Parking Permits & Accounts Help Center

The application opening announcement for annual permit applications (base lot, Flex, UW Accessible, park and ride, and carpool permits) are announced in May on our news page. After the new parking year starts on September 1, applications continue to be accepted through April of the following year.

Beginning in May, applications for the current year are no longer accepted. Any remaining current-year permits are made available for direct purchase in the eBusiness purchasing portal.

Other permit types are available for the upcoming parking year beginning August 1 and can be purchased any time throughout the year in the eBusiness purchasing portal.

Learn more about how to apply for parking.

Follow the steps for UW employees on the parking application guide.

Follow the steps for UW Health employees on the parking application guide.

Most graduate students with an employment appointment at the university (such as a teaching, research or project assistantship) are considered employees by Transportation Services and should follow the steps for UW employees on the parking application guide.

Graduate students without an employment appointment at the university, or with an appointment classified as “Student Help,” must go through the student parking process. Follow the application steps on the student parking application guide.

If you have questions about your employment status, contact your department’s administration.

All graduate students with a valid NetID may purchase other permit types without an application. For example, moped, afternoon and night permits do not require an application and are available for direct purchase in the eBusiness purchasing portal.

Some undergraduate students may be eligible to apply for and purchase an annual base lot permit or UW-Accessible permit.

Check eligibility and application steps on the student parking application guide. 

Undergraduates may also purchase moped, afternoon and night permits without having to demonstrate eligibility. These permit types do not require an application and are available for direct purchase in the eBusiness purchasing portal.

Check the permit availability webpage for a list of parking lots currently without a waiting list for base lot (including reduced cost), Flex, and park and ride permits.

Applying for a permit in a lot without a waiting list improves your chances of receiving a permit offer, but it is not a guarantee.

Afternoon, night, motorcycle, and moped permits and Lot 76 Quick Passes are available without an application and may be purchased in the eBusiness purchasing portal. If a lot or permit type is not listed, contact customer service.

There are reduced cost options for annual base lot and UW Accessible permits for eligible employees and graduate students. There are sometimes a limited number of low-cost semester permits available for graduate students only.

Other low-cost parking options include park and ride permits, afternoon and night permits, and ridesharing.

Learn more about reduced-cost permits, eligibility, and other low-cost parking options.

Eligible UW employees, graduate students with employment appointments, and UW Hospital and Clinics employees who receive a base lot or UW-Accessible parking permit may also be eligible to purchase their permit at a reduced rate.

Eligibility for reduced cost base lot and UW-Accessible permits is determined by the employee’s gross income at the time they purchase their permit.

There are no income eligibility requirements for other low-cost parking options, such as park and ride permits, afternoon and night permits, and ridesharing.

Learn more about reduced-cost permits, eligibility, and other low-cost parking options

Return to the Permit Application System to check the status of your parking application.

You may also contact customer service.

Those who apply during the summer for an upcoming parking year may receive a parking assignment as soon as July or August.

Applications submitted after the new parking year begins (September 1) are processed and assignments are e-mailed approximately every two weeks.

Parking space on campus is extremely limited and waiting lists for parking assignments can be very long. If and when you receive a parking assignment depends on availability.

Check the status of your parking application or contact customer service for questions about your application.

The “lot full” sign does not apply to permit holders who are parking in their assigned lot. It means there is no more room for visitor parking only. Permit holders should enter the garage and park as usual.

If a permit holder does encounter a true lot-full situation in their assigned lot and cannot find a space to park, they should park in the next nearest surface lot and submit a lot-full form.

After-hours parking is 4:30 p.m. – 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Permit holders may park in their primary lot or alternate lots after hours, unless the lots are closed for construction or special events. Only park in unreserved (unsigned) permits stalls.

Payment is required in lots where UW permits are required after hours. These are the “yellow lots” on the campus parking map (PDF). Refer to lot entrance signs for enforcement rules. Permit holders must display their permits. Flex permit holders must display their permit and pay with ParkMobile.

Payment is not required in lots where parking is not enforced after hours. These are the “green lots” on the campus parking map. Refer to lot entrance signs for enforcement rules.

Refer to lot entrance signs for enforcement hours.

Only one vehicle/license plate may be associated with a personal parking permit at a time.

However, permit holders are allowed to transfer their valid hangtag to an alternate vehicle, such as a rental car or loaner vehicle, on a short term basis without updating vehicle information or notifying Transportation Services.

If you are driving a different vehicle on a long term basis, update your vehicle and/or license plate information.

Permit holders may transfer their hangtag to an alternate vehicle, such as a rental car or loaner vehicle, on a short term basis without updating vehicle information or notifying Transportation Services.

If you are driving a different vehicle on a long term basis, update your vehicle and/or license plate information.

Yes. To exchange your permit, you need to apply and receive an offer for a different parking assignment and make an exchange. Alternatively, you can purchase a type of permit that does not require an application and then make an exchange. Follow the instructions on the exchanges and cancellations webpage.

There is a fee to exchange base lot and Flex permits that are valid within the same parking year. There is not a fee to switch from a base lot or Flex permit to a park and ride, afternoon, or night permit.

Our enforcement program is based on the visible display of a permit. It is not based on license plates. This is because there are multiple types of permits – such as UW Service permits and department permits – that may be transferred among multiple vehicles and are not associated with a specific vehicle. As long as these permit types are used on campus, we cannot enforce based on license plate numbers.

Log in to eBusiness. You need to enter valid NetID or UW Health credentials, or create a guest account.

Log in to the Permit Application System (PAS). You need a valid NetID or UW Health credentials.

When accepting a parking permit offer, eligible employees may choose to pay with payroll deduction. The other option is to pay for the permit in full. 

Payroll deduction amounts are determined by the cost of the permit or product and prorated by the remaining payments left in the permit year.

Deductions for parking permits are taken from your paycheck after all other voluntary payroll deductions, so please make sure you leave enough to pay for parking when adjusting your voluntary benefit contributions during open enrollment. For questions about this, contact your HR representative.

Refunds. There are no refunds for products purchased via payroll deduction or for products from previous fiscal or parking years, unless there was an administrative error as determined by Transportation Services. Products must be returned to avoid additional charges.

Missed payroll deductions for parking permits can happen for multiple reasons – for example, if you go on leave (FMLA) without making arrangements with Transportation Services, or if you don’t have any funds left over after other payroll deductions are taken.

If you miss a payment, you will receive a missed payroll deduction notice. Missed deduction payments must be made within 10 days from the date of the missed deduction. Missed payroll deductions can be paid by credit card over the phone at (608) 263-6667 or by mailing a check to:

UW Madison Transportation Services
Attn: Business Manager
610 Walnut St.
Madison WI 53726

Missing two consecutive deduction payments may result in the cancellation of the permit. Missing three or more deduction payments may result in the revocation of the payroll deduction eligibility.

Yes, but you do need to plan in advance. Parking is not automatically arranged for you by the Human Resources department. Contact Transportation Services Business Services at tsbilling@fpm.wisc.edu before your leave begins.

Employees going on leave may keep their parking permit, but must continue making payments while on leave. Employees on FMLA will be off the payroll system, so arrangements must be made with Transportation Services to pay any remaining permit costs in full or by the first of each month.

If your leave will extend past July, you may also need to make arrangements with Transportation Services to have an application on file for the following parking year and/or make sure any parking offers for the following year are accepted. 

Yes, but you do need to plan in advance. Parking is not automatically arranged for you by the Human Resources department. Contact Transportation Services Business Services at tsbilling@fpm.wisc.edu before your leave or sabbatical begins.

Transportation Services can hold a parking permit for faculty going on sabbatical. Payments on the permit are not required during the sabbatical. Submit a signed letter from the Chancellor along with your permit to Transportation Services. The permits office will hold your permit for you. When you return to campus, notify Transportation Services before coming to the office to retrieve your permit.

If your sabbatical will extend past July, you may also need to make arrangements with Transportation Services to have an application on file for the following parking year and/or make sure any parking offers for the following year are accepted. 

Alternatively, you can cancel your permit and reapply when you return. 

If your employment is ending before your permit expires, or your circumstances have changed, you must return your permit to Transportation Services. Follow the cancellation instructions on our exchanges and cancellations page.

Please note that the Human Resources department does not automatically cancel parking on your behalf if you terminate employment or no longer want or need your parking permit. If you are paying through payroll deduction, you will continue to be charged until you return the permit to Transportation Services.

For Flex parking assignments in a parking garage, add value to a Flex Gated permit before arriving on campus to park.

For Flex parking assignments in a surface lot, start a ParkMobile session to pay for Flex Surface parking when you arrive at the parking lot.

After-hours parking is 4:30 p.m. – 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday.

If parking in your regularly assigned lot after hours, use your regular payment method.

All Flex permit holders may also park in alternate surface lots after hours unless the lots are closed for construction or special events. If parking in an alternate lot requiring a valid UW parking permit after hours, display the Flex permit and pay with ParkMobile. These are the “yellow lots” located on the campus parking map (PDF). Refer to lot entrance signs for enforcement rules.

After-hours ParkMobile instructions for Flex Gated permit holders

After-hours ParkMobile instructions for Flex Surface permit holders

There is no charge to park in “green lots” (PDF) after hours unless the lots are closed for construction or special events. Refer to lot entrance signs for enforcement rules.

Only park in unreserved (unsigned) permits stalls.

Go to the Flex parking webpage.

UW departments sometimes make UW Service permits available to employees for occasional, short-term parking to conduct official university business. Acceptable uses of service permits include attending meetings or training sessions; conducting business in different areas on campus; or delivering items across campus. For detailed rules and restrictions, read the policy.

You can display a service permit to park in any open service/vendor stall on campus. Service/vendor stall locations can be found on the service/vendor stall map.

If no service stalls are available in the lot of your choice, move to another available service stall in a different lot.

Please be aware of these restrictions when parking with a UW Service permit:

• Service permits are only valid in signed service/vendor stalls. They are not valid in regular (unreserved/unsigned) permit stalls.
• Do not park in a service/vendor stall for more than a few hours at a time. Warnings and citations may be issued to vehicles found continuously parked in a service/vendor stall for extended periods.
• If you also have an annual parking permit (base lot, Flex), you may not use a service permit in or near the lot where your annual permit is assigned. For example, if you have a personal base lot permit in Lot 91, you may not use a service permit to park in a service/vendor stall in Lot 91 or surrounding nearby lots.
• You may not use a UW Service permit to park in a lot closer to your primary work location than where your personal parking permit is assigned.
• UW Service permits may not be used by employees in lieu of purchasing an annual parking permit.