Parking Permits Regulatory Information
Requirements for Students
We require the proper display of a valid parking permit on every vehicle which is parked or operated by a student on campus, whether it is a semester permit (decal) or temporary permit (4" square paper affixed by tape).
What constitutes a valid permit?
- The semester decal or temporary permit must be displayed on the inside, lower left corner of the windshield (driver's side). If the permit is not displayed, or is displayed incorrectly (e.g. upside-down) the vehicle is subject to citation by Campus Safety.
- Each decal is valid for only one semester, and has an expiration date on it. Each temporary permit must have a date-range stamped by the issuing staff member. After the expiration date, the permit is invalid.
What about vehicles affiliated with guests or family members?
If a vehicle is brought to campus for a student to operate, that student must obtain a valid semester permit (decal) or temporary permit (4" square paper affixed by tape) for that vehicle. If that student is not eligible for a permit, the student will be in violation of the permit requirement and the vehicle should be removed from campus immediately.
Sophomores, juniors and seniors may request short-term temporary permits from the Housing & Parking Office. If the vehicle is being parked or operated on campus solely by a guest or family member, Westmont uses a different parking "pass" for it.
Is the half-sheet "Parking Notification" considered a citation/violation, or a temporary parking pass?
It depends.
When a vehicle is found on campus without a valid Westmont parking permit displayed on it, and/or Campus Safety cannot determine the identity of the operator, a dual-purpose notification card (5" x 8") is placed on the vehicle. This "Parking Notification" addresses guests/visitors in the left section and Westmont students in the right section.
The notification serves as a citation if a student has brought the vehicle to campus, or parked it in the vicinity of the college and comes to campus. Similarly, if someone else has brought the vehicle to campus or the vicinity and a student returns to operate it at a later time without having obtained a permit, it is a permit violation for the student.
It is important for students to act promptly when a Parking Notification has been placed on the vehicle. Students should not ignore these notifications/citations, or fail to be forthright about operating the vehicle. They are not "warnings." If such students are eligible for a temporary or semester parking permit, they should obtain one immediately from the Housing & Parking Office. The Parking Notification does NOT serve as a temporary permit for students. Campus Safety is quite successful in identifying students and imposing fines.
If the sole operator of the vehicle is a guest or visitor (not a Westmont student), the intent of the Parking Notification is to say, "welcome to campus" and "this is your temporary parking pass for the date noted." Westmont does not post personnel at the entrances to the college (i.e. kiosks) or supply permit-distributing machines (e.g. those found at other schools, such as UCSB). So, this is a way we communicate with students, visitors and guests who bring non-permitted vehicles to campus.