking account with PTS, including rental vehicles and temporary plates (limited to 4 registered vehicles per permit). Registration and possession of a valid parking credential authorizes an individual to park in parking facilities owned and/or operated by the University for which the parking permit provides access. It does not guarantee the holder a specific parking space or parking facility.

Parking rates will be posted on the department's website and at the entrances and exits of parking facilities.

Pre-Paid parking permit holders are granted the following privileges, based upon availability: access to designated parking facilities, but not specific garages, based on the permit type hours; weekend parking in designated areas; entry into special event parking locations to which the credential allows the permit type access without the payment of any additional fee.

Visitors to CSU may purchase parking for the published visitor rate in visitor lots and/or for the posted and/or prearranged Special Event rate at designated locations.

Vanity Plates may be purchased from the Parking Office during office hours for $15.00. Payment can be made with cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or check.  Payroll deduction plans and student accounts are not eligible forms of payment for vanity plates.  Individuals must have an active CSU Parking account to purchase and register a vanity plate.  An active permit is not required to purchase a vanity plate, and displaying a vanity plate alone does not grant parking privileges. Although a vanity plate can be linked to an active permit, allowing permit holders to back into a parking space.  Vanity plates are required to be displayed on the front bumper and cannot be used as the rear license plate. Vanity plates are not registered with the Ohio BMV and do not replace the State of Ohio registration and plate requirements. Vanity plates cannot be returned, refunded, or replaced.

B. Enforcement Authorization

PTS and its employees are authorized to enforce University Parking Rules by serving notice of the violation on the vehicle found to be in violation. Any notices of violation served will stipulate the violation committed, location, time of the violation, and the rights of the person issued the violation.

C. Parking for the Disabled

Disabled parking spaces are provided in all garages on campus and in all surface lots that are located contiguous to a University building. Faculty, staff, and students who are holders of State of Ohio disabled placards and a prepaid CSU parking credential may park in CSU designated parking spots within an area for the specific type of parking credential they hold or at designated metered spaces.  The State disabled placard must be displayed while parked on campus. Visitors who require disabled parking may park in designated spaces in metered parking areas or visitor lots and pay the displayed rates.

D. Paid Special Event and Guest Parking

Any group arranging an event on campus must contact PTS to make prior arrangements for Special Event Parking. Special Event Parking is recommended for occasions when visitor parking locations are inadequate or when guaranteed or prepaid parking is desired. In general, events that will bring 20 or more visitors to campus should request reserved prepaid parking or plan for guests to self-pay for parking upon entrance.

Special Event Parking. Event planners are encouraged to consider the academic calendar and class schedule when planning events, especially when displacing students, faculty, and staff will likely result from the special event.

Special Event Parking is defined as a parking service that results from or coincides with a major campus event or any event for which PTS must take extra measures to monitor and control campus parking. Parking may be designated “special event parking” at any time – weekdays, evenings, and weekends included.

Individuals or University departments who wish to pay for visitors and guests to park on campus must contact PTS to make arrangements prior to the date of visit. Visitors and guests who do not have prepaid parking will be directed to the parking locations that accept payment by the hour.

IV. PARKING REVIEW BOARD

A. The Parking Review Board shall hear and review second appeals.

• Understands parking requirements and enforcement procedures
• Reviews each second appeal and vote on the responsive actions
• Provide feedback and operational recommendations to PTS
• Additional information can be found in Section VI. Enforcement (D. Appeals)

B. Review and provide recommendations related to disciplinary actions and implementation of additional sanctions regarding parking privileges

• Cases submitted against patrons in which PTS requests additional sanctions
• Provide input if charges warrant a Community Standards & Compliance (CSC) hearing
• Review recommendations from CSC
• Apply sanctions to the parking account per CSC (Sanctions may include educational opportunity, fees, suspension of parking permit, etc.)

C. Review Board Membership

• One Undergraduate Student
• One Graduate or Law School Student
• Two Faculty Members
• Two Staff Members
• Director of Parking & Transportation Services or a designee (ex-officio)

V. ENFORCEMENT

A. Violations and Penalties

A vehicle is deemed parked when the vehicle is stationary, whether occupied or not.

The registered holder of the parking credential is responsible for all citations issued to that credential number. Fines will be assessed to the permit holder or the owner of any vehicle on University property in violation of the CSU Department of Parking & Transportation Services Regulations. Any citation issued and not paid or appealed within 21 days of issuance will be considered delinquent, and a late fee will be assessed. All appeals must be submitted within 21 days from issuance; after which time, appeals will not be accepted. After 60 calendar days, any citation or outstanding permit fee that remains unpaid may be submitted for collection by the University, to the State of Ohio Office of the Attorney General, or an outside agency.

Any current or former student with an unpaid citation will have a hold placed on their student status. This hold will prevent the student from obtaining their transcripts until the citation and any late fee is paid.

Any individual with an unpaid parking fine will not be permitted to purchase parking until the fine has been paid. Individuals who have outstanding citations issued after July 1, 2014, or are aged more than 180 days past the issuance date, will become eligible for immobilization.

CSU Department of Parking & Transportation Services violations are listed below.  All related parking fines are established and approved by the CSU Board of Trustees.  Tow and impound fees are established by the specific company that is under agreement with CSU to provide such services.

B. Vehicle Immobilization and Impounding

University Department of Parking & Transportation Services is authorized to remove, immobilize (boot), and/or impound motor vehicles on University property at the owner’s expense.

This procedure is to ensure that all parking patrons have equal access to the parking facilities with the minimum amount of risk to pedestrians and /or vehicles. Vehicles may be removed, immobilized, and impounded in the following instances if such action is deemed appropriate and necessary by PTS staff and/or CSU Police:

1. The vehicle constitutes a traffic or safety hazard
2. The vehicle is illegally parked in a disabled, state vehicle, reserved space, or any no-parking area without a proper parking credential
3. The vehicle is illegally parked outside of a parking space, including a fire lane, drive path, walkway, and/or any undefined area where parking stalls are not present
4. The amount of unpaid citations recorded for the registered individual exceeds $99.00 (including citations in appeal)
5. The vehicle displays an altered or counterfeit permit/credential or daily visitor receipt.
6. The vehicle is determined to be abandoned or otherwise considered a derelict vehicle
7. The vehicle operator fails to heed verbal or written instructions from the PTS or CSU Police

For the release of a vehicle, an individual will be expected to do the following:

• Payment of all parking fines
• Payment of tow, boot, and storage fees
• Presentation of a valid driver’s license
• Required to register the vehicle (if the vehicle is not registered)

In addition, a vehicle may be immobilized for information purposes, such as unregistered vehicles, enable face-to-face communication, security/safety reasons, and/or miscellaneous operational needs.  Informational immobilizations are not subject to additional (boot) fees.

C. Reproduction or alteration of a parking credential 

Parking permits are the property of Cleveland State University. Any individual found to have reproduced or altered a parking credential is subject to a fine, vehicle impounding, payment of towing and storage fees, and may be sanctioned in accordance with Section III.P of the Student Conduct Code (Falsification of Records, Fraud and False Testimony) or criminally prosecuted under the Ohio Revised Code.

D. Appeals

Any individual who wishes to appeal a citation must submit an appeal request to the PTS office within the established time frame.  Parking appeals may be made in person, via email using the Parking Citation Appeal Form, or via the CSU Online Parking System.  See Section V, paragraph A.  Appeal forms will be available in the PTS office and on the department’s website.  Boot citations and tampering boot fees are not eligible to be appealed. 

The Director of PTS or designee reviews all appeals. The Director has the authority to act upon an appeal based upon the written statements submitted. A decision will be made within 5-7 business days from the appeal submission date.  Decisions will be sent via electronic mail to the email address provided on the appeal form or via U.S. Mail if no email address is provided.

The Parking Review Board serves as the appellate body if an individual requests a second appeal review.  The second appeal should include new information not available at the time of the Director’s (or designee’s) review. If desired, an individual may request a virtual appearance via Zoom/Teams to support their position in front of the Parking Review Board.  Second appeal decisions are based on the majority opinion after consideration of all available information. 

A request for a second appeal review can be submitted in writing to the PTS office within 14 calendar days of the date the first appeal decision was rendered. The second appeal can be submitted via the CSU Online Parking System, delivered to the PTS Office in person, or the second appeal form may be submitted via email. The second appeal requires the citation to be paid before the second appeal can be submitted.

The Executive Director for Capital Planning, Access, and Campus Experience serves as the appellate to the Parking Review Board if an individual requests further review under the following conditions: an alleged failure to follow established rules and procedures and/or an alleged failure to meet a general standard of fairness. A request for further review must be submitted in writing to the Parking & Transportation Services office within ten (10) calendar days of the date the second appeal decision letter was sent.

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UPDATED: 3/11/2026