Permits

Students

A student must register a vehicle by the first day of class or within 72 hours of acquiring a vehicle later in the semester. A temporary permit is required during this 72-hour period. Student permit categories include Non-Commuter, Motorcycle Non-Commuter, Commuter, Motorcycle Commuter, Accessible, Evening, Fraternity, and Sorority.

Temporary parking for student areas may be purchased at rate of $5.00 per day when space is available.

2020-21 Full Year Student Parking Permit Rates (have NOT increased in 5 years)
Purchase online only

• Non-Commuter Permit (N/NW/NA): $294
• Commuter (C/CW/CA): $188
• Perimeter Commuter (PC/PCW/PCA) $94
• Evening (T/TW/TA): $40 (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): $269  NEW – Available for purchase ONLINE

2020-21 Spring ONLY Student Parking Permit Rates (have NOT increased in 5 years)
Purchase online only

• Non-Commuter Permit (N/NW/NA): $147
• Commuter (C/CW/CA): $94
• Perimeter Commuter (PC/PCW/PCA) $47
• Evening (T/TW/TA): $20 (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): $134.50 NEW – Available for purchase ONLINE

One Day Permit – Temporary parking for student areas may be purchased at rate of $5.00 per day when space is available

Specific expiration dates are indicated on each parking permit.

Students wishing to park on campus in the fall semester must purchase the permit for the full academic year; however, students who no longer need to park on campus after the fall semester may return their permit in person to the Parking and Transit Services office after the fall semester for a partial refund. Typically in the fall, a full refund is given one week after classes begin, two weeks with a withdrawal slip from school, and thereafter only a 1/2 refund is given.

A student who is graduating in December or no longer needs their permit can return his/her permit for a 50 percent refund.  The permit should be turned in directly to the Parking and Transit Services office.  The deadline for a refund is typically one week after the spring semester begins.

A student who needs a permit for only the spring semester may purchase one beginning in mid-December, prior to the spring semester.  The price will be half of a fall/spring permit.  Permits are sold for spring semester as long as they are available.

Summer permits have similar half-price refunds when they are returned between summer sessions. Permits may be returned directly to the Parking and Transit Services office. View our regulations for more information.

Link to refund page

Late Night Commuter Parking
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.

Faculty/Staff

Faculty/staff permits are sold online once a year to staff with current permits. The purchase link is distributed via e-mail when it becomes available for a limited time period. All other faculty/staff permits are sold in person after New Employee Orientation or with a letter from their department verifying their new employment. 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.

Temporary staff desiring to park on campus must purchase a permit for $5.00 per day or $30.00 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.

2. Employee must be officially retired from the University, not just retirement age, when terminating employment.

3. 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.

4. Retirees that 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.

2. Are NOT valid in public pay garage, Circle Park, or other reserved spaces.

3. Are valid for occasional parking only and should not be used to park daily on campus.

4. Are not valid during special events or sporting events including football and basketball games.

5. 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.

6. Are not valid for overnight parking.

7. Must be properly displayed to be valid.

8. 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

Visitors

Visitors must obtain a visitor permit from either of the Parking and Transit Services offices or the information kiosk in Circle Park for specified areas on campus. An all-day visitor permit is $5. When you receive the permit, it will indicate where you are to park.

Some visitor permits are sold directly to departments for their guests or for resale to their visitors (for camps and events).

Visitor parking is provided in Circle Park with a permit issued from the information kiosk at the entrance. Parking is limited to 45 minutes and is strictly enforced.

Volunteer Hall Garage (G15) visitor parking is available for $1.00 every half-hour. A fee of $10.60 will be charged for lost gate tickets.

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.

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

Sales & Service

Parking permits for sales and service representatives (“vendors”) are available directly from the Parking and Transit Services offices at a cost of $170.00 (annually) or $5.00 per day. Vendors must provide a letter from their company requesting access to park in campus lots in order 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 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 at a cost of $30 per month.

Contractor Parking Request Form

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 at 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:

• Student cards are issued by Student Disability Services (SDS)
• Faculty or staff cards are issued by the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED)

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 First Transit, has a number of on-campus services available to students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

All T buses are lift-equipped and fully accessible.

The four main bus routes (Hill, 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 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 lot near accessible spaces next to former 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 garage entrance
• G-12 Curb at entrance on White Ave.
• G-13 Curb at entrance between 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.

Closure of “Hill” roads
Circle Drive and Middle Way Drive/Estabrook, located on the Hill, will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from time to time due to construction. Limited access may be available at the Cumberland entrance to Circle Drive for those with accessible parking plates/hang tags, as well as the T Access service and some delivery trucks.

A UTPD officer may be available to assist with special circumstances.

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 Parking and Transit Services office or online once a year via e-mail.

Motorcycles are permitted only in designated M&R spaces.

Annual Motorcycle Non-Commuter (R): $78
Annual Motorcycle Commuter (M): $63

Departments

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 on a regular basis 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 in order 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 that 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 which 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 announcement regarding these changes

 

 

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 successfully 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 Parking & Transit Office
• Obtain Alternative Vehicle Parking Permit (no cost)
• Operators of these vehicles must fulfill requirements, successfully 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