For many Iowa State students, the start of the new semester comes with unfamiliarity about parking rules and how to get to campus without a ticket.
Ryan Lane, a sophomore in environmental engineering, said that many of his roommates received tickets during their first year on campus.
“During the first couple of months, they got a lot of tickets because the signs were confusing and they had to park on the side streets,” Lane said. “I lived in Buchanan and got a parking pass, but my roommates were more unlucky.”
Students and staff have the opportunity to appeal any ticket by filling out an appeal form in the ISU Parking Portal, according to Mark Miller, the senior manager of Parking Services.
Miller said that the appeals are reviewed by an independent board that votes to grant or deny the request. If a student or staff member does not agree with the ruling, they can appeal the case to an administrative board.
“They can do an administrative appeal because there could be some extenuating circumstances,” Miller said. “Most people that get denied don’t take that next step.”
A large number of fines are issued during the first few weeks of the school year that are separate from parking in the wrong spot. Miller said that most of the appeals that the office receives are due to license plate issues.
“If you buy a permit for Lot 63 by Maple Hall and you put ABC124 instead of ABC123, the system says it’s not a valid plate,” Miller said.
When students and staff purchase a parking permit, they must put in their vehicle’s license plate number. Errors in that step are common, according to Miller.
“We typically give everybody one grace period, and we take the ticket back. We understand that people make mistakes, but if you let it go too long, it’ll come back on you,” Miller said.
Patrick Schmidt, a senior in liberal arts and sciences, has accumulated multiple parking tickets during his time at Iowa State.
Schmidt said that he views the parking situation at Iowa State negatively due to the permit costs and believes that some lots are hard to access.
Instead of parking on campus, Schmidt now takes the CyRide to campus and said that the buses and bike paths are a net positive for campus transportation.
“I have a stop right next to where I live,” Schmidt said. “I get to campus in 20 minutes. I keep my bills low, and I don’t have to pay for gas.”
Adam Shelley, a senior in community and regional planning, has always viewed campus parking positively during his time at Iowa State.
“I commute every day to Lot 119 just north of campus,” Shelley said. “I don’t take the bus or anything. I just park there, do my thing, then go back home.”
Shelley said that his parking spot has minor inconveniences like the cost and distance from campus, but those do not bother him.
“It’s a little expensive,” Shelley said. “It would be nice to be a little closer to campus because it’s a little bit of a walk, especially when it’s cold.”
The parking department oversees 19,000 campus parking spaces, excluding the Memorial Union Parking Ramp.
The department also oversees parking at Jack Trice Stadium and the Iowa State Center, making sure that people move out of the stadium parking lot the night before a home football game.
“When a person buys a stadium permit, they know that they have to move their car before a football game,” Miller said. “They get three emails from us.”
Miller said that if a person leaves their vehicle parked by the stadium or in the commuter lot past midnight on game day, the vehicle will be towed.
“I think it’s $45 or $50 to go get your car,” Miller said. “Typically, we do under 30 tows, and some of those might not be stadium permit holders, but people at the Center. That’s why we have no parking after midnight on football game days and no parking at three to four at any other time.”
The development of CYTown will be a unique obstacle to conquer when the project is completed in 2027, although Miller said he does not believe commuter parking at the Iowa State Center will be affected by the project.
“I would assume that a lot of the parking on the west side would be for the businesses because it is further away from the commuter,” Miller said. There should still be enough commuter parking to accommodate what is going on currently.”
Students and staff with any questions should contact Parking Services by calling 515-294-3388 or emailing the department at [email protected].
Parking Services is located at 27 Armory, 2519 Osborn Drive, and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The department is closed on the weekend, and any accidents or emergencies should be directed to ISUPD.
