Section 6: Enforcement and Penalties

6.1 – Enforcement and Penalties General Information

Parking permit and contract/hourly sales revenue is used to pay for the cost of parking at UST, including lot maintenance, repair, snow removal, construction and administration. Enforcement of parking rules and regulations is done to provide fair and equal parking for those who have purchased a parking permit. The fact that a person parks in violation of any law, policy or regulation does not receive a citation does not mean that the law, policy, or regulations is no longer in effect. Using emergency flashers does not allow drivers to illegally park their vehicles, particularly in handicapped spaces, fire lanes, at yellow curbs, etc.

6.2 – Violation Explanations

The amounts listed are subject to change without notice.  Stall definition:  a legal parking space consists of lines painted on the lot, designating a single parking space.

• $0     Warning: A warning ticket may be issued for any violation. No fine is imposed.  First time violators may still be issued citations and not a warning.

• $10   UST Permit Not Correctly Displayed: Parking permits must hang from the rear view mirror of the vehicle with the permit number facing out so that the permit number is visible from the outside of the vehicle.  Any exceptions to the above requirement must have prior approval by the Director or Operations Manager of Parking Services.

• $15   Resident Parking Only: Only vehicles with assigned residence-hall permits may park in lots designated for resident-student parking. 

• $15   Commuter/Employee Parking Only: Only vehicles with assigned commuter or employee permits may park in lots designated for commuter and/or employee parking during designated hours.

• $15   Evening Parking Only: Vehicles with evening permits may park in designated lots only between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 a.m.

• $15   No Overnight Parking: Vehicles without valid UST resident permits may not park overnight on the UST campus without prior approval of the Department of Public Safety and Parking Services.  Only resident students with ramp contracts are allowed to park overnight in the ramp.

• $15   Not Within Marked Space: No vehicle may be parked in a space at an angle, on/or over a stall line. 

• $20   Expired Meter: Some of the meters in lots G and O are for short-term parking.  All other meters are for VISITORS ONLY (Lots C, H, M, and N).  The hours of enforcement are on a 24-hour basis from midnight Sunday until 6 p.m. Friday in commuter and faculty-staff lots, and 6 p.m. Sunday until 6 p.m. Friday in resident student lots.  A jammed meter must be reported immediately to the Department of Public Safety and Parking Services, (96)2-5100, or a citation may be issued.  Meters that are repeatedly jammed or out of order may not be used for parking.

• $30   15-Minute Zone: No vehicle may be parked or standing in excess of 15 minutes in a zone marked “15 Minutes.”

• $40   No Parking Zone: No motor vehicle may be parked in any space not specifically marked as a parking space or stall – no sign required.

• $40   Snow Removal: Upon being given notice that a lot will be plowed to remove snow, vehicles must be moved by the posted time.

• $40   No Valid UST Permit: No motor vehicle may be parked on the University of St. Thomas campus without a UST parking permit or authorization except in designated visitor areas.

• $45   Unauthorized Parking: Only vehicles assigned or authorized to park in specifically reserved or designated parking areas may be parked in these spaces.  Unauthorized vehicles found in reserved or specifically designated parking stalls, parking lots, or roadways may be ticketed and/or towed at the owner/operator’s expense without further notice. A parking space that is coned off is considered a reserved space.

• $45   Parked on Grass/Sidewalk: No vehicle may be parked between the boundary line of any parking lot and a sidewalk or any grassy area or area designated as a lawn.

• $45   Parked in Roadway/Obstructing Traffic: Vehicles may not be parked on any roadway in such a manner as to leave insufficient width of the roadway for free movement of vehicle traffic. When parallel parking, vehicles must be parked within 12 inches from the curb.  Vehicles not parked far enough into a parking space as to leave the end of the vehicle hanging noticeably outside the parking space shall constitute a violation.

• $50   Loading Dock/Dumpster: Vehicles other than a commercial or university vehicle may not use any part of a dock area unless prior permission is obtained from the Department of Public Safety and Parking Services. No vehicle may be parked as to block vehicle access to any dumpster.

• $100 Fire Lane/Fire Hydrant: Vehicles may not be parked in an area designated (with signs or yellow slashed lines) as a fire lane, along a painted curb, or within 10 feet of a fire hydrant.  Due to potential emergency situations, parking in a fire lane, even for a moment, shall constitute a violation.

• $100 Handicapped Zone/Ramp: Vehicles may not be parked in a space designated for handicapped parking, or handicapped loading/access, without displaying a current state-issued handicapped license plate or permit. The state fine by public law enforcement agencies of up to $200 may be imposed for this violation in conjunction with the UST fine of $100.

• $100 Illegal Use of Permit: Illegal transfer of resident parking permits may result in your vehicle being ticketed, immobilized, and/or towed as well as loss of parking privileges. Obtaining a parking permit under false pretenses, falsifying the information on the permit application, or having incorrect license plate information displayed on the permit (for resident students) shall constitute a violation.

• $200 Illegal Use of Ramp Contract: Abuse of ramp contract terms shall constitute a violation and may result in loss of parking privileges and cancellation of contract.  Parking more than one vehicle in the ramp, having incorrect license plate information displayed on permit (for resident students, or allowing others to have access to the ramp is prohibited.

• $200 Altered/False Permit:  Displaying an expired permit with the intention of passing it as current, or altering/counterfeiting a permit shall constitute a violation. 

• $200 Use/Possession of a Stolen Permit: The theft of, use, or possession of a lost, stolen, or invalid parking permit constitutes a violation. This also may result in revocation of parking privileges. NOTE: Theft of a parking permit may result in criminal action being filed.

• $200 Unauthorized Removal of Immobilizer: Theft of, damage to, removal or attempted removal of an immobilization device once it has been applied shall constitute a violation and may result in possible disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution, along with parking citation fine.

Outstanding citations may be billed to the student’s account at any time.  Once the citation is past due, a $5 late fee will be added and Public Safety will also charge a $10 processing fee.  If motor-vehicle records are required to establish ownership, an additional $25 fee will be added.  If a student’s family member is found to be the owner, all outstanding citations may be billed to the student’s account at any time.

6.3 – Immobilization and Towing

Vehicles with three or more outstanding parking citations that are not in appeal status and are not paid by the due date may be immobilized or towed. Vehicles whose owner cannot be identified through motor-vehicle records or whose owner is not a current student or employee may be immobilized or towed without notice at the driver’s expense ($40 Immobilization Processing Fee) any time the vehicle is found parked on the university campus.

Immobilized vehicles shall remain immobilized until the outstanding fine is paid or the Department of Public Safety and Parking Services approves release of the vehicle.  In addition, if the operator is found to be a student, unpaid tickets will be billed to the student’s account and a financial hold may be placed on the student’s record until all outstanding fines are paid, thus preventing registration and access to transcripts.

Generally vehicles are subject to immobilization, towing and/or fines at any time for any of the following violations:

1. Illegal parking.

2. Three or more outstanding citations or an illegal, stolen or revoked permit.

3. Failure to move a vehicle during snow removal, lot closing or lot renovation.

6.4 – Other Charges

$5        Late fee for each overdue citation

$10     Public Safety student account processing fee

$25     Motor-vehicle service look-up charge: This refers to the cost of looking up vehicle ownership information through motor-vehicle search engines in order to bill the owner and/or student for citations.

$40     Immobilization processing fee

6.5 – Appeals Process

The Parking Appeals Committee reviews written appeals from individuals challenging parking violations. The committee consists of faculty, staff and student representatives. The appeals coordinator, who is not a voting member, will be present for informational and recording purposes only.  Due to the nature of the committee, membership is kept confidential and appeals cannot be presented to the committee in person.  Appeal forms may be obtained in person, mailed, or faxed from the Department of Public Safety and Parking Services, located on the first floor of Morrison Hall in St. Paul and the second-floor Public Safety desk in Opus Hall in Minneapolis.

The committee adheres to the following procedures and responsibilities:

1.      The appeal form and citation must be received by the Department of Public Safety and Parking Services within 10 days of the date the citation was issued. The appeal form must be filled out in its entirety.

2.      The payment of the citation under appeal is suspended without penalty during the appeal process.

3.      Upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the committee voting, the appeal will be accepted and the citation canceled.

4.      A vote to deny the appeal requires that the appellant pay the citation.

5.      Decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.

6.      Once the appeal is denied, failure to pay the issued citation within five days from the date of notice will result in a late fee.

7.      Fines that have been reduced by the committee will return to their original amount if not paid within five days of the date of notice.

An appeal should be based on the fact that the violation notice was issued in error or contrary to the regulations listed in this Parking Guide. A lost permit, forgetfulness, parking only for a short period, failure to display parking permit, and/or not seeing the signs are unacceptable grounds for appeal.

Note: A citation may not be appealed if the vehicle or permit holder has any other unpaid fines.