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Parking enforcement on main campus now includes nights and weekends

By Stanford Transportation

To support campus health and safety and more effectively manage external visitors, parking enforcement on Stanford’s main campus has been extended to now include nights and weekends.

Night and weekend parking enforcement began on Monday, Nov. 2. This change primarily affects visitors to the main campus, who are required to pay for parking 24/7. Stanford affiliates can continue to park after hours at no additional charge, either with an existing permit or by registering their vehicle for a Courtesy ‘After-Hours’ permit.

Why is this happening?

The extension of enforcement to cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is intended to further manage visits from external visitors at the main campus. California Department of Public Health guidance requires institutions of higher education to “limit, to the greatest extent permitted by law, external community members from entering the site [campus grounds] and using campus resources, as the number of additional people onsite and/or intermixing with students, faculty and staff increases the risk of virus transmission.”

Without longer enforcement hours, the weekend and weeknight hours allowed parking to be available to visitors on campus, including in campus zones, where access is currently limited to approved students, faculty, staff, essential deliveries, testing, and maintenance. Since Stanford permit parking is not available to the general public, 24/7 enforcement helps to manage campus access and maintain a safer and healthier academic environment as on-campus teaching and research activities increase.

Expanded parking enforcement also provides a safer way for everyone in the Stanford community to confirm their Stanford affiliation while minimizing face-to-face interactions. Parking is enforced passively, and officers scan license plates to confirm permit status usually without leaving their vehicles.

Does this affect me?

For most members of the campus community, this change does not require action. While everyone who parks after hours must have a permit, Stanford affiliates are able to park without additional charge after hours. Stanford Transportation summarizes how this affects the campus community, and also offers a flow diagram to help you determine whether and how this new policy might affect you.

Stanford Transportation is available to assist you

Stanford Transportation understands that individuals may have unique circumstances and needs or may need assistance navigating this transition. Please be assured that our staff are available from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, to assist you in English and Spanish.

If you have questions or need assistance, please use the following contacts:

For general COVID-related transportation updates, please visit Stanford Transportation’s COVID-19: Featured Topics page. For other COVID-19-related updates for the Stanford community, visit healthalerts.stanford.edu.