UCF Virtual Parking Permit Information: A Comprehensive Guide

Navigating parking at a large university like the University of Central Florida (UCF) can be challenging. To streamline the process and enhance efficiency, UCF has implemented a virtual parking permit system. This article provides a comprehensive overview of UCF's virtual parking permit system, parking regulations, and alternative transportation options.

Virtual Parking Permits: The Basics

UCF utilizes License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology, a smart parking system that uses your vehicle's license plate as your virtual parking permit. This eliminates the need for physical permits or hangtags, offering a more convenient and touchless experience.

Key Features:

License Plate as Permit: Once you purchase a virtual permit at parking.ucf.edu and register your vehicle, your license plate becomes your parking permit.
Nose-In Parking: Always park nose-in so that your license plate is visible from the drive lanes. Back-in parking is not allowed on any UCF campus. This rule has been in effect since Summer 2019.
LPR Technology: Cameras mounted on enforcement vehicles and within parking garages capture license plate numbers. These numbers are then automatically checked against the parking database to verify valid parking privileges.
Second Vehicle Registration: You can register a second vehicle to your account for an additional fee of $15. The second vehicle must be owned and registered to the original permit holder or within the same household. The second registration will expire on the same date as the first permit.
One Vehicle at a Time: While you can register multiple vehicles, only one vehicle per account can be parked on any UCF campus (Main, Downtown, Health Sciences, Research Park, and Rosen College) at any given time. Parking shared vehicles on campuses at the same time may result in a $100 parking fine for the account holder.
Temporary Vehicle Changes: If your vehicle is in the shop for repairs, you can temporarily change the vehicle associated with your permit online. 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.

Types of Virtual Parking Permits

UCF offers various types of virtual parking permits to accommodate different needs:

General/Student Permits: Commuting students traveling to the main campus must purchase a General/Student parking permit and park in designated General/Student lots and garages.
Resident Permits: Students living on the main campus and Rosen campus must park in designated spaces for their assigned housing community Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. 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. Vehicles parked in designated residential areas without a valid residential permit are subject to tow.
UnionWest Residents: Students residing at UCF Downtown’s UnionWest at Creative Village community must lease a space from the UnionWest garage, as it is the only overnight parking option on campus.
Daily Permits: Daily virtual parking permits are available for $8 and are valid for 24 hours from the time of purchase. They are allowed in General (green) student spaces. After 5:30 pm, daily permits are valid in Employee, Unreserved, or Student spaces.

Permit Duration and Pricing:

Annual virtual permits are valid for 365 days from the date of purchase.
150-day virtual permits are available for those who prefer to purchase parking by semester, valid for 150 days from the date of purchase.
Pricing for 150-day and 365-day permits vary depending on the type of permit purchased, such as Resident and commuting students.

Accessible Parking

Individuals with disabilities have specific parking options:

Individuals who possess a valid state-issued (blue) disabled placard or a temporary (red) state disabled placard assigned to their name issued by The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) are required to purchase a UCF parking permit of appropriate classification (Employee, student, or Daily Visitor) to park on campus.
With the appropriate UCF permit, individuals may park in any available disabled parking space on campus.

UCF Downtown Parking

Parking at UCF Downtown has specific considerations:

Approximately 2,000 parking spaces are available to support the downtown campus.
The Amelia I Parking Garage (PG3) is the primary parking garage for “D” (green) and “R” (orange) permits. To enter the Amelia Garage, turn right onto Alexander Place from N. Hughey Avenue. Turn right again onto Ronald Blocker Ave. The entrance is on your right-hand side. When exiting the garage, you will exit onto Ronald Blocker Ave., but can only turn right.
The UnionWest garage is the only overnight parking option on campus.
The Parramore Garage (PG1) serves faculty and staff with “B” (red), and “C” (blue) parking permits.
Visitors to UCF Downtown may purchase an $8 daily parking permit using UCF’s virtual permits.
The first level of the Parramore Garage offers daily virtual permit parking only. Overflow parking for daily virtual permits is available on the 4th floor of the Parramore Garage or on any level of the Amelia Garage. Daily permits will be valid in all of the “D” (green) parking spaces in the Parramore Garage or UCF Amelia Garage.
Metered parking along Livingston Street, as well as an hourly parking lot on Livingston Street adjacent to the Marriott Hotel, is managed by the City of Orlando.

Important Considerations

Move-in and Enrollment Periods: Housing students should consider move-in dates and enrollment periods when ordering their virtual parking permits. It is recommended to order your virtual parking permit one week prior to the beginning of the semester to maximize its validity.
Enforcement: LPR technology ensures that parking regulations are enforced efficiently. Vehicles parked without a valid virtual permit or in unauthorized areas are subject to citations.
Sustainability: The transition to LPR and virtual permits promotes sustainability by reducing waste associated with physical permits. It is estimated that the university issued about 250,000 physical permits to faculty, staff, and students over the last five years.
Cost Savings: Switching to virtual permits results in cost savings by reducing the need to track and inventory physical permits. The estimated annual cost savings are $245,000.

Alternative Transportation Options

UCF offers a variety of alternative transportation options to reduce reliance on personal vehicles:

UCF Mobile App: Use the UCF Mobile app to find out how many spaces are available in each parking garage on the main campus and access various parking maps. Under Notifications, select “Explore all Channels” and then “Parking Availability Updates” to receive parking availability notifications.
Shuttles: UCF operates several shuttle routes connecting the main campus, downtown campus, Rosen campus, and Health Sciences Campus (Lake Nona). 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. Phillips Academic Commons.
- Grocery Shuttles: On Tuesdays, UCF provides grocery shuttles on the main and downtown campuses. For the UCF Downtown grocery shuttle, shuttles will travel from Livingston Street, in front of the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons building to the Publix at The Paramount on Lake Eola, 400 E. Central Blvd.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 with a valid UCF ID.
LYMMO: The free LYMMO lines are an easy and 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.
RedCoach: RedCoach provides bus services from UCF to South Florida, Tallahassee, and Gainesville in business class seats. Purchase tickets online.
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 an 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.
Lyft: 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.
Spin Scooters: Spin scooters are 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.
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.

Motorist Assistance

If you experience car trouble on campus, Parking and Transportation Services provides motorist assistance with battery jumps, tire inflations, finding your vehicle, or opening locked doors.

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