Whether or not to bring your car along to college can be a major decision for some students when heading to Iowa State.

Parking on campus can be a tricky business, and if not done correctly, an expensive mistake.

Permits, smart cards and meters

The majority of parking lots on campus require a permit or for you to pay the meter, many of which are for high turnover purposes and will only allow you to pay for 30 minutes at

a time.

The three pre-pay lots on campus accept smart cards, which can hold as much as $300 that can be put toward the meters in those lots and allow you to stay at the meter for whatever amount of time you need.

Permits and smart cards can be purchased now at the parking division in the Armory.

Read signs carefully before parking in any lot or meter at campus so as to avoid any unsuspected tickets.

If you have a visitor to campus, then they will need a visitors permit before trying to park on campus.

Tickets

If you do find that you have parked illegally while on campus, then you will find a yellow ticket on your car.

The price of a ticket will depend on the parking space you were in when ticketed.

You can choose to pay your ticket at the parking division located in the Armory or you can wait for it to appear on your U-Bill. 

However, all tickets must be paid before graduation.

If you have any questions concerning a ticket that you have received on campus, contact Mark Miller at the parking division office.

Commuting and stadium parking

The Jack Trice Stadium parking lot and the commuters lot between Jack Trice and Hilton offer easier parking for students.

Jack Trice is for students in residence halls that require longer term parking for their vehicles. A permit is still required for this lot, and all vehicles will need to be moved by midnight the day before a football game.

The commuter lot is free parking for students that are traveling from off campus locations. 

The orange route of CyRide stops at the commuters lot frequently to assist in getting commuters from the parking lot to campus.