Policies and Regulations

If you receive a citation, please pay by mail using the yellow envelope provided, stop by the University Services Center to pay in person, or pay online via the Parking Portal. All fines are due within seven days from the date on your citation. Payments can be made by check or credit card. Checks can be mailed to:

Parking & Transportation Services

Washington University in St. Louis

MSC 1200-423-1100

One Brookings Drive

St. Louis, MO 63130

Habitual violators are subject to an additional fine and potential towing. You can request a complete list of university fines from the Parking & Transportation office.

All parking violations must be paid in full within seven (7) days of issuance. Unpaid fines may prevent permit purchases and vehicle registration, and could result in towing or academic holds (for students).

Payment Options

• Online via the WashU Parking Portal, by mail, or in person at the University Services Center. Accepts check, credit card, student account charge or payroll deduction (employees).
• Students: Unpaid fines are charged to the student account after seven (7) days. Delinquent accounts (outstanding fines) may result in academic holds, preventing registration, transcript access, and grade report issuance.
• Employees: Unpaid fines may result in payroll deduction. Failure to pay fines within seven (7) days will result in withholding of vehicle registration and restrictions on purchasing new permits or passes until all fines are resolved.

Important Reminders

• Displaying a fraudulent permit: Fines up to $1,000, towing, revoked parking privileges and potential legal action.
• No automatic voids: All citations must be paid—no exceptions for first-time offenses.
• Permit must be displayed: Forgetting to display a permit is not grounds for voiding a citation.
• No new permits or vehicle registration until fines are cleared.

Any vehicle owner/operator who receives a citation may use the online form to submit an appeal to the University Parking Appeals Committee within seven days of receiving a violation notice if there are grounds for appeal. Please include special circumstances, if any, that delayed your appeal. The University Parking Appeals committee will review all appeals, considering the grounds for appeal, university parking regulations, and the appellant’s history. The committee’s decision will be final, and the appellant will be notified in writing.

• Permit Zones: Park only in the zone indicated on your WashU-issued permit.
• Danforth Campus Parking: A valid permit or paid visitor parking is required.
• Permit Validity: Permits must be issued through Parking & Transportation Services and properly displayed.
• Nontransferable: Permits are non transferable and must be used according to university regulations.
• Vehicle Limits: Only one vehicle per permit holder may be on campus at a time.
• Extended Parking: Vehicles cannot be left unattended for more than 72 hours for commuters or five days for residents.
• Revocation: Violations may result in revocation of parking privileges.

• Property of University: Permits must be returned upon termination of employment, end of student registration, or at the university’s request.
• Zone Allocation: Park only in designated areas as indicated by your permit.
• Posted Signage: Follow all posted signage and restrictions.
• Legal Space: You’re responsible for finding a legal parking space; lack of convenience is not an excuse.
• Special Areas: Motorcycles and bicycles must park in designated areas.
• Family Vehicles: Vehicles belonging to immediate family members are the permit holder’s responsibility regarding violations.
• First-Year Students: Not permitted to bring vehicles to campus. Exceptions for medical or financial hardship must be applied for. Approved exceptions allow parking at West Campus only, under a ParkSmart permit.

Parking regulations will be enforced at all times, including periods when classes are not in session. In addition, the following areas are strictly enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Residential areas
• Meters serving residential areas
• Time-limited parking areas
• Loading and service zones
• Disabled parking spaces
• Fire lanes
• 24-hour red spaces
• “No Parking” areas

WashU reserves the right to tow or relocate illegally parked vehicles or those with three or more unpaid violations at the owner’s expense.

Towing Service Provider

Hartmann’s Towing: 6615 Olive Blvd., University City, MO 63130. Contact: 314-721-1445

In Case of Towing

If you suspect your vehicle is towed, contact Parking & Transportation Services at 314-935-5601, or call the Washington University Police Department at 314-935-5555 after hours. A $75 relocation charge applies.

Derelict Vehicles

Abandoned vehicles will be towed if:

• Not properly licensed
• Inoperative or dismantled
• Parked without authorization for over 72 hours

Note: WashU is not responsible for vehicle damage due to towing.

Claiming Your Vehicle

Provide proof of ownership and picture ID to Hartmann’s Towing. Pickup is available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Special arrangements can be made if necessary.

For additional public transportation information, please call 314-935-4140.

Vehicles violating parking regulations may be towed without notice in addition to receiving a citation. Violations include:

• Parking in a fire lane (includes campus fire lane) or restricted zone (marked by signs, painted curbs or yellow lines).
• Failing to park within designated white lines, including at unmarked curbs.
• Parking in reserved spaces (departments, Bearly Drivers, CarShare or special events).
• Parking in non-designated areas or illegally in ADA spaces. (Only state-issued disabled plates/placards with a valid WashU permit/pass are allowed.)
• Displaying a lost, stolen, altered, invalid or fraudulent permit/pass (fines up to $1,000, towing at owner’s expense, possible parking revocation and legal action).

The Bearly Drivers carpool program supports carpooling by providing a discounted permit to those who meet the following criteria for the duration of the permit:

• Be a permanent, full-time WashU Danforth Campus faculty/staff member
• Ride to campus together at least 80% of the time
• Share similar daytime work schedules with fellow carpoolers
• Not hold any other WashU parking permit
• Be paid directly by WashU
• Members may not be on any type of university leave of absence for more than one month. If this occurs, please contact us to discuss options.

Once enrolled, one permit will be assigned to the carpool, and the cost will be split and deducted from each member’s payroll throughout the permit year. All members must meet the eligibility requirements for the entire duration of the permit.

• Eligibility Requirements: All members must continue to meet the program criteria.
• Changes: Notify us within seven calendar days of any changes to members, vehicles, license plate numbers, campus boxes, or contact information.
• Compliance: Follow all campus parking rules and regulations. Misuse of the program may result in fines and permanent removal from the program.

If you are faculty, staff, a student, or a long-term visitor and plan to park on any WashU campus, you must register your vehicle with Parking & Transportation Services and display your valid parking permit at all times.

If you plan to use more than one vehicle to commute to campus, you must register each vehicle with Parking & Transportation Services. You do not need a separate permit for each vehicle. An individual can have one permit at a time and each vehicle can only be connected to one permit.

Important reminders:

• All parking rules and regulations apply to registered and non-registered vehicles.
• The person to whom a vehicle is registered will be held responsible for any violations assigned to that vehicle.
• If you sell your vehicle, please remove your permit and notify the Parking and Transportation Services team to ensure you are not held responsible for future violations tied to that specific vehicle and/or permit.
• Any parking fees related to violations incurred by an immediate family member of a WashU employee or student while on the WashU campus, whether the vehicle is registered with WashU or not, is considered your responsibility to pay.
• Unregistered vehicles with outstanding violations will be identified via vehicle plate information using the state registration system and billed accordingly. An additional fine could be applied if a vehicle is not registered with our office.
• All parking rules and regulations apply to registered and non-registered vehicles.
• If you have a permit, please keep your license plate number, make, and model updated in the parking portal.

• Zone Classification: Zones and lots may change as needed.
• Special Event Parking: Special event signs take precedence over regular designations.
• Barricades and Roped Areas: These areas take priority over general parking rules.

As part of Washington University in St. Louis, Parking and Transportation reserves the right to refer students who knowingly or recklessly violate its policies to the Student Conduct Office for further review.

The university encourages the use of bikes due to their many benefits and prioritizes the safety of our campus community. With this in mind, our Bike Policy was created to reduce hazards and create a safe, enjoyable environment for all individuals on campus. We encourage all community members to adhere to and help enforce this policy. View the Campus Bike Policy.

Washington University in St. Louis supports sustainable, healthy and efficient non-vehicular transportation. To prioritize campus safety, this policy provides guidelines for the safe use, storage, charging and impoundment of micro mobility devices. All users are expected to follow these policies to help maintain a safe campus environment. View the Micro Mobility Transportation Device Policy. 

The following policies are in place to ensure the bus process is orderly, efficient and safe for all parties involved. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in cancellation of your bus reservation and limitations on future bus requests.

• All buses require a WashU faculty member, staff member or student to serve as the sponsor or contact person with our office.
• For buses that will continually loop campus, there must be one bus per 100 people attending.
• If your event requires more than four buses, you will need two security guards per bus to monitor loading and unloading. The sponsoring group or charter company will need to provide these guards.
• Any reservation that involves transporting passengers to an event with alcohol will require two security guards per bus to monitor loading, transport, and unloading.
• Each bus must have one sober contact responsible for monitoring boarding, transport, and unloading. These contacts will need to meet with security 30 minutes prior to boarding to review responsibilities and expectations. Boarding cannot commence without this briefing.
• Additional security may be requested at the discretion of university staff, and the sponsoring group will be responsible for it.
• Security guards can prohibit individuals who are visibly intoxicated from boarding buses.
• In the event of a cancellation or failure to follow these guidelines, the sponsoring group or individual will be solely responsible for forfeiting any deposits or payments made to the bus company.

• If you need help planning your trip or finding shuttle schedule information, please contact Transportation at 314-935-4140. We will be happy to help you with your trip or assist you with transportation in any way possible.
• If the weather is inclement or during certain times of the day, we may experience delays in our schedules due to traffic or other road conditions. Please be patient; it is always our desire to arrive and depart according to schedule. It is best to arrive at the bus stop several minutes early. Our drivers operate their routes according to the standard time in our dispatch office. If you want to check your time against our time, please contract transportation at 314-935-4140.
• When waiting at the bus stop please wave at the approaching driver, and he or she will stop for you. We share many bus stops with public transportation buses, so we need a wave from you to be sure you need us to stop.
• Smoking is never allowed on our vehicles.
• We appreciate your help in keeping our vehicles clean. Food and drink are allowed on the shuttle vehicles in closed containers only. Eating and drinking are not allowed in university vehicles.
• Please let the driver know a block in advance of your intended stop. Please indicate that you want the next stop by calling out “Next stop, please.” The driver will acknowledge that he or she heard you.
• If you believe that you have lost something on one of our buses, please call us at 314-935-4140 to see if we found it. We keep lost articles in our office for seven days before turning them over to the university lost and found located in the Mallinckrodt Center.
• Thank you for using our service. Your safety is our ultimate concern. For additional transit safety tips, please visit the Metro Transit St. Louis website. Students who use public transportation to access off-campus locations are responsible for their own safety. Students should be aware of their surroundings and should avoid traveling alone, particularly after dark.

• Students can add up to $1,000 per semester via their student account. After reaching this limit, additional funds can be added online via credit card or in person at the University Services Center (credit card, check or cash).
• Students with a financial hold cannot add Bear Bucks through their student account, but may still deposit funds via credit card.
• University College students cannot add Bear Bucks via their student account but may deposit funds online or in person.

Bear Bucks are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

• Bear Bucks roll over year-to-year while students are active.
• Unused funds expire one year after graduation or separation from the university.
• Students on leave retain their balance for one year. If they return within that time, their funds remain available.

To open an employee Bear Bucks account, you must: 

• Be a full-time faculty or staff member directly employed by WashU. 
• Receive paychecks either biweekly or monthly.

Faculty and staff can add funds through:

• Credit/Debit Card: Deposit funds online via “Deposit Bear Bucks via Credit Card” after logging in to Atrium Connect (domestic cards only).
• Cash, Check or International Credit/Debit Card: Make deposits in person at the University Services Center.
• Payroll Deduction (Charge Feature): Charge transactions to be deducted from payroll (details below). Note: Deposited funds must be used before the charge feature becomes available.

Bear Bucks is an optional perk, not a guaranteed benefit. Violating terms may result in account cancellation.

Sign up for payroll deduction via the “Payroll Deduct Request” in Atrium Connect (see Atrium Connect User Guide for instructions).

• Biweekly employees: Up to $200 per pay period.
• Monthly employees: Up to $400 per pay period.
• Additional funds can be added online (3% credit/debit card fee applies) or in person at the University Services Center.

• Biweekly employees: Deductions are processed every 14 days, submitted on the Tuesday before payday.
• Monthly employees: Deductions are processed on the 15th or the nearest business day.
• Deductions appear as a Post-Tax Deduction labeled “Bear Bucks” on your payslip.
• If deductions exceed your paycheck, the balance is placed in arrears and collected from the next paycheck. Accounts in arrears are deactivated until resolved.

• Food & Drink purchases on campus: Tax-exempt.
• Merchandise & Off-campus purchases: Taxed.
• Bear Bucks are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

• Payroll deduction will be automatically deactivated upon separation. Any outstanding charges will be deducted from the final paycheck.
• Funds added via credit/debit card remain while employed but are forfeited upon separation.
• Retirees and Emeritus Faculty may request account continuation by emailing campuscard@wustl.edu.

• Go to the Atrium Connect portal
• Select “Parent/Guest Login” and sign in
• Click “Deposit Bear Bucks via Credit Card” and complete the form. A 3% convenience fee applies to all credit/debit card deposits.

Note: Your student must invite you as a guest to access this feature. Instructions can be found in the Atrium Guest Access Guide.

Send checks to:

University Services Center

MSC: 1200-423-1100

One Brookings Drive

St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

• Include the student’s full legal name and 11-digit student ID to ensure proper deposit.
• If you have concerns about a mailed check, contact campuscard@wustl.edu.

• Parents/guardians can add funds only by using a credit/debit card or mailed check.
• International credit/debit cards may face processing issues. If a charge appears without funds being added, it will automatically reverse within seven days.
• Only signed-in students can charge Bear Bucks deposits to their student account/tuition statement.
• Due to privacy policies, University Services Center cannot disclose payment details to parents without student permission. Please maintain direct communication with your student regarding their account.

For more details, visit the Atrium Guest Access Guide.