200-17: Parking

Parking is provided at all campus sites to meet the needs of patients, visitors, and the campus community to the extent feasible. This policy explains the basic rules governing parking and the use and allocation of parking permits. Transportation systems are a critical component of, and must be consistent with and support the UCSF Long Range Development Plan, which provides for various forms of campus access. The following principles represent a synthesis of existing UC policy and procedure implemented to administer transportation systems and parking programs.

A. Parking fees and costs

1. Parking fees may differ according to varying types of access, proximity to buildings and locations, use patterns, etc. Parking fees for comparable access shall not differ according to specific groups of individuals (i.e. faculty, students, or staff).
2. Parking fees shall not support non-transportation system related expenses.
3. Employee parking fees shall not be paid for by funds available to the University. The Chancellor may grant exceptions on the basis of highly meritorious academic recognition, such as receipt of the Nobel Prize.
4. The cost of capital and operating expenses related to the parking system shall be recovered from the users of the system. The Campus may include other access costs related to vehicle operation on the campus, costs of projects that mitigate the adverse impact of parked vehicles, and costs of programs that may be reasonably expected to reduce the demand for parking on campus.

B. Public and permit parking rates are reviewed annually, and are approved by the Chancellor.

C. Disabled parking is provided at discounted rates to patients and visitors with valid and properly displayed disabled person or disabled veteran plates, placards, or identification cards from any state in which the placard/plate is registered in their name. Patients and visitors may not use a placard in another person's name, including family members, for the discount rate unless the registered person of the placard/plate is inside the vehicle. UCSF employees/volunteers/contractors/vendors with disabled placards/plates are not allowed to use their placard/plate for the discounted rate when parking in a UC garage/lot during working hours. 

D. The Medical Center establishes policies for the operation of the Hospital Emergency lot located on Parnassus Avenue, which is reserved for ambulances, emergency patients, and therapy patients with written authorization. This lot is managed by Medical Center Security Services.

E. Allocation of Parking Permits

1. Each dean is allocated a number of faculty parking permits by the Office of the Chancellor, based on the objective of achieving a distribution matching the ratio of each school's eligible faculty to the total number of campus eligible faculty. Should the number of parking spaces increase, this principle is the primary consideration in allocation of new parking permits. Other factors to be considered in allocating new permits to the schools and medical center are the need within the respective organizations to provide parking in response to clinical care responsibilities and/or for new programs or for other special initiatives that may arise from time to time. Based on the distribution approved by the appropriate Dean's Office, Transportation Services issues these permits and arranges for fee collection.

2. A point system, based upon years of campus service, establishes the priorities for issuance of permits to staff personnel.
3. The following classifications of individuals may purchase permits without regard to the priority system:

1. individuals whose professional responsibilities require response to life-safety emergencies on- or off-campus on a 24 hour-a-day, seven day-a-week basis, as certified by the appropriate dean, vice chancellor, or the Medical Center Chief Executive Officer (CEO);
2. departmental representatives whose duties regularly require transport among on- and off-campus locations during the course of the workday, that cannot reasonably be satisfied by the use of intra-campus shuttle services, as certified by the appropriate dean, vice chancellor, or the Medical Center CEO;
3. employees with physical incapacities that make the use of public transit difficult or impossible, as certified by a written statement from the individual's personal physician;
4. interns, residents, and fellows with patient care responsibilities;
5. deans, directors of institutes, and department and division chairpersons;
6. members of the University Management and Senior Professional program (MSP), salary grade 26 and higher;
7. personnel who work evening and night shifts;
8. salaried emeriti faculty.

F. Carpool Permits

Carpool permits are available periodically as space allows. The use of the carpool permit requires a minimum of 2 occupants inside the vehicle at the time the vehicle is parked in a carpool space.

G. Courtesy Parking Permits

Departmentally recharged courtesy parking permits are issued to University-affiliated dignitaries and other distinguished persons who occasionally visit the campus upon authorization by the Chancellor, the Medical Center CEO; the appropriate dean or vice chancellor.

H. Designated Parking Space

The assignment of designated parking space is extremely limited. Requests for a designated space for a department, unit, or individual must be approved by the Senior Vice Chancellor— Finance and Administration and must receive prior approval by the appropriate dean, vice chancellor, or the Medical Center CEO.

I. Employee Permit Parking Regulations

1. In accepting a parking permit, the permit holder agrees to abide by campus parking policy; failure to do so may result in revocation of parking privileges.

2. Parking permits are issued on the basis of an individual's primary work site. If the individual’s primary work site changes, it is the individual’s responsibility to notify the parking office. A change in primary worksite may affect parking permit eligibility and access privileges.

3. Parking privileges are non-transferable, including to family members.

4. A permit is invalidated when the expiration date has been reached, any portion of the permit is not visible or legible, it has been altered, the appropriate fee has not been paid, or it has been lost, stolen, or canceled.

5. When parking a non-decal bearing vehicle, the permit holder must complete an online Parking Exception Form/Alternative Car Registration Form and deposit it in the nearest alternative car registration box or submit it online through the online Parking Exception Form. The Parking Exception Form may not be completed by anyone else other than the owner of the permit and the permit holder must be present at the time of parking and completing form. 

6. Parking reciprocity during normal business hours is limited to those assigned regular, non-restricted parking permits. Reciprocal parking at the Parnassus and Mount Zion campuses is extremely limited. Please contact Transportation Services for further information regarding the reciprocal use of a permit.

7. Each UC campus establishes its own parking reciprocity terms for access to its campus.  UCSF has no control over how or when UCSF permits are allowed to park at other UC campuses. Please check with the UC campus you are visiting to see if they can arrange parking for you or your staff. At UCSF, reciprocity is limited to faculty permit holders from other campuses for use up to five times in a 12-month period.

8. Vehicles may not be “stored” in campus garage facilities. Vehicles parked in excess of 72 continuous hours are subject to citation and towing.

9. Permit parking fees are assessed based upon parking permit and parking access card possession and not usage. Refunds for parking fees can be made only from the date the permit and garage access card are returned in the Transportation office (in person or via postmarked mail to the Transportation office). You may temporarily cancel your parking permit if you will be on leave (excluding vacation leave) for over 30 consecutive days; your garage access card and permit must be returned for the duration of your leave. Upon your return, your permit and garage access card will be reinstated. Refund or credit cannot be given for leaves of less than 30 consecutive days and cannot be authorized if the permit and garage access card are not returned prior to the leave.

J:  Payment of Employee Parking at UCSF Worksites with University Funds

University funds may not be used to pay for personal vehicle parking, including, but not limited to, the use of parking stickers purchased through a department recharge account and parking reimbursements charged to a department account through the MyExpense system.  Departmental parking permits are issued to support units in conducting University business at multiple worksites and may not be used to park a personal vehicle at an employee’s primary worksite. 

Circumstances that may warrant exceptions to this policy include:

a)     Transportation of heavy, bulky and/or perishable university-related material to a UCSF worksite that is not the employee’s primary;

b)     Attendance at a university business meeting / event held at a UCSF worksite that is not the employee’s primary and that meeting / event occurs during non-university business hours  (nights/weekends/holidays) or is held before/after or extends beyond the employee’s normal work hours;

c)     Attendance at a university business meeting / event held at a UCSF worksite that is not the employee’s primary and the location either requires use of two or more UCSF shuttles or is not serviced by the UCSF shuttle system.

Exceptions noted above, or other exceptions supported by a valid business reason, require a written justification and approval from the unit’s dean, vice chancellor, or UCSF Health CEO, who may delegate this responsibility one level down. Justifications and approvals for use of parking stickers and departmental permits must be logged by the department and available for review and audit upon request. Log templates are provided on Transportation Services website. Exceptions processed through reimbursement must include the applicable justification and be approved in the MyExpense system by those positions noted above.  

University funds may be used to pay for parking for university visitors and employees who are working without compensation and whose responsibilities require that they park at a UCSF worksite in order to perform the essential functions of their positions. University funds may also be used for volunteers performing non-essential functions, though only periodically. Guests, volunteer employees, and volunteers are not subject to the exceptions and approvals above.

If payment for parking is allowed under the circumstances identified in this policy, the source of funds must also allow for such parking expenses.

Use of UCSF’s free shuttle system is strongly encouraged when the need to travel between UCSF worksites is necessary.  The UCSF shuttle system provides convenient and frequent service to nearly all UCSF locations and is considered a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly transportation option.  Note that university liability insurance does not extend to cover employees / volunteers using their personal vehicles for travel between UCSF sites.

Employees who work at multiple worksites and who need to use their personal vehicles may be eligible to purchase a reciprocal parking permit, depending on their employment classification.

This requirement applies to all University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) worksites, regardless of location.

K. Parking Space Displacement

1. Temporary Displacement
   Parking space(s) taken off line to accommodate construction and other special needs on a temporary basis are assessed at the current applicable parking rate for designated parking space(s) established by the campus for the duration of time those spaces remain off line.

2. Permanent Displacement
   Parking spaces that are displaced on a permanent basis are assessed at the current, fair-market replacement value, plus a factor for lost revenue at the established monthly rate, including any applicable inflation factors for multiple-year fee assessments. Lost revenue is assessed from the time space(s) are taken off-line to the time spaces are replaced within the campus' parking inventory system, assuming such spaces can be developed within a “reasonable period of time”. Fee assessments shall be a minimum of five years unless newly developed space is brought on line sooner. In such cases, the fee assessment shall cover only the time period that parking space(s) are off line.

L. Bicycle Parking

1. Bicycles brought on campus must be parked in designated bicycle parking areas only and must display a current permit.

2. Bicycles parked in non-designated areas are subject to removal and impoundment.

3. Bicycles may not be stored in secured areas and will be tagged for removal and impoundment if they are not moved for a consecutive 7-day period.

4. Bicycle locks may not be attached to storage racks unless they are securing a bicycle. Locks not securing bicycles will be tagged and removed.

5. Bicycles that are impounded will be held for 90 days and the owner of record, if known, will be notified by mail. Owners may reclaim bicycles from Parking Operations during this time period with appropriate identification. Thereafter, the bicycle shall become the property of the University. A $50.00 storage/impound fee will be required to reclaim the bicycle out of impoundment. 

M. Motorcycle Parking

Motorcycle permits are available for parking only in areas designated for that class of vehicle.

N. Aldea San Miguel Housing Parking

1. The Director of Campus Housing establishes regulations regarding the use of parking facilities at the Aldea San Miguel Student Housing facility.

2. Parking in Aldea San Miguel Student Housing facilities is limited to residents and their guests.

3. Tenants are assigned one stall marked according to their apartment address number. Limited unnumbered stalls are available to residents with more than one vehicle.

4. Guests of residents may park in the stalls marked “Guest” for up to four hours from 6 a.m. to midnight, or residents may allow guests to park in their assigned spaces, with residents then parking in the unmarked parallel areas. Residents and guests must display a valid parking permit at all times.

• Office of Origin: Transportation Services, Campus Life Services

• Chancellor Francis A. Sooy's Letter “Policy for the Allocation of Parking Permits”, dated April 29, 1974.

• University of California, Office of the President, “ Transportation Systems and Parking Principles, dated April 17, 2002”; http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/coordrev/policy/parking-principles2002.pdf

• President David P. Gardner's letter to The Honorable Robert J. Campbell, dated March 10, 1986.