Navigating UCF Parking: A Comprehensive Guide to Garages, Permits, and Transportation
The University of Central Florida (UCF) provides a comprehensive transportation system to facilitate convenient access to its campuses. This includes on-campus shuttles, off-campus routes, parking services, and resources for alternative transportation methods. This article delves into the specifics of UCF parking, with a focus on Garage F and other essential parking information.
Comprehensive Transportation System
UCF offers a comprehensive transportation system, including on-campus shuttles like Pegasus Express and numerous off-campus routes connecting to local apartment complexes and the Central Florida Research Park.
Parking Services at UCF
Parking services at UCF ensure convenience with clearly defined permit types for various categories, including students, faculty, and residents. Additionally, UCF provides extensive information about electric vehicle charging stations, bike racks, and emergency services to enhance the campus experience.
To attain parking access on campus, a parking permit is required. The department has implemented virtual parking permits for students and employees. If you are new to campus, you must register your vehicle and purchase a virtual permit. Once permits are purchased at parking.ucf.edu, your vehicle’s license plate is your parking permit. Remember to park nose-in where your vehicle plate is facing the drive lanes.
Virtual Parking Permits
UCF utilizes virtual parking permits, linking a vehicle's license plate to the parking system. This system enhances efficiency, convenience, and sustainability.
Read also: Parking at Towson University
How Virtual Permits Work
Faculty, staff, and students can register their vehicle’s license plate information into the online parking system when purchasing their virtual permits. The virtual permitting system then combines this information with your payment and generates a virtual permit linked to that vehicle’s license plate number. When a vehicle parks on campus, the license plate is captured by cameras mounted on enforcement vehicles. When read, the numbers of your plate are automatically referenced against the parking database to verify a valid permit and the proper parking privileges for each parking facility.
Benefits of Virtual Permits
LPR increases parking efficiency on campus, provides convenience for UCF’s constituents and offers a touchless approach to attaining permit credentials. The change to LPR and virtual permits makes the permit process more sustainable by removing waste created by using physical permits. About 250,000 physical permits were issued to faculty, staff, and students over the last five years, resulting in a cost savings of $245k annually. Physical permits are treated as cash and switching to virtual reduces the need to track and inventory permits. Customers will no longer need to drive to the Parking Office and stand in long lines during the rush of the semester.
Accessible Parking
Parking for guests with disabilities is available on the first level of Garage C with a valid accessible placard or license plate on a first-come, first-served basis. The individual to whom the placard or plate is registered to must be with the vehicle. Garage C is located at the intersection of Ken Dixon Way (formerly North Orion Boulevard) and Scorpius Street. A free shuttle for patrons with disabilities and fans who accompany them will be provided from the bus stop adjacent to Garage C to Acrisure Bounce House (Gate 13). for the Jacksonville State & Houston games only) and continue throughout the game and 2 hours after post-game. Throughout the game and postgame, shuttles will be available, picking up from Gate 13, to return patrons with disabilities to Garage C.
Additional accessible parking spaces are available throughout the campus, and these spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis to any guest with a disability who displays an authorized placard or license plate. Courtesy tram services for guests needing assistance to the Accessibility shuttle bus pickup/drop-off point located at the Research 1 Bus Stop, adjacent to Garage C, will be offered on game days.
Individuals who possess a valid state-issued (blue) disabled placard or a temporary (red) state disabled placard assigned to their name. Disabled placards are issued by The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) not the university. Individual is required to purchase a UCF parking permit of appropriate classification, i.e., Employee or Student, or Daily Visitor to park on the campus. Individuals with such appropriate permit may park in any available disabled parking space on the campus.
Read also: Campus Parking at UCF
Parking Regulations and Enforcement
Parking is only authorized in designated parking lots and garages. Patrons who illegally park on or along any campus roadways or in other non-designated parking areas are subject to towing and fines. No vehicular traffic or parking are authorized on East Plaza Drive on game days until two hours following the end of the game (or when authorized by UCF Police).
"Nose-In" Parking
"Nose-in” parking is when your vehicle is parked with your license plate visible from the driving lane. Our LPR cameras will drive through the lots scanning license plates to determine whether the vehicle has a valid permit. Back-in parking is not allowed on any UCF campus. The proper way to park your vehicle in all lots and garages is nose-in and tail-out.
Penalties for Violations
A late fee is added 10 business days after issuance of citation. An academic hold is placed on student records. Employees will have a registration block added to their parking portal. All delinquent accounts can be turned over to a collection agency.
Parking Options for Different Users
Commuting Students
Students traveling to main campus must purchase a General/Student parking permit and park in designated General/Student lots and garages. Daily permits are $8 and are valid for 24-hours from the time of purchase. After 5:30pm, virtual daily parking permits are allowed to park in Employee, Unreserved, or Student spaces.
Campus Residents
Students who live on main and Rosen campuses must park in the designated spaces for their assigned housing community Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. Vehicles parked in designated residential areas without a valid residential permit are subject to tow. On weekdays, campus residents are not allowed to park in student or employee spaces, including the general parking lots and garages, and will be subject to parking citations before 5:30 pm.
Read also: Navigating UCF Parking
UnionWest Residents - Students who live at UCF Downtown’s UnionWest at Creative Village community must lease a space from the UnionWest garage since it is the only overnight-parking option on campus.
Employee Parking
With a valid employee parking permit, you’re now able to park at any university property. This permit allows you to park in any employee-designated lot. For business use, proximity parking zones have been created to provide convenient parking adjacent to Millican Hall (lot B-1) and the Duke Welcome Center (lot B-3).
Garage F: Location and Usage
Garage F is complimentary for guests visiting the Knights Plaza except when there is an event.
Game Day Parking
A variety of cash lots, free to park lots, and park & ride locations are available on campus. Preferred parking lots and garages are located in the northeast sector of campus and are closest to Acrisure Bounce House. Gold Zone lots require a valid football game-day parking permit, or an Accessibility permit for fans with disabilities parking in designated spaces. Permits must be properly displayed at all times from the rearview mirror. All permits are limited to one parking space. Tailgating is not permitted in any parking garage.
Fans without permits who wish to park closer to the stadium can park in Garage H for a minimum donation of $30, including support for student scholarships. Payments can be made with credit cards.
Gold Zone Parking
Parking benefits are based on your season ticket purchase price including ticket costs and per seat contributions. Parking passes will be strictly limited to 1 parking pass for every 5 season tickets purchased with a cap on the number of passes per account. All parking passes are digital and can be managed in your UCF Athletics Account Manager. Fans with digital parking are STRONGLY encouraged to save their parking passes to their phone prior to gameday. Enhanced parking privileges may be available by supporting UCF Athletics through the Shareholders Society, with a minimum charitable gift of $5,000 or more, above and beyond your ticket invoice amount. By taking into consideration the entire football season ticket invoice amount, not just the per seat contribution amount, many long-time season ticket members will receive access to parking for the first time. All season ticket members who had parking in 2024 will automatically see these changes reflected on their invoice.
Fans looking to purchase parking or relocate their current parking are encouraged to complete the seat and parking relocation form when renewing their season tickets. Under the previous parking allocation system, many fans who qualified for multiple parking passes, received passes across different lots. This has negatively impacted tailgate setups across Gold Zone parking lots. Moving forward, fans who qualify for multiple parking passes will have the option to relocate all passes within the same lot (if available). Gold Zone parking passes will be strictly limited to 1 parking pass for every 5 season tickets purchased.
In a change from the 2025 season, due to construction reducing parking in the area around Acrisure Bounce House, parking lots H2-H4 and B9 are now reserved for fans with Gold Zone permits. Parking lot B4, located at the intersection of Central Florida Boulevard and Gemini Boulevard South, is reserved for official university business.
Park and Ride
Park and Ride services will be available on all home game days from five hours before kickoff until two hours after the game ends. Fans should park at the Research Pavilion, located at 12424 Research Parkway in the Central Florida Research Park adjacent, to campus. Shuttles will transport fans from the Research Pavilion to the Research 1 bus loop (adjacent to Parking Garage C).
UCF will operate student shuttle buses for all normally serviced apartment complexes (except NorthView, Tivoli and Northgate due to their close proximity to the stadium) on each home football game day. This means that normal UCF shuttle routes except #6 will be operating with the schedules below. The on-campus shuttle routes Pegasus Express will not be operating on game day. The shuttles will run from five hours prior to the start of the game until two hours after the game ends. The shuttles are designed to only handle people with light carry-on items; there is no space for large items, including coolers, tents/umbrellas, lawn chairs, tables and similar types of equipment.
The UCF Park and Ride shuttle buses will then transport fans from the Research Pavilion to the Research 1 Bus Stop (adjacent to garage C). Postgame, fans can return to the Research 1 Bus Stop for transportation via UCF shuttle buses back to Research Pavilion.
Shuttle Services
A free shuttle for patrons with disabilities will be provided from Garage C to Acrisure Bounce House (Gate 13). Those shuttles will run from three (3) hours prior to kickoff until two (2) hours after kickoff. Throughout the game and postgame, shuttles will be available, picking up from Gate 13, to return patrons with disabilities to Garage C.
Alternative Transportation Options
Shuttles
UCF buses and shuttles operate only when UCF is in session. Please refer to the UCF Academic Calendar for their schedule. For safety reasons, riders must show drivers their valid UCF ID prior to boarding UCF shuttles.
Downtown Shuttles
Shuttles operate between UCF’s main and downtown campuses Monday through Thursday with varying hours between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm . Main campus departures take place at the LYNX Transit Center (between Parking Garages A and I). Drop-offs and pick-ups for the downtown campus will be on Livingston Street in front of Dr.
Grocery Shuttles
On Tuesdays, UCF provides grocery shuttles on the main and downtown campuses. For main campus, shuttles run to and from the Publix Super Market located at the University Palms Shopping Center on Alafaya Trail. Grocery shuttles run every 45 minutes from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. For the UCF Downtown grocery shuttle, shuttles will travel from travel from Livingston Street, in front of the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons building to the Publix at The Paramount on Lake Eola, 400 E.
Health Science Campus (Lake Nona) Shuttles
Shuttles travel between the main and Lake Nona campuses Monday through Friday between 7:20 am and 6 pm. Main campus stops are at the Physical Sciences building and the Biomolecular Research Annex on Research Parkway.
Rosen Campus Shuttles
During the fall and spring, shuttles travel between main campus and the Rosen campus Monday through Thursday between 6:45 am and 9:15 pm. Main campus departures are in the Pegasus Circle and Aquarius Agora Drive roundabout located behind the Student Union.
Off-Campus Shuttles
Students who live at select off-campus housing communities near main campus can leave their cars parked at their residence and take advantage of complimentary shuttles that will drop them off on campus.
LYNX
UCF students and employees can ride all LYNX routes for free, whether they’re near campus or not, with a valid UCF ID.
LYMMO
The free LYMMO lines are an easy, convenient way to get around downtown Orlando, with two lines stopping at UCF Downtown. The rapid transport system operates from 6:00 am to 10:45 pm on weekdays, with hours varying on the weekend.
Intra Campus Pegasus Express
These on-campus shuttles will run counterclockwise around the university from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm during the fall and spring semesters. The on-campus shuttle routes Pegasus Express will not be operating on game day.
Bikes
There are 65 bike racks on campus that are free to use. Bikes should be locked to the racks using U-bolt lock and cable combinations. Students with a valid UCF ID can also take advantage of SG’s free Bike N’ Gold bike share program as alternative to driving. Bike N’ Gold will operate 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Monday through Friday. Weekly check-ins at the bike shop are required to ensure the bike is in proper working condition. Students may come, free of charge, and have their bikes repaired with quality service by our Bike Repair Team.
Spin Scooters
Spin scooters will be available to help students better navigate the university’s 1,415-acre main campus. The scooters will operate from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm, will only be operational on campus, and require downloading the Spin app, which is available on Android and Apple devices. Scooters will be available at 15 charging stations across campus and will cost $1 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to ride.
Ride Sharing
Ride Share options are a reliable and affordable way to get to and from Acrisure Bounce House on game day. SG has partnered with Lyft to provide students with discounts for the ride-sharing app. The codes are only valid for two rides each month and the rides must be within a specific zone around UCF.
RedCoach
RedCoach provides bus services from UCF to South Florida, Tallahassee and Gainesville in business class seats. Purchase tickets online.
Utilizing the UCF Mobile App
UCF Mobile app. - Visit the Parking icon - Find out how many spaces are available in each parking garage on main campus, various parking maps. Under Notifications, select “Explore all Channels”, select Parking Availability Updates.
Additional Parking Information
Cost Savings
In some cases, purchasing a parking permit is more cost-effective than paying daily or hourly parking fees depending on your needs.
Additional Services
Parking and Transportation provides complimentary motorist assist services to all UCF faculty, staff and student permit-holders. Complimentary, two-week parking passes are available for new employees at the Visitor and Parking Information Center.
Adding a Second Vehicle
Yes, one additional vehicle per account holder can be added to virtual permit orders for an additional fee of $15. However, the additional vehicle must be registered to the same household, and only one vehicle may be parked at any of the UCF locations at any given time.
Purchasing Permits
Starting August 7, you can purchase your permit online at the Virtual Parking Portal. You can choose to do payroll deductions or pay the entire fee with your Visa, Mastercard, or American Express.
Updating License Plate Information
To update your license plate on your virtual permit, visit the Parking Portal and select “Change license plate”. Each temporary change can be up to 14 calendar days. The temporary vehicle information will auto revert to the original vehicle information when the temporary change expires. No user action is required.
Metered and Mobile Payment Parking
Drivers must pay for parking at designated spaces by using the ParkMobile app or by scanning the QR code on the signs by the designated spaces. Street parking on East Plaza Drive and West Plaza Drive near the Addition Financial Arena is complimentary from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm daily. Drivers will have to pay to use the meters during other hours.
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