Parking
Visit our Online Payment Center to purchase a parking permit or pay a citation.
Visit our Online Payment Center to purchase a parking permit or pay a citation.
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Overview (including parking for students/employees, visitors and vendors/contractors)
The University at Albany has designated parking lots for students, employees, and visitors as well as spaces for community members.
These rules are set by the University President, in consultation with the University Council and/or the SUNY Board of Trustees, when appropriate. Compliance with parking regulations is encouraged by fair and consistent enforcement.
Parking & Mass Transit Services is also guided by principals of mobility and safety with an emphasis on prioritizing pedestrians and cycling. Our hierarchical mobility structure begins with pedestrians and is followed by bicycles, mass transit, service vehicles, and single occupancy vehicles.
All patrons park their vehicles at the University at their own risk. The University is not responsible for theft of any vehicle, its contents, or damage sustained by a vehicle parked on University property.
The University reserves the right to remove or relocate any vehicle on campus at the owners' expense that is unable to be moved due to an immediate or planned campus parking lot need or snow emergency.
Parking permit regulations are enforced from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Friday, a timeframe of 108 consecutive hours. Other parking violations including but not limited to parking in fire/travel lanes, accessible spaces, at fire hydrants, along a curb, or on the grass are enforced 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Faculty and staff parking lots are designated for faculty and staff only with valid parking decals between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. These lots specifically include State faculty/staff lot, Colonial faculty/staff lot, Podium West faculty/staff lot, and Dutch faculty/staff lot. Weekdays after 4 p.m. and before 8 a.m. any vehicle with a valid University at Albany parking permit can park in these locations.
Overnight parking is not allowed in any visitor lot, metered parking space, or any parking lot where signage indicates no overnight parking. That includes the SEFCU Arena as well as the University Administration Building and Management Services Center parking lots.
The University is under no obligation to mark all areas where parking is prohibited. It is the responsibility of the vehicle operator to park in accordance with the regulations. Lack of signage does not imply lack of enforcement.
The immobilization policy is designed to provide vehicle owners or registrants the chance to avoid the cost and inconvenience of having their vehicle towed from campus for excessive parking violations.
If you owe $100 or more in fines, an immobilization device may be attached to your vehicle. The owner or registrant of an immobilized vehicle has 72 hours to contact the Office of Parking and Mass Transit Services, settle their fines, and pay a fee of $100 to have the device removed. After 72 hours, the University reserves the right to tow the vehicle from campus at the expense of the vehicle's owner or registrant.
Attempting to remove, tampering with, or damaging the immobilization device without payment may result in additional fines and fees, and in student instances, referral to Community Standards. Any attempt to remove the immobilization device shall make the offender liable for any vehicle damage and may subject the offender to criminal and financial penalties.
Any vehicle on University property that is abandoned, unsafe, inoperable, or under repair will be ticketed as “unsafe” and must be removed immediately from campus.
These vehicles can also be towed off campus at any time at the expense of the owner or registrant.
Unsafe vehicles are those that present a clear and present danger or are threat to life, safety, or the environment. For example, a vehicle that is leaking gas, oil, or anti-freeze.
Vehicles without a valid state or province vehicle registration are considered abandoned. These vehicles will be ticketed as “abandoned” and towed from campus at the expense of the owner or registrant.
Citations issued for towing charges are not eligible for appeal.
The University may declare a snow emergency if accumulation impedes emergency vehicles’ access and/or access for individuals who need to park in authorized areas, or when snow removal operations are necessary for the general health and safety of our campus community.
Snow emergencies and where to park are announced on the University website, on the Parking & Mass Transit Alerts webpage and via UAlbany Alerts.
Visit the Office of Facilities Management website for University’s Snow and Ice Response Guide and Snow Emergency Parking Plan.
To maintain safety, no one can park a vehicle so that it interferes with the use of a fire hydrant, fire lane, travel lane, or other emergency zone, creates any other hazard or unreasonably interferes with the free and proper use of a roadway or pedestrian way. Special parking restrictions imposed during emergencies, including snow emergencies, must be followed.
The person who was issued the parking permit is responsible for any parking violations issued to their vehicle and/or vehicles belonging to family members. It is your responsibility to know and follow University parking rules and regulations, and to inform your family of these policies.
All citations issued for a violation will record the vehicle’s description and licensing information, the time the ticket was issued, the parking decal and fee tag numbers, and the badge number of the citing officer or parking attendant.
Citations will also note location of violation and specific offense(s), with the corresponding fine(s). As a courtesy, vehicles remaining illegally parked in the same parking space will not be held responsible for more than one ticket per calendar day.
All citations must note an administrative violation, a parking violation, or both and be placed on the vehicle.
A vehicle’s parking registration may be revoked for the rest of the academic year if cited seven times in one academic year.
For students:
For employees:
All others:
In all instances, appeals must be submitted within 14 calendars days of the citation. Tow charges, as well as any citations issued for altered, stolen, or forged decals are not eligible for appeal.
First appeal decisions are generally made within two to four weeks. If the first appeal decision is unfavorable, you may request a 2nd appeal hearing with the Parking Appeal Board by calling 518-442-5766. The Board is independent from the Office of Parking and Mass Transit Services and may include faculty, staff, and students.
Failure to appear at a scheduled second appeal hearing, without notifying the board in advance, will result in a denial of the appeal. No further hearings will be scheduled and all fines will be imposed. All decisions rendered by the Board are final.
Students have 14 calendar days to respond to a citation before a hold is placed on their student account. A pending second appeal does not remove a hold or suspend a late charge. Late charges added 14 days after the first appeal is denied or 30 days from the date the citation was issued, whichever is longer.
The following reasons are not sufficient grounds for appealing a parking citation:
Failure to purchase, renew, or properly display a valid parking permit
Preferred parking lot is full
Amount of time the vehicle was parked illegally
Being late or in a hurry
Picking up or dropping someone or something off
Inclement weather
Others parked in the same way didn’t receive tickets
Four-way hazard lights were on
You can pay a parking-related fine in one of four ways:
Via our Online Payment Center
Over the phone (518-442-3121) during business hours
Via posted mail (University at Albany, Parking & Mass Transit Services, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222)
For cash transactions inside our office during business hours please make an in person appointment.
If you are paying by check, please make it out to “University at Albany” and include the ticket number(s) on the check. Checks of $110 or more cannot be accepted.
If full payment or an appeal is not submitted within 14 calendar days of the citation being issued, this will be considered an admission of liability.
Citations can be paid while under appeal; however, payment won’t affect the appeal outcome. If the appeal is accepted, the payment will be refunded via check within six to eight weeks.
Late charges added 14 days after the first appeal is denied or 30 days from the date the citation was issued, whichever is longer.
Citation | Fine | Late Fee |
---|---|---|
Altered or Forged Decal | $150 or more | $100 immobilization fee |
Accessible Space | $100 | $10 |
Expired or No Permit | $50 | $10 |
Expired Meter | $30 | $10 |
Restricted or No Parking | $30 | $10 |
Other | $30 | $10 |
Decal Not or Improperly Displayed | $20 | None |
Unpaid parking fines are referred to the New York State Attorney General's Office or a collection agency for collection.
State Finance Law §18 allows state agencies or their representatives to charge collection fees to cover the estimated costs of processing, handling and collecting delinquent debts. The amount can be as much as 22% of the outstanding debt.
Students who fail to pay parking fines will have their transcripts, registration or diplomas withheld, as per the Board of Trustees Resolution 76-137, as promulgated in Section 301.2(5) of Title 8 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York. Payment of all outstanding fines is required to remove a hold from a student account.
Unionized employees who fail to pay parking fines may be subject to payroll deduction, per Title 8 of the Regulations of the State University of New York, Part 561.
This statistical information demonstrates our parking lot occupancies, as well as the number of permits purchased, citations issued, and appeals administered each year (July 1 to June 30).
The number of permits purchased in any given year often exceeds the available parking lot occupancies as not all permitted vehicles are parked at the University at the same time due to varying work and class schedules.
Uptown Campus
Type of Parking Lot |
Number of Spaces |
---|---|
Faculty/Staff |
1,432 |
Student |
5,010 |
Visitor |
203 |
Accessible |
207 |
Metered |
42 |
Time Limit |
13 |
Special Permit |
83 |
Reserved |
52 |
University Vehicle |
51 |
Electric Vehicle |
10 |
ETEC Regular |
424 |
Other |
143 |
Total |
7,670 |
Downtown Campus
Type of Parking Lot |
Number of Spaces |
---|---|
Faculty/Staff |
63 |
Student |
258 |
Accessible |
13 |
Special Permit |
5 |
Reserved |
9 |
University Vehicle |
7 |
Electric Vehicle |
2 |
Other |
5 |
Total |
362 |
Annually: July to June |
Number of Permits Issued |
2022 |
11,044 |
2021-22 |
11,861 |
2020-21 |
6,633 |
2019-20 |
12,613 |
2018-19 |
13,329 |
2017-18 |
13,640 |
Annually: July to June |
Number of Citations |
2022 |
5,860 |
2021-22 |
9,938 |
2020-21 |
4,787 |
2019-20 |
7,775 |
2018-19 |
10,402 |
2017-18 |
12,308 |
Annually: July to June |
Total Appeals | Accepted | Denied |
2022 |
1,520 | 773 | 747 |
2021-22 |
2,813 | 1,758 | 1,055 |
2020-21 |
1,405 | 1,006 | 399 |
2019-20 |
2,171 | 1,384 | 787 |
2018-19 |
3,033 | 1,847 | 1,186 |
2017-18 |
3,376 | 1,801 | 1,575 |
UAlbany has 6 electric vehicle charging stations (12 ports) on its campuses. There is a maximum charging time and vehicle operators are encouraged to relocate their vehicles if fully charged before the timeframe concludes. Please see locations below or visit our University maps.
Uptown Campus
Collins Circle visitors’ lot (ChargePoint). Open to the public, no University parking permit required.
Indigenous Quad (EV Connect). University at Albany parking permit required.
SEFCU Arena (EV Connect) University at Albany parking permit required.
Parking and Mass Transit Services (EV Connect). University at Albany parking permit required.
ETEC (operated by ChargePoint) University at Albany parking permit required.
Downtown Campus
Thurlow parking lot (ChargePoint) Open to the public, no University parking permit required.