Parking Policy

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ST. OLAF COLLEGE PARKING POLICY

St. Olaf College is a residential campus and as such, the campus community (faculty, staff, and students) are asked to support and help enforce the parking policy to ensure that all vehicles are being operated safely and parked in appropriately assigned spaces. The College is not responsible for theft from or damage to vehicles parked on campus.

TO OBTAIN A FACULTY, STAFF, BON APPETIT, OR STUDENT PARKING PERMIT

Faculty, Staff, and Bon Appetit employees: Complete the parking permit registration form online after reviewing the St. Olaf College Parking Policy. The Parking Office will notify you by email once your permit has been processed and is ready for you to pick up at the Parking Office located in Tomson 010B. Each employee will receive one (1) transferable hang tag parking permit at no charge. There is a $25.00 replacement fee for lost employee hang tags. Please register all vehicles that the hang tag may be used in when applying for your permit. Parking permits are assigned to a specific employee. If a new vehicle needs to be added to the permit record, please contact parking@stolaf.edu. The hang tag issued is College property and must be returned to the Parking Office or supervisor when the employee leaves the employ of the College. 

Students: Submit the student parking permit application online after reviewing the St. Olaf College Parking Policy. Parking permit applications will only be accepted within the designated application window. Applications are processed in the order they are received. When your application has been approved, the Parking Office will send an email informing you how to pay for your permit online. Permit payment is not required at the time of application; payment is required only after the permit has been approved. Once approved and paid for, you will be notified of permit pickup information via email. The permit is not guaranteed unless payment is received by the established deadline. All permit purchases are final and non-refundable, no exceptions. Permit purchases are not prorated based on date of purchase. 7-Day Temporary Parking Permit fees are not applicable toward the purchase of any other parking permit.

If at any time it becomes necessary to switch vehicles, it is the student vehicle owner’s responsibility to secure a new permit for the new vehicle. 

  • If you need to temporarily change the vehicle associated with your permit, you must call Public Safety at 507-786-3666.
  • If you need to permanently change the vehicle associated with your permit, you must contact parking@stolaf.edu.

If you need a replacement permit, remove and keep your old permit to turn in for a free replacement. The replacement fee for lost or stolen permits is $25.00.

VISITOR PARKING & PERMITS

Visitors to the campus during business hours do NOT need a visitor parking permit. All visitors to St. Olaf must park only in parking areas designated as  “Visitor Only”.

Overnight visitors must be registered using the Residence Life Overnight Guest Form. Once approved, overnight guests may obtain an overnight visitor permit (11 pm – 7 am) by contacting Public Safety at 507-786-3666. An officer will meet the visitor (and the student who is being visited) at their vehicle to issue the permit. Overnight visitors must park in the Buntrock Commons parking lot (Lot A). Host students will be held responsible for any parking violations of their guest, including citation fees. 

Any campus visitor who receives a parking citation must contact parking@stolaf.edu to have the citation voided.

Visitor permits will not be issued to St. Olaf students who are currently registered as a student. At no time during their enrollment with the college will a student be considered a visitor. As such, they are not eligible for visitor parking.

GENERAL PARKING POLICY (Applies to all students, faculty, staff, and visitors)

    1. The parking policy is administered by the Parking Office located at Tomson 010B. Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to parking@stolaf.edu or by calling 507-786-2972. If no one answers, please leave a detailed voicemail and someone will return your call.
    2. The parking policy is in effect the entire year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    3. All motor vehicles including motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters operated on the St. Olaf campus by students, faculty, staff, or Bon Appetit employees must be registered with the Parking Office and display a current parking permit.
    4. Campus parking areas are designated by the type of parking permit issued and posted signage. Faculty and staff may park in any lot designated for faculty/staff. Visitors may utilize any lot designated as visitor only. Any person enrolled as a student at St. Olaf College will not be considered a visitor. Students are assigned to specific lots based on availability. Vehicles must be parked only in areas designated by signage and the type of parking permit displayed on the vehicle. For example, in order to park in areas designated with signage as “Blue Permit Parking Only”, your vehicle must have a blue permit.
    5. All drivers of motor vehicles shall operate their vehicle in a responsible manner, and obey all traffic control devices and the posted speed limit. Failure to operate a motor vehicle in a safe and responsible manner may result in a citation, revocation or denial of a parking permit, and/or disciplinary action.
    6. St. Olaf College is a residential campus and as such, all operators of motor vehicles will give pedestrians the right-of-way on campus.
    7. Short-term parking (less than 15 minutes) will be permitted in yellow curb areas near residence halls and other campus buildings for purposes of loading and unloading only. Vehicles parked in these areas must display the emergency flashers and limit parking to 15 minutes. Failure to display the emergency flashers or exceeding fifteen (15) minutes will result in the issuance of a parking citation.
    8. To improve vehicular safety and to assist with snow removal on campus, several faculty/staff/visitor parking areas have been designated as “no overnight parking/tow away zone” areas. Parking will be prohibited from Midnight to 6:00 AM every day on a year-round basis in these areas.
    9. Verbal or physical harassment of any person responsible for helping our community with parking management on campus, is a violation of college policy and may be cause for disciplinary action.
    10. The registered permit holder is responsible for all citations written on the vehicle regardless of who parked or was operating the vehicle at the time the citation was issued. A vehicle registered with the Parking Office cannot be considered a visitor.
    11. If it becomes necessary to change vehicles, the Parking Office must be advised in advance of the change and a permit must be secured for the new vehicle prior to its arrival on campus. The Parking Office must also be notified if license plates on your vehicle change.
    12. Any vehicle that accumulates five (5) or more parking citations during an academic year (June 1-May 31) will have the permit revoked for the remainder of the academic year. No refund will be available.
    13. Any vehicle that accumulates ten (10) or more parking citations during its time on campus will have the permit revoked for the remainder of the academic year and the vehicle will be towed and trespassed from campus. No refund will be available.
    14. Students are not eligible to obtain a parking permit during their first year. Exceptions are granted for students who reside 250 miles or more from campus. If you believe it is necessary to have a car on campus for a disability-related need, please complete the Campus Life Accommodation Request Form and our Disability and Access staff will reach out to you.
    15. Electric Vehicle (EV) charging spots are reserved for electric vehicles actively engaged in charging. Only electric vehicles with a valid charging requirement are permitted to occupy EV charging spots. Non-electric vehicles are prohibited from utilizing EV charging spots at all times. The maximum allowable duration for parking in an EV charging spot is four (4) hours. Inactive parking or occupying an EV charging spot without actively charging the vehicle is prohibited.
    16. All motorized vehicles including motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters may only be operated on designated roadways and are not allowed on sidewalks or other pathways within campus unless authorized by Public Safety.
    17. If you are attempting to park and find that your assigned lot is full, you must call Public Safety at 507-786-3666 for guidance on where to park.

SPECIALTY PERMITS AND PARKING EXEMPTIONS

DISABILITY AND ACCESS

Disability Permits must be pre-approved through the Disability and Access Office (DAC) each year. Please connect with their office and complete the parking permit application if you require an accommodation for parking purposes. 

Students with an approved parking accommodation may obtain a 30-day temporary parking permit for $35.00 by calling Public Safety at 507-786-3666.

FACULTY/STAFF PRIORITY CARPOOL PARKING

The Environmental Sustainability Committee, Human Resources, and the Parking Office have designated select priority carpool parking spots in faculty/staff parking lots. Priority carpool parking spots are designated for faculty/staff members participating in a registered carpool. Faculty/staff must register their carpool to participate.

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

Residence Life student staff may receive a parking space under the supervision of the Department of Residence Life as a part of their compensation package. The parking spaces can be used by any Residence Life student staff member with a valid permit.

There are no other exemptions or special allowances for student employee parking at any time.

UNITED WAY PARKING

Staff and faculty who contribute to the annual United Way campaign have the chance to win one of nine (9) designated parking spots on campus (where faculty/staff parking is allowed) for a duration of one (1) month. This opportunity is provided courtesy of Public Safety and Facilities Management.

Further information about the United Way parking process can be located here.

PARKING VIOLATIONS

The following parking or permit violations will result in a parking citation being issued. Violations of parking regulations are the responsibility of the person who registered the vehicle involved. If the vehicle is not registered, violations shall be the responsibility of the vehicle owner/user. The fine amount is listed with each violation.

  1. Parking permits shall be affixed as provided in the instructions accompanying the permit (upper left corner of the driver’s side rear window). Expired permits may not be displayed and must be removed. ($5.00)
  2. Only those vehicles authorized by the Parking Office shall possess a parking permit. No vehicle shall display an altered or counterfeit parking permit or misuse a permit. Altering, counterfeiting, or misusing a parking permit will result in the revocation of the permit and campus parking privileges, and the students involved will be referred for disciplinary action. ($75.00)
  3. Vehicles must display a current/valid state and/or campus-issued handicap permit to park in a stall specifically reserved for handicap permit holders. ($150.00)
  4. Vehicles shall be parked only in those areas designated by the type of parking permit displayed. ($40.00)
  5. No vehicle shall be parked on or over a stall line, which restricts the use of the next parking stall. ($20.00)
  6. No vehicle shall be parked or driven on sidewalks or grass areas except for authorized service vehicles. ($50.00)
  7. No vehicle shall be parked by a yellow-painted curb or fire lane, or in a loading zone, except for authorized service vehicles, for a period longer than 15 minutes. Vehicles must also display emergency flashers. ($50.00)
  8. No vehicle shall be parked over a crosswalk which interferes with pedestrian movement. ($20.00)
  9. No vehicle shall be parked that blocks access to any refuse container. ($50.00)
  10. No vehicle shall be parked in a charging station stall when not actively charging. ($50.00)
  11. No vehicle shall be parked in a charging station stall for more than 4 hours. ($30.00)
  12. No vehicle shall be parked blocking access to a fire hydrant. ($50.00)
  13. No vehicle shall be parked in a hourly parking stall without paying the hourly fee or for more than 4 hours. ($75.00)
  14. All drivers of motor vehicles shall operate their vehicle in a responsible manner, and obey all traffic control devices and the posted speed limit. ($40.00)

CITATION (TICKET) PAYMENT

All parking fines shall be paid by credit card at https://stolaf.omnigo.one/CESIReportExec/ocp/. If a student citation is not paid within fourteen (14) days of issuance, the citation will be forwarded to the Business Office and added to the student’s comprehensive fee statement. Faculty and staff who fail to pay the citation within fourteen (14) days will be referred to their respective Vice President. A late fee of $10.00 will be charged for all citations not paid within fourteen (14) days. To facilitate end of the fiscal year bookkeeping, all citations issued after May 10th will be sent directly to the Business Office and will be applied to the student’s account. Failure to clear outstanding parking fines shall be grounds to deny future parking permits and withhold official academic transcripts and/or diplomas.

APPEAL POLICY

An appeal of a citation issued under these regulations must be filed within seven (7) days from the date the citation was issued or the right to appeal will be forfeited and the amount of the fine billed. To appeal a citation, complete the Google Form located on the Parking website with all required information. All student, faculty/staff, and Bon Appetit appeals will be reviewed by the Parking Advisory Committee. The individual appealing will be notified by email of the committee’s decision within fourteen (14) days. The committee’s decision is final and there are no further appeal options. Public Safety staff cannot void a citation once it has been written except for a legitimate visitor.

IMMOBILIZATION (BOOTING), TOWING, AND IMPOUNDMENT OF VEHICLES

Any vehicle parked on campus property may be booted if any of the following conditions exist:

  • Any vehicle parked on campus property that does not display a current permit and has accumulated three (3) parking citations in an academic year (June 1-May 31), will be booted.
  • Any vehicle parked on campus property that has accumulated five (5) parking citations in an academic year (June 1-May 31), will be booted.
  • Vehicles deemed suspicious or that appear to be abandoned may also be booted by Public Safety.

If your vehicle has been booted, call Public Safety at 507-786-3666 to have the boot removed. Attempts to remove the boot by anyone other than a Public Safety officer will result in a $100 fine to either the owner of the vehicle or the individual responsible for such action and the action will be considered a conduct violation. Damage to or theft of the boot will result in a fine assessed to the owner of the vehicle equal to the full replacement value of the device. If a vehicle is booted and the operator does not contact Public Safety within 48 hours, the vehicle may be towed at the owner’s expense. Students involved will be referred to Student Conduct. Faculty and staff who are involved will be referred to their respective Vice President.

Vehicles may be towed off-campus at the owner’s expense if any of the following conditions exist:

  • Any vehicle parked on St. Olaf property without a current parking permit.
  • Any vehicle that accumulates ten (10) or more parking citations in an academic year (June 1-May 31). The vehicle will also be trespassed from campus property for the remainder of the academic year (June 1-May 31).
  • Any vehicle that poses a traffic hazard or an obstruction to the safe movement of traffic and pedestrians.
  • Any vehicle blocking access to trash receptacles or dumpsters.
  • Any vehicle parked in a handicap space without a state-issued handicap permit.
  • Any vehicle parked in an area designated “Fire Lane”.
  • Any vehicle that has been immobilized (booted) for more than 48 hours.
  • Any vehicle that is parked in an area designated “Tow Away Zone”.

PERMIT REVOCATION

Any vehicle that accumulates five (5) or more parking citations in an academic year (June 1-May 31) will have its parking permit (if applicable) revoked for the remainder of the academic year. No refunds will be issued.

Students without a valid parking permit who accumulate five (5) or more parking citations in an academic year will be ineligible to apply for a parking permit for the remainder of the academic year.

Students found to be in violation of the Code of Conduct or Parking Policy may be subject to permit revocation.

CITY OF NORTHFIELD PARKING REGULATIONS (applies to all city-owned streets)

No person shall leave a vehicle in one space on a street for a period exceeding forty-eight (48) hours).

WINTER STREET PARKING

It shall be illegal for any person to park a motor vehicle on any public street in the City of Northfield from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM from November 15 to March 15 in any year.