Visitor Parking

If you’re visiting campus for a special event, there may be special parking arrangements in place. Information about parking for one of U of I’s Signature Events; Vandal Football Games, Commencement and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, is available on our Signature Events page. For all other events, check with the event organizer, the Parking Updates and Closures on our homepage, or contact us by calling 208-885-6424, or email us at parking@uidaho.edu. If there aren’t special parking arrangements for your particular event, please see the options below.

Permit and payment requirements vary by hour of the day and day of the year. Every parking area, parking meter and pay station on campus will have a sign or message indicating what’s required and when.

Gold, Orange, Red, Blue, Silver and Purple color-coded parking lots require the appropriate permit(s) from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday when school is in session, although some parking spaces within these lots may have special permit/payment requirements/times and will be signed accordingly.

No parking is allowed between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. without the appropriate overnight parking permit. For parking during academic break and/or university holidays, please see our Enforcement Schedule page.

Parking meters and pay stations require payment year-round except for Student Recreation Parking Lot 107 (east side) which do not require payment during summer and academic breaks. Pay stations and parking meters will indicate the hours of the day/night requiring payment. Duration of parking and payment rates vary, so please read carefully and call us at 208-885-6424 before you park.

If you're visiting our campus when class is in session and when a permit/payment is required, please review the options below.

Short-term parking: parking meters and pay stations

For brief visits of a few minutes to a couple hours, we recommend utilizing one of the hundreds of parking meter or pay station parking spaces covering campus. These parking spaces are indicated by back-slash shading on our campus parking map. If the area is managed via pay station, you’ll see the Pay to Park indicator. Days and hours requiring payment will be noted on the meter or pay station, along with maximum stay information if applicable. Pay to Park areas are enforced by license plate rather than a ticket or receipt, so be sure to snap a picture of your plate before walking to the pay station if you do not have it memorized! When you enter the license plate number into the pay station, be very careful to enter it correctly. An error may result in a citation even if you’ve paid for sufficient time. Watch the quick "how to" video. 

Parking meters and pay stations accept credit/debit cards and United States quarters, nickels and dimes. Pay stations also accept United States dollar coins. If a parking meter is malfunctioning, do not park in that space. Malfunctioning parking meters are considered No Parking Zones. If you encounter any difficulties with a pay station, please call us at 208-885-6424.

Mobile Payment is available and recommended for your convenience

Parking in Pay-by-Plate Lots 107 (SRC), Lot 29 (VandalStore), Lot 91 (Upper Rayburn), and Lot 35 (Student Health) just got easier with AMP (AIMS Mobile Parking). AMP allows you to pay for parking in Pay-by-Plate lots with your smartphone.

• No need to visit the pay station.
• AMP remembers your license plate.
• AMP securely stores your payment info for quick transactions.
• Add time remotely when running late.
• The only device you touch is your own smartphone.

Simply download the free AMP app from Google Play or the Apple App Store, or go to the AMP website. Please note: use AMP in Pay-by-Plate lots with pay stations. It won't work with traditional parking meters. For more on how to use AMP, check out our guide.

Longer visits: Visitor Parking permit

Staying for a couple hours, all day, overnight or for a day or two? A Visitor Parking permit is your best choice. Purchase a Visitor Parking permit and park in any regular parking space in Gold, Orange, Red, Blue, Purple, Silver or Green parking lots or any marked Visitor space on campus. These are all indicated on our campus parking map. Visitor permits are $4/day and can be purchased online, or at the Parking and Transportation Services office located inside the Intermodal Transit Center at 1006 Railroad Street. Place your Visitor Parking permit(s) printed side up on the driver’s side dashboard. If displaying multiple permits, please make sure they are all visible.

Visitor permits are valid in all colored lots until midnight for the date issued. Visitors parking after midnight must have a valid visitors permit for the next date/day. Questions? Call 208-885-6424 or email parking@uidaho.edu.

For frequent campus visitors, Ten-Day Visitor permits offer the convenience of ten days of parking with a single purchase, and the dates need not be consecutive. Simply write the date of use in pen in the boxes on the permit. Your purchase covers parking when you need it (up to ten days) and only when you need it! These are available for purchase at the PTS office inside the Intermodal Transit Center at 1006 Railroad Street.

Visiting the U of I campus with a state disability parking placard or license plate? Feel free to park in any parking meter or pay-to-park space at no cost with no time limit. Simply be sure your placard is visible. Please see campus parking map.

If you’re a visitor to U of I and prefer to park in one of the ADA parking spaces on campus simply purchase an online Visitor Parking Permit and display it on your driver’s side dashboard. Exception: if it’s during an academic break, on the weekend, a university holiday or after 5 p.m. on a weekday when class is in session, there is no need to purchase the online Visitor Parking Permit. Your state placard or license plate allows parking in campus ADA parking spaces during these times.

Will you be visiting the U of I campus frequently or for a long period of time? A U of I Disability Parking permit allows the most flexibility and access to parking. Call us at 208-885-6424 or email us at parking@uidaho.edu to get started.

If you have any questions at all, please reach out to us at 208-885-6424 or parking@uidaho.edu.