About employee parking permits

UW Tacoma staff and faculty can elect to purchase a parking permit for on-campus parking. With many options available, you can choose the permit type that best fits your needs! 

In most cases, we recommend an annual/auto-renewing permit, because they are the most flexible. They can be purchased, cancelled, or exchanged at any time, and they never expire (while they do have an expiration date listed, they will auto-renew 1 week prior to that date for an additional year). And because the deduction is made pre-tax, you save a little bit by not paying tax on the cost of your permit. 

 

How to choose a permit

When looking at the list of permits available in the Parking Portal, it may be hard to know what you are looking for, especially if you are new to campus! It helps to first get an idea of what permit would work best for you before wading through the options in the Portal. 

There are three factors in selecting a permit: Permit Type, Duration and Location. 

  • The Permit Type determines what days of the week or time of day the permit is valid, and is also the biggest factor in the cost of the permit. 
  • Duration determines how long your permit is valid (as well as the payment methods available and how flexible the permit is).
  • Different Locations have different permit types available (some only have evening permits, while some have all types), and lots are priced differently depending on how far they are from the center of campus. 

Click on any of the headings below to learn more.

Permit Types
Daily: 
  • Valid from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM
  • 7 days/week

Half-week: 

  • Valid M/W/F OR T/Th/F (listed on the permit description)
  • 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM 

Evening: 

  • Valid from 3:30 PM to 11:00 PM
  • 7 days/week
Permit Duration

Annual/Auto-Renew:  (newly updated!)

9-Month:

  • Valid during Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters
  • Purchase anytime (while valid) - automatically pro-rated
  • Paid via pre-tax payroll deduction
  • Cancel any time by submitting a request via webform
  • Cannot be renewed

Quarterly:

  • Paid via credit/debit only
  • Purchase limited to 3-week sales period
  • Can be returned for a refund until the end of sales period
  • Cannot be pro-rated or renewed
Permit Location

Location affects the price and availability of permits. 

  • Parking locations are priced differently, depending on how close they are to the center of campus
  • Smaller parking lots have fewer permits available and sell out quickly

For more details on each location, see the table under "Permit Details & Pricing".

Purchasing your permit

Employees may purchase an annual/auto-renewing parking permit at any time. 9-month permits may be purchased any time during Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters. Quarterly permits can be purchased during our standard sales periods (listed on our main web page). 

When purchasing a permit using pre-tax payroll deduction, you will only need to log in with your UW NetID and provide your email address. 

For detailed instructions, expand the section below. 

How to purchase an employee parking permit
  • Log in to the UW Tacoma Parking Portal using your UW NetID and password. 
    • For new employees, it may take up to 48 hours from when you create your NetID for your account to be created in the Parking Portal. If you try logging in and receive an error stating that your account does not exist, please try again the following day, or contact Transportation Services for assistance. 
  • Click the "Get Permits" button on the main page, or click on "Permits" on the menu along the top of the screen, and then "Get Permits" on the drop-down menu. 
  • Review the information provided, and then click NEXT.
  • Locate and select your desired permit 
    • Permits are grouped by Type & Duration
      • If you want a daily permit and you would like start an annual/auto-renewing permit, look for the "Daily (Annual)" heading. 
    • All available locations will be listed under that heading.
    • If there is red text under all of the options that says "You already have the maximum allowable permits for this term." then you are not eligible to purchase a permit, because there is already an active permit on your account. You either need to wait for it to expire, or email us to request an exchange. 
    • If a permit option has red text under it that says "The lot associated with this permit choice is already full for this time period." then the permit is sold out. We cannot sell permits that are already at the sale limit. 
  • Select the permit option that best fits your needs and scroll to the bottom of the page. 
  • Click the box to indicate that you agree to the terms and conditions (we recommend you read them as well!) and click "Next".
  • Select the vehicles that you would like to link to your permit (if you already have them entered) or add a new vehicle to the permit. Make sure your license plate number is correct, as this is how we verify that your vehicle is permitted!
    • While you may have up to 2 vehicles linked to your permit, your permit only covers parking for one vehicle per day. 
  • Click "Next" to finish adding the permit to your cart. 
  • Review your selected permit option and check out
    • If you are purchasing a single-quarter permit, you will be asked to enter your credit card payment information. 
    • If you are purchasing an annual/auto-renewing or 9-month permit, you will only need to enter your email address. 
      • While the cart shows the full annual or 9-month cost of the permit, you will only be charged the standard payroll deduction amount listed under "Permit Details & Pricing" until either your permit expires or you request to cancel it.
How to exchange an employee parking permit

Annual and 9-month permits can be exchanged at any time, subject to availability. Send your request to transit@uw.edu and we will process the exchange for you. Please wait for confirmation from a Transportation Services staff member before parking in the new location.  

Quarterly permits can be exchanged during the 3-week sales period, after which all sales are final. 

Permit Details and Pricing

Locations are listed by distance, with the furthest from the center of campus at the top and the closest at the bottom. Pricing is shown for the deduction per pay period (/PP) and price for a quarterly permit (/QTR). Click the lot name to see more information about each parking location. 

LOT NAME Location Daily Half-Week Evening ADDITIONAL INFO
Whitney Lot S 19th St & Fawcett

$28.00/PP

$168/QTR

$18.67/PP

$112/QTR

-/PP

$70/QTR

  
Laborers Hall S 19th St & Market

$28.00/PP

$168/QTR

 - - Limited availability.
Court 17 garage S 17th St & Court C

$41.67/PP

$250/QTR

$24.33/PP

$146/QTR

$15.00/PP

$90/QTR

 Secure lot, requires Husky Card for access.
Pinkerton Turnaround S 17th St & Broadway

$41.67/PP

$250/QTR

 -

$16.67/PP

$100/QTR

 Limited availability.
Tioga Lot S 21st & Jefferson - -

$16.67/PP

$100/QTR

  
Motorcycle Stalls (M-1) Cragle & Pinkerton North

$10/PP

$60/QTR

 - -  
Disability Stalls (C-1 & C-2) Dolly Roberson & Dougan

$41.67/PP

$250/QTR

 - - Requires University authorization.

Limited quantities of each permit are available and are sold on a first-come first-served basis. Single-quarter permit sales open one week prior to the start of the quarter (check our main page for sales dates). Rates last changed in October 2023. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do pre-tax payroll deductions work?

Annual/Auto-Renewing and 9-Month permits are paid for by pre-tax payroll deductions. A flat fee is deducted from your paycheck each pay period that your permit is active (see table under "Permit Locations" for rates).  

  • Permits purchased with payroll deductions are automatically pro-rated, as you are only charged during the pay periods where your permit is active
  • You can cancel your permit at any time - just submit a request in the "Discontinue your payroll deduction" webform
  • Refunds will only be processed if a charge was made in error by Transportation Services
Can I change a half-week permit from M/W/F to T/Th/F (or vice versa)?

If you have an Annual/Auto-Renewing or 9-Month permit - yes! 

If you have a Quarterly Permit - yes, IF it is still within the 3-week sales period. All quarterly permit sales are final once the sales period closes. 

 

All exchanges are subject to availability. To request an exchange, send an email to transit@uw.edu. 

 

Why was a deduction taken from my paycheck when my permit has already expired?

If your permit expired very recently, the deduction may be correct. 

When you receive a paycheck, it covers a specific pay period. Each month is split into two pay periods - the 1st through the 15th of the month, and the 16th through the last calendar day of the month. 

  • The pay period covering the 1st - 15th is covered on the paycheck you receive on the 25th of that month. 
    • Example: The time you worked from January 1st - 15th is paid out on your January 25th paycheck
  • The pay period covering the 16th - last day of the month is covered on the paycheck you receive on the 10th of the following month. 
    • Example: The time you worked from January 16th - 31st is paid out on your February 10th paycheck

If your permit expired on January 15th, you would see the final deduction on your January 25th paycheck (after your permit has expired). If you are not sure if your permit has expired yet, it is best to check the Parking Portal to see if your permit is still valid, or contact our office for assistance. 

 

It is also possible that we made a mistake! 

Transportation Services is run by humans, and mistakes happen. It is possible that the request to stop your deduction was not correctly processed when your permit expired or when you requested to cancel it. 

If you suspect that is the case, please send us an email at transit@uw.edu ASAP so that we can investigate! If there were extra charges deducted due to our error, we will issue a refund for those charges to your next paycheck. 

Can I exchange my permit for one in a different lot?

If you have an Annual/Auto-Renewing or 9-Month permit - yes! 

If you have a Quarterly Permit - yes, IF it is still within the 3-week sales period. All quarterly permit sales are final once the sales period closes. 

 

All exchanges are subject to availability. To request an exchange, send an email to transit@uw.edu.