Visitor Parking

Free public parking is allowed in the student commuter (green) or faculty/staff (red) surface parking lots weekdays after 7 pm and all-day Saturdays and Sundays. During these times, no parking permit is needed for campus visitors in these lots. Look for the green and red parking signs at the entrance of the parking lots.

A permit is required and parking is enforced in these lots weekdays from 4 am to 7 pm year-round. Some parking lots may be closed on occasion for special events on campus. Signs will be posted for these event related lot closures.

Open parking does not include hourly paid parking in the Bone Student Center pay lot or the South University Street garage pay lot, metered parking, reserved spaces or zones, blue storage lots, parking garages, business and service spaces.

At the Bone Student Center, parking is available for an hourly fee. Visitors pay when exiting the lot. Payment options include cash, check, credit card, debit card and Apple Pay. Hours of operation are posted on the parking website.

There is no overnight parking allowed in the pay lot. The lot is closed from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Vehicles are subject to overtime charges and towing unless removed by 4:00 a.m. 

The ticket you take at the entrance is a license. No bailment is created. The ticket holder may park one automobile in the lot at their own risk of any fire, theft, damage to vehicle or contents of same. If you cannot produce the time ticket you took when entering the lot, you will be charged from the time the lot opened.

Parking meters allow short-term parking in key areas on campus. Metered areas and lots are enforced 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Meters are not intended for long-term parking and have time limits to ensure space availability. A list of meter time limits can be found  here.

All metered areas require payment before leaving the vehicle parked. Smart meters accept coins, credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay with the option of contactless payment. Drivers also have the option to pay by phone using the Park Smarter app. When paying by phone application, be sure to complete your transaction before leaving your vehicle parked. If you wait to complete your parking transaction, a citation may result. Vehicles must be parked with the license plate facing the drive lane.

If your meter fails, or if the phone application is not working, you must contact the Office of Parking and Transportation at (309) 438-8391. Failure to notify our office of a meter/application malfunction will result in a citation. Vehicles must be removed from inoperative meters within 1/2 hour for 30 minute meters and within 1 hour for all other meters.

Download the Smart Meter brochure

How to Use the M5 Meter Video

At the South University Street parking garage, visitor parking is available in the first floor paylot on a pre-pay basis. You must determine the amount of time you need and pay before leaving the vehicle parked. There are two pay stations on the east side of the lot that accept cash and credit/debit cards. If you have been provided with a parking validation, you will enter the information at one of the two pay stations. Note you must park with your license plate facing the drive lane.

There is also a pay by phone application, Park Smarter, available for download. If you pay for your parking using the phone application, you can extend your parking session before your current session expires. Parking spaces must be paid at all times. When paying by phone application, be sure to complete your transaction before leaving your vehicle parked. If you wait to complete your transaction, a citation may result.

Additional information and step by step instructions are available on the parking website.

University Departments may provide visitors with a parking validation for the Bone Student Center Paylot or the South University Garage pay by space lot.

Departments who would like to make arrangements to pay for a visitor parking for the Bone Student Center paylot must contact the parking office, Parking@IllinoisState.edu. Departments who wish to pay for their guest's parking at the South University parking garage must complete the request form to set up the validation account and request their validation codes.

Additional information and step by step instructions are available on the parking website.

One-day temporary permits are available for faculty, staff, and University departments requesting parking arrangements for their guests and can be purchased at the parking office during office hours.

Overnight temporary permits are also available for guests of the University. Visitors parked with temporary overnight permits must remove their vehicle from the specified lot(s) by no later than 9:00 a.m. the following day. If the temporary overnight permit spans more than one day, the vehicle must be removed from the specified lot by no later than 9:00 a.m. on the last day that the permit is valid. 

Visitors must comply with all the parking rules and regulations. Temporary permits must be properly displayed from the rearview mirror of the vehicle. Additional information about temporary parking permits is available on the parking website.

Parking details for academic, athletics and community events on campus is available on the parking website. Parking maps are available to help you find event parking.

Please contact the Office of Parking and Transportation with any questions about parking for your event.

Visitors to the Cardinal Court apartment complex may park in the meters located close to the buildings. There is a two hour time limit at these meters. Visitors may also purchase a one day permit at our office. Visitors are not allowed to park in the main parking lot without a permit. Visitors are not allowed to use a Cardinal Court residential permit, those permits are for the use of the resident only.

Open parking at the complex begins on Friday night at 7:00 pm and ends at 4:00 am on Monday. No permit is necessary during the open parking allowance. Vehicles not removed by 4:00 am on Monday are subject to citation.

Visitors to the Alumni Center may park in the Alumni Center parking lot without a parking permit. Employees of the Alumni Center must display a valid parking permit and park in the section of the lot reserved for Alumni Center employees only.