Parking Services FAQ

Good To Know

Those visiting our campus can park in the Mocs Alumni Drive parking garage (Lot 31) on the first and second level.
Learn More →

If curious about our regulations, please visit the link below.
Parking Regulations →

"Where can I park with my permit?"

Please reference the parking map HERE

• General Permit- Valid for all General lots. Marked in Gold on the map and signage.
• Reserved Permit- Valid for the Reserved lot selected at time of purchase. Not valid in General or other Reserved lots.
• West Campus Garage 50 Permit- Valid for all three levels of Garage 50. Not valid in General or other Reserved lots.
• South Campus Lot 47 Permit- Valid for 47, 47-1, 47-2, 47-3, 47-4. Not valid in General or other Reserved lots.

"What is a virtual permit?"

Virtual permits are a complete replacement for the physical hangtag permits that Parking has issued, implemented in August of 2020.

Instead of a physical permit to display, each student/faculty/staff will register their vehicle's license plate(s) and then park where their virtual permit allows. This removes the burden of issuing (including mailing or picking up), returning, securing (no more lost/stolen permits) and displaying the plastic physical permit. There will be no need to transfer any physical permit to whichever registered vehicle you drive that day.

In essence, your license plate is your permit. You must ensure that your vehicle is registered and linked to your purchased permit. It allows for instant access to purchased parking spaces. If you buy your virtual permit the first week of the semester, you could utilize it immediately instead of waiting for the permit in the mail or picking it up.No more long permit pickup lines!

"How do I register my vehicle(s)?"

You can register your vehicle(s) at any time using these instructions:

• Access the UTC Parking Portal Login using your UTCID and UTC Password.
• Click “Permits” at the top and “View your permits”.
• Click on your current permit.
• Add/Remove vehicles as needed. Vehicles connected to your virtual permits are the only ones allowed to park. If you currently have more than three, you must delete vehicles until you reach 3 or less before attempting to add more.

To completely remove old vehicles, click “Vehicles” at the top and click on any license plate that you would like to remove and click “delete” at the bottom. Rental or temporary vehicles are no problem for virtual permits. Simply add the license plate of the vehicle to your permit and remove it once you are no longer driving the vehicle.

"How will Parking know what vehicles have virtual permits?"

UTC Parking enforcement utilizes LPR (license plate recognition) on specially equipped vehicles to efficiently read the license plates parked on campus to make sure that they have a valid permit. Any vehicle parked on campus without a valid permit, or two using the same virtual permit, will receive a citation. No information is stored for vehicles parked on campus that do not receive a citation.

"Are there any changes to how I normally park?"

As your license plate is your permit, it will need to be displayed appropriately per the UTC Parking Rules:

License plate must be visible from the parking lot thoroughfare (vehicle must be nose-in, no backing in to spaces). License plate cannot be obstructed in any way (bike rack, dirt, covered, etc.) Vehicle must be registered in order to park. Unregistered vehicles, even if the owner has purchased a permit but failed to register the plate, will receive a citation. Any violation of the UTC rules on displaying the registered license plate will result in a citation.

"When can I get a permit refund?"

Student parking permits will not be refunded after the second week of each semester. Refunds will be issued for any unused semester for multi-semester permits. For example, if you purchased a Fall/Spring permit and decide to return it in October, you will be refunded the unused Spring term of that permit (half of the base Fall/Spring permit price).

"What if I can't find a general parking space?"

General parking near the core of campus tends to fill up the fastest. If you are arriving on campus 10 minutes or less before class, the fastest option for getting to class is to park in Lot 45 (Sports Complex) and ride our free Mocs Express shuttle to the core of campus. Lot 45 tends to always have an abundant number of available spaces, even during peak times.

Map for Parking Lot Locations →

"My registered car is in the shop. What can I do to avoid getting a ticket?"

You may register up to three vehicles to your virtual permit at a time. You can remove vehicles from your account at any time as long as there are no active citations associated with that vehicle.

Any registered vehicle on your virtual permit can park in the lot that you have a valid permit for. However, only one vehicle per permit is allowed to be parked on campus at a time.

"Are UTC permits valid for city streets?"

No, permits are only valid for university lots. For example: the Fortwood district requires a Fortwood resident permit from the city of Chattanooga.

"Do night students have to buy a permit?"

No one who comes on campus after 5 p.m. needs a virtual permit as long as they do not park in spots that are enforced 24-hours (Lots 1, 47 and 50, Fire Lanes, Handicap, yellow lined city streets, and specially marked spots).

"How do I purchase a permit?"

For instructions please visit our Purchase Permit page for instructions and explanations on how our parking portal works.

"What is considered a legal parking space?"

Legal parking spaces are marked with 2 lines in paved lots and bumper blocks (wheel stops) in unpaved lots, so if a space has neither one it's not a legal spot. You must be lined up with a bumper block to be considered legally parked.

It is not feasible to mark every area on campus that is not a parking space, so an illegal parking area may not be marked with a "No Parking" sign. City streets may have different colored lines (red, yellow, etc.) on sidewalk or nearby concrete to mark spaces for a myriad of safety reasons (ex: Fire Lanes or fire hydrant access).

"Why can't I buy a reserved permit in a lot that always has spaces in it?"

Each reserved lot is sold on a percentage basis of usage. Not all permit owners are here at the same time.

"Which lots are only open during the week?"

Parking for lot 24, 57, and 65 is only valid Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Fire lanes, handicap spaces, 24-hour reserved lots, yellow lanes, and specially marked spaces are enforced 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

"I left my emergency lights on, why did I get a ticket?"

If you are parked illegally, turning on your emergency lights will not keep you from getting a ticket. If you feel you had a valid emergency you can appeal your ticket.

"What information is there about Accessible Disability Parking?"

UTC adopted the Accessible Disability Parking Policy, on August 21st, 2017.

The policy requires students, faculty, and staff who utilize accessible parking to purchase and display a physical UTC disability parking permit in addition to their state-issued disability placard or license plate while parked in a UTC accessible space or general lot.

Parking in the striped area beside a handicap space is considered a handicap violation, because the striped areas are access aisles and legally part of the handicap space.

Read More →

"How will parking in Lot 50 (WCH) work?"

All virtual permit regulations are to be followed, with the addition of using your specific physical permit to enter Lot 50. In order to enter or exit all three levels of the garage, you must have the permit to swipe or scan to gain access via the machines.