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Permits

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General Info

Vehicle Registration and Permit Parking
All vehicles operated by UT students or employees are required to be registered with Parking and Transit Services. Registration improves the security of campus, identifies the operator as affiliated with the university, and provides for more expedient notification in the event of any emergency.  A registration tag is available at no cost, but does not provide campus parking privileges.

Only paid parking permits allow for parking in designated campus lots.  Parking permit types and prices will vary.  Please refer to our regulations for more information.

Ratio of Permit Sales to Parking Spaces
Parking demand varies greatly by day of week and time of day. In order to maximize the parking spaces on campus:

  • Commuter parking is 1.85 permits to 1 space (we expect spaces to be occupied by multiple vehicles in the same day to maximize the usage of the parking areas)
  • Non-Commuter parking is 1.20 permits to 1 space
  • Faculty/Staff parking is 1.20 permits to 1 space

Transferable Permits

  • Yes – you can transfer the hangtag to another vehicle you drive
  • No – you can transfer to another person
  • Yes – you can get a courtesy permit if you forgot your hangtag, lost it, or it was destroyed in a car accident
  • Read more about the transferability of permits under regulations.

Lost or Stolen Permits
If your permit has been lost or stolen, first contact the UTPD to report the incident. Then come to Parking and Transit Services to obtain a replacement permit. The replacement cost is $15. If a lost or stolen permit is found on a campus vehicle, it will be towed and the violator will be charged.

Impounded vehicles may be claimed at Parking and Transit Services at 2121 Stephenson Drive, M-F, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. On gamedays, towed vehicles may be claimed by calling 865-974-6031 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (or kickoff – whichever is earlier) to schedule a time to retrieve the vehicle.

The replacement cost for a lost or mutilated gate control card is $15.

RecSports Parking Area

recsports-sign-for-web

Parking in the RPA is restricted to those utilizing RecSports facilities during regular operating hours.

  • Commuters or staff with a current valid commuter or staff parking permit may park in the RPA lot to use the RecSports facility ONLY
  • Only S20 permit holders may park in those spaces
  • NO parking for academic/credit class (Classes at TRECs are fine)
  • Parking is limited to three hours maximum from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After 5:00 p.m. guests are not limited to three hours AND are required to have a current valid parking permit.
  • Non-commuter permits are NOT valid at any time
  • NO parking in the RPA or the SC (next to it) lots from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
  • Parking in the RPA lot is restricted for Special Events (i.e. Football)
    • Signage will indicate when these events occur

NOTE: This lot is heavily monitored to allow for maximum usage for RecSports attendees

Game Day Parking
Commuter and staff lots around campus, especially those closest to Neyland Stadium, Thompson-Boling Arena, and surrounding areas are used for football and basketball parking. These lots may be accessed with a football or basketball permit only. Refer to our maps for more information on designated game day parking lots.

Parking and Transit Services has extensive information regarding alternatives to campus, parking for permit holders, and suggestions for staff who are required to work on a game day.

UT Parking/Football

UT Parking/Basketball

UT Gameday page from UT sports

 

Improperly parked vehicles or those found in a restricted area will be towed at the owner’s expense. Towed vehicles may be claimed by contacting Parking & Transit Services at 865-974-6031 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (or kickoff – whichever is earlier) to schedule a time to retrieve the vehicle. 

Students

Before continuing to purchase a student permit, you will need the following:

  • UT NetID  and password
  • Credit card or MyUTK
  • License plate number
  • License plate registration expiration date
  • Make, model, year, and color of the vehicle(s) you will be driving to campus

Students are required to purchase their commuter or residential: non-commuter or Greek House parking permit online. Online Academic Year Permit sales begin August 1st each year and remain open. Permits will be mailed from our vendor in Arkansas on the first business day following the date of the sale.  Since they are stored at our vendor, they may not be picked up in our office.

For your convenience, every parking permit payment receipt will have a temporary permit attached. The temporary permit will allow you to immediately park in your designated area for ten days until your hang tag arrives. At the end of your transaction, choose the option to Download the Receipt and Permit to print later or choose to Open Receipt and print it now.  

Once a permit is sold online, the mailing process is automated.  No changes are allowed until the permit is received, so please select your options carefully.

Please note our database is populated through the enrolled students and those with signed UT Housing contracts. You also need to be enrolled in classes.

All set? Purchase a student permit

2022-24 Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 Student Parking Permit Rates (first increase in 7 years)
Purchase online only

  • Non-Commuter Permit (N/NW/NA): $310
  • Commuter (C/CW/CA): $198
  • Economy Commuter (EC/ECW/ECA) $99
  • Evening (T/TW/TA): $42 (valid beginning at 3 p.m. in commuter lots and 5:00 p.m. in unreserved staff lots)
  • Fraternity or Sorority (GF/GFW/GFA/GS/GSW/GSA): $283

Fall/Spring permits expire May 31, 2024 – summer permits are required if working or taking classes on campus

 

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Parking Permits

  • Sold for the full academic year (we do not sell Fall only at the beginning of the year)
  • Mid-December permit prices are cut in half for the Spring ONLY semester permit

Refunds

  • If you no longer need to park on campus
  • Leaving campus – graduating, internship, leaving school
  • Full Refund – within one week of classes beginning (or two weeks with a withdrawal slip from the university)
  • Half Refund – after the initial deadline and for anyone turning in the permit after the fall semester

View our regulations for more information.

Link to the refund page

Night Commuter Parking
There is NO commuter overnight parking on campus. This is a benefit only for residential students in UT Housing.

Student commuter permits are valid from 6:00 a.m. until 3:00 a.m. each weekday. Commuter permits are not valid from 3:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. Enforcement is 24/7.

STAFF9

Faculty/Staff

Renewals

Sold online in mid-July to staff with current permits and purchase link is distributed via e-mail

Temporary, contract, and staff who purchase by the month are sold in person starting the last week of July

New Faculty/Staff

  • Mondays after New Employee Orientation – HR provides a master list for the Monday hires, so no additional documentation is needed IF you are on that list
  • Individual hires not listed on a master HR listing require a letter from their department verifying their new employment
  • Parking rates are determined by base salary, if this information has not been input into the UT system yet, new hires will pay $31.50 for the first month. They will need to return the next month to ascertain the correct monthly rate (see below)

Annual faculty/staff permits expire on July 31 as indicated on each parking permit

Faculty/Staff permit categories include Unreserved Staff Area, Accessible, Gated Restricted Access, and Reserved Staff Area.

2023-24 Faculty/Staff Parking Fees:
(first increase in 7 years)

Unreserved Staff Area
Based on base salary level:

Annually: see below
Monthly: see below

Tier 1: $29,999 and under annual compensation will pay $21.00 per month X 12 = $252.00

Tier 2: $30,000 to $59,999 will pay $31.50 per month x 12 = $378.00

Tier 3: $60,000 to $149,999 will pay $36.75 per month x 12 = $441.00

Tier 4: $150,000 and over annual compensation will pay $52.50 per month x 12 = $630.00

Gated Restricted Access
Annually: $714.00
Monthly: $59.50

Reserved Staff Area
Annually: $1,560.00
Monthly: $130.00

Purchase a staff permit


Temporary staff desiring to park on campus must purchase a permit for $5.00 per day or $31.50 per month and may choose the lesser rate. An authorization letter is required.

Scratch-off Permits

Parking Services supports alternative forms of transportation but sometimes you have to bring a car.  Our answer for the environmentally conscious Faculty and Staff member is a parking permit you can purchase at any time in our office and scratch off the date when you need it.  Each permit is $5 and allows one day of parking in the G10 garage.

Emeritus Parking Permits

Any University of Tennessee Knoxville retiree is eligible for an Emeritus parking permit as long as the following criteria are met:

  1. Regular employees must have a minimum of fifteen (15) years of service with the University of Tennessee Knoxville to qualify.
  1. The employee must be officially retired from the University, not just at retirement age when terminating employment.
  1. Should the retiree return to work in a part-time, term, or contract position for which they are compensated, the retiree will be required to purchase the appropriate permit.
  1. Retirees who regularly volunteer on campus will be required to display a regular staff parking permit. Individuals or departments may secure the permit at the rate established by the Traffic & Parking Authority (TPA).

Emeritus permits:

  1. Are issued every 3 years to qualified retirees and are valid in unreserved staff parking areas only.
  1. Are NOT valid in public pay garages, Circle Park, or other reserved spaces.
  1. Are valid for occasional parking only and should not be used to park daily on campus.
  1. Are not valid during special events or sporting events including football and basketball games.
  1. Are for the use of the retiree only and may not be loaned, sold, or used by anyone other than the retiree. It is not transferable.
  1. Are not valid for overnight parking.
  1. Must be properly displayed to be valid.
  1. Will be issued at the rate established by the TPA during the annual budgeting cycle.

Emeritus Permit Renewal Info Sheet updated 2018

Updated Emeritus Policy 2017

Fall Visitor

Visitors

UT currently has limited visitor parking.

Hourly/daily visitor parking is located in the Volunteer Hall Garage (G15). The garage entrance is at 1545 White Ave, across the street from the Law School. This is a gated garage and the rate is $1.00 every half-hour.

NOTE: If you enter a garage at 1621 White Ave with no gate – you are NOT in the Volunteer Hall visitor garage and will be ticketed. The Volunteer Hall garage entrance is at 1545 White Ave, please do not enter from Clinch Ave as that is residential student (Non-commuter) parking.

The garage is open from 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Overnight parking is not allowed. This schedule may change without notice due to special events or conferences and is NOT available for home football games.

Arrangements for conference parking in the Volunteer Hall garage may be made in advance through Parking and Transportation Services by calling 865-974-6031. The conference parking rate is $5.00 per vehicle.

In addition, Circle Park has limited visitor parking for 45 minutes. Guests need to stop at the Information Booth to secure a 45-minute permit. This area is strictly enforced. If no parking is available, guests will be directed the the Volunteer Hall garage.

The Information Booth can also generate Accessible Visitor Parking permits for those with an Accessible placard or license plate.

Revisions to Accessible Parking Permit Regulations
Effective July 1, 2016

Visitors needing accessible parking are now required to get a UT Daily Accessible Parking Permit.

Visitors need to provide the following to park at the University of Tennessee Knoxville:

  • state-issued accessible placard/license plate
  • state registration for the accessible placard

Daily Accessible permits are available at Circle Park and the Parking & Transit Services offices at 2121 Stephenson Dr (located off Neyland Dr & Joan Cronan Way)

The permit is valid in all marked campus accessible spaces and all campus unreserved spaces and has no fee

Please note: Circle Park unreserved spaces are still limited to 45 minutes

After 5:00 p.m. – The accessible parking plate/hangtag is sufficient

Sales & Service

Parking permits for sales and service representatives (“vendors”) are available directly from the Parking and Transit Services offices for $180.00 (annually) or $5.00 per day. Vendors must provide a letter from their company requesting access to park in campus lots to receive a permit. Vendors with this parking permit may park in all unreserved staff areas only while on university business. Sales and service permits are valid for occasional parking only and should not be used to park daily on campus.

Contractor Parking

Parking permits for contractors working on the University of Tennessee construction or repair projects can be purchased upon approval after completing the Contractor Parking Request Form.  Each request will be evaluated by the Parking and Transit Services office.  Contractor permits are used to park daily in assigned campus lots for $31.50 per month.

Contractor Parking Request Form

Accessible Parking

Accessible Wheelchair Icon

2016 Revisions to Accessible Parking Permit Regulations
The revised policy will require vehicles operated by students, faculty, and staff who need accessible parking to purchase and display a dual registration, which includes:

  • a valid state-issued accessible placard or license plate
  • UT-issued Accessible permit (such as the Staff Accessible listed below)

A UT-issued accessible permit will be at the standard permit cost (depending on your designation staff, commuter, non-commuter, etc).
There is no additional cost to those permit holders, beyond the standard permit fee.

All vehicles displaying dual registration will be allowed to park in any accessible space as well as any unreserved, non-UT vehicle space.

To purchase an Accessible permit please bring the following documentation to 2121 Stephenson Dr (off Neyland Dr & Joan Cronan Way):

  • Photo ID
  • State registration for the Accessible Placard
  • The valid accessible placard or accessible license plate DMV record

For the revised regulation for students, staff, and faculty, click here.

For the revised regulation for visitors, click here.

There are over 500 Accessible parking spaces on the UT campus

Disabled person parking plates/tags must be issued to the individual driving or being transported.

Time restrictions apply in certain locations, such as Circle Park 45 minutes, Hodges Library 2 hours, etc.

Accessible parking plates/tags must be from the same state as the registration of the vehicle.

Providing a means to get you to your destination:

The T: Access and T: Link point-to-point service can pick up from all parking areas, although this may require loading at the sidewalk or lot/garage perimeter.
Note: The T: Access and T: Link vehicles cannot go into covered parking facilities.

During the day – The T: Access

The T: Access is a demand response service available to transport students, staff, and faculty around campus (inc. UT main campus, Ag Campus, & facilities in the Fort Sanders neighborhood). The service is provided for those with permanent disabilities and limited duration passes for those with temporary disabilities can be issued. Medical verification of the disability needs to be provided to the applicable office.

To get your Access ID card (which is needed to board the vehicle) please visit:

Daytime Hours: Weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

At night – The T: Link

The same point-to-point demand responsive service and No Access ID is required at night.

  • Request pickup through the UT mobile app’s transit icon or the TransLoc app. The blue circle will pop up to request On-Demand after 6:00 p.m.
  • Call from any campus Blue Phone
  • Call the Link directly at 865-974-4080

Nighttime Hours: 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.

Bus Transportation Options

The T, operated by Transdev, has several on-campus services available to students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

All T buses are lift-equipped and fully accessible.

The five main bus routes (Hill, Ag Express, Neyland Express, Fort, and Late Nite) all have low-floor kneeling buses to ease the boarding of buses.

Visit Ride the T for details

For other on- and off-campus public transportation options, visit the KAT website.

Parking Lots Recommended for Using the T: Access or T: Link
These parking lots have been identified for the ease of T Access pick-up, visibility, and proximity to curb cuts, crosswalks, and accessible parking spaces:

  • C-3 Curb on Lake Loudon
  • S-23 Curb on Phillip Fulmer near Thompson-Boling Arena Ticket Office
  • S-30 Curb at Gate 13 outside of Neyland Stadium
  • Perkins Hall at lot entrance on Middle Drive
  • S-9 (south end) Curb on the south side corner of Phillip Fulmer and Peyton Manning Pass
  • S-9 (north end) Campus Transfer Point outside of Neyland Stadium near Gate 21
  • C-5 Curb on Lake Loudon
  • C-6 Curb outside of Financial Aid Office entrance
  • S-23 Corner of the lot near accessible spaces next to the Student Health Clinic
  • N-7 at Blue Phone outside of garage entrance
  • S-7 Curb on 13th St.
  • G-10 Curb at Tee Martin & Phillip Fulmer
  • G-11 Curb on Terrace Ave (far side) outside the garage entrance
  • G-12 Curb at the entrance on White Ave.
  • G-13 Curb at the entrance between the garage and Jesse Harris

 

Accessible Parking on the Hill
There are a limited number of accessible spaces available on the Hill located near Austin Peay, Ayres, and Dabney/Buehler. Additional accessible parking is available in the parking area west of Perkins.

The 11th Street Garage has twenty-six accessible parking spaces available for students, faculty, and staff. A pedestrian bridge provides direct access from the garage to the hill.

Loading/Unloading on the Hill
Vehicles displaying a current Staff Area 7 permit may use the fifteen-minute loading/unloading spaces without other credentials but are subject to strict enforcement of the designated spaces.

Parking Area Closure Requests

Departments, vendors, and other customers can request closure of parking areas by submitting a Parking Area Closure Request Form.

Street Closure Requests

Closure of campus roads and streets may be requested by filling out a Street Closure Request Form and submitting it via email to utoperations@utk.edu or fax to 865-974-3536.

Motorcycles

Student commuter and non-commuter motorcycle permits are sold online and in person year-round.
Faculty/staff motorcycle permits are sold in person at either the Parking and Transportation Services office or online once a year via e-mail.

Motorcycles are permitted only in designated M&R spaces.

Annual Motorcycle Non-Commuter (R): $82.50
Annual Motorcycle Commuter (M): $66.00

S9 at night IIDepartments

Transferrable “Orange Dot” permits
Formerly known as Red Dots, Orange Dots are for departmental use only. They are designed to help departments conduct departmental business and should only be used for short periods to access alternate locations. Orange Dots may not be used regularly to alter allocated parking assignments.

Orange Dots may only be used for parking in unreserved staff areas and must be accompanied by a current parking permit. Circle Park is not an unreserved staff area.

To obtain an Orange Dot permit, departments must submit a letter of request and justification from the appropriate chief administrative officer of each major division.

Orange Dots expire annually on July 31.

Special Permit
Allows parking in another unreserved area on campus (distance of 1/2 mile or greater) for those persons whose duties require movement. To obtain a special permit, departments must submit a letter of request and justification from the appropriate chief administrative officer of each major division.

EV Special Permit may be obtained for those with Electric Vehicles to park in the charging stations which may not be in their assigned area.

Reserved Spaces
Departments must submit reserved space requests for approval in writing to the director of Parking and Transit Services. Reserved spaces purchased by individuals also require a written request for review and approval by the director of Parking and Transit Services. Individual reserved spaces are awarded based on space availability.

Department Visitors
University departments that invite visitors to campus should contact Parking and Transit Services to arrange for visitor parking. Requests for special guest parking should be submitted to Parking and Transit Services as far in advance as possible. Special event parking requests should be submitted at least seven (7) days in advance to coordinate the numerous parking requests received. Please fill out the Special Parking Request Form.

Loading/Unloading
Departmental Unloading Permits will be issued to units located on Circle Drive. Departments will check out permits to individuals in advance who need access to unloading areas. These permits provide access. Restricted times will be strictly enforced.

Alternative Vehicle

The Traffic and Parking Authority has directed Parking and Transit Services to administer a permit registration program for university-owned or leased alternative vehicles that are used on campus. These vehicles must be registered through a university department. Registration is free.

Alternate vehicles (like golf/utility carts) are not allowed to operate in an unsafe manner, park on sidewalks and block entrances to buildings, and must be registered.

Alternative Vehicles are defined as those that are purchased, leased, traded for, loaned, donated, and similar activities where an alternative vehicle is under the control of a student, staff, or faculty member and driven on campus-owned streets.

Link to the announcement regarding these changes

Pictures of alterntive type vehicles

Departments must complete the Alternative Vehicle Registration Form.

An Alternative Vehicle Permit does not expire. The permit should be visible from the front of the vehicle, affixed to the upper part of the hood or frame on the driver’s side visually below the steering wheel.

Operators of alternative vehicles must meet the general requirements listed in the GS130 Alternative Vehicle Policy, and complete the Alternative Vehicle Safety Training Program given by the UT Department of Environmental Health & Safety.

The process:

  • Purchase or acquire vehicle (must be done through Facilities Services)
  • Register the vehicle with the Parking & Transportation Office
  • Obtain Alternative Vehicle Parking Permit (no cost)
  • Operators of these vehicles must fulfill requirements, and complete an Alternative Vehicle Safety Training Program, which includes a signed statement of understanding and compliance.

Link to Alternative Vehicle Policy

Link to Training Materials

Link to Training Calendar administered by Environmental Health & Safety