When Can I Park for Free?
No-Permit Parking After 5pm and Weekends
Parking permits are not required in the East (Lot 104) and West (Lot 127) Remote lots after 5:00pm weekdays or during weekends. In addition, most of the lots near the base of campus don't require permits after 5pm weekdays or on weekends:
Carriage House (Lot 115)
Campus Facilities (Lot 116)
Granary (Lot 118)
Cardiff House (Lot 151)
No-Permit Parking After 8:30pm and Weekends
In addition to the lots mentioned above, most other lots on campus (including the Core West Parking Structure and North Perimeter Lot 150) don't require permits after 8:30pm on weekdays or during weekends. Please check the UCSC Parking Map for details, and always double-check the hours of enforcement on each parking lot entry sign.
Permits Required on Weekends
Permits are required in the following lots on weekends:
Arts (Lot 126)
Cowell/Stevenson area (Lots 107, 108, 109, 110)
Crown/Merrill Apartments (Lots 152, 153, 154, and 155)
College 9/John R. Lewis area (Lots 164, 165, 166, and 167)
East Field House (Lot 103A)
Kresge (Lots 143, 145, and 147)
Porter College (Lots 124 and 125)
ParkMobile
Please follow the posted requirements for payment in ParkMobile spaces and zones.
Holidays
The Main Entrance Kiosk and the TAPS Sales Office (parking office) are closed on holidays.
In general, permits are not required on the main campus during University holidays with the following exceptions:
- in lots where permits are required at all times*
- in posted reserved parking spaces
- when parking attendants are present during a special event
* Permits are required at all times in parking lots marked with grey diagonal stripes on the UCSC Parking Map. You can also check the information signs located at each parking lot entry.
Permits are not required on days when a holiday is observed by the Federal Government and/or UC Santa Cruz (see list below) as long as you adhere to the guidelines stated above:
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Cesar Chavez Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- December Campus Closure (Note: Campus Closure dates vary each year; from approximately Christmas Eve day through New Year's Day)