Evanston Parking FAQs
Get answers to common questions about parking enforcement, permits, lot locations, special events, evening and holiday parking, visitor options and use of North and South garages.
Tickets and Enforcement
Do not move the vehicle. Contact the Evanston Parking Office.
To get the boot removed, you are required to pay any outstanding ticket fines and the boot fee. See Violations and Fees and Immobilization and Towing pages for more information.
You can file an appeal online. Visit the Ticket Appeals page.
Student Permits and Parking
Eligible
- Students living on campus with senior or above class standing
- All graduate and commuting students who live outside of the walking zone.
- Chicago campus students if they have Evanston campus classes during enforcement hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (subject to verification by class schedule).
Not Eligible
- All freshman, sophomores and juniors who reside on campus.
- Any student with non-appealable, unpaid violation assessments.
- Students living in non-university housing within the designated walking zone.
Permits must be obtained in person at the Evanston Parking Office. See the Student Permit "How to Obtain" section for items to bring with you and for more information.
Depending on the type of student permit you purchase, your parking options vary. See the Student Permit page for more information
Faculty, staff and students are prohibited from using visitor permits on the Evanston and Chicago campuses.
Visitor permits are intended only for University guests. However, Northwestern community members may purchase daily and/or long-term permits at the Evanston Parking Office. See the Faculty and Staff "Permit rates" section and the Student "Permit Rates" section.
Replacement and Temporary Permits
Replacements / additional permit stickers are $10.00.
If you bought a new car, you must scrape off the old permit (a razor blade scraper will work well) and bring the pieces into the Evanston Parking Office.
See Cancellations, Replacements and Refunds for more information.
Replacement / additional permit stickers are $10.00.
If you already have a two-vehicle permit, you must return both permits and the two-vehicle hang tag. We will issue you a new set.
See Cancellations, Replacements and Refunds for more information.
If you had a single car permit, you must come in and fill out an affidavit before receiving a replacement.
See Cancellations, Replacements and Refunds for more information.
You can obtain a temporary permit at the Evanston Parking Office. Annual permit holders may do so at no cost. You will need to present your valid Wildcard.
Permit Costs and Refunds/Cancellations
Daily permits cost $9.00 for visitors, faculty, staff and students. Daily permits are non-refundable.
See Faculty and Staff Permit Rates information. Annual permits start October 1 and expire September 30 of the following year.
For students, see the Student Permit Rates information.
Students requesting a parking exemption for medical reasons must possess valid handicapped registration. Students with handicapped license plates or placards must purchase a main campus parking permit.
No one is guaranteed a parking space. Center campus lots fill especially quickly. However, there are garages on the north and south ends of campus that rarely reach capacity.
Yes. See Cancellations, Replacements and Refunds for more information.
Permit Zoning and Locations
The Chicago campus full-time faculty/staff permit (purple sticker) is valid on the Evanston campus surface lots as well as the North and South garages. No Evanston campus permit is valid on the Chicago campus. For further information, see Parking Requirements & Policies.
Daily faculty/staff/student permits for the Evanston campus are available for purchase at the Evanston Parking Office.
Chicago campus faculty and staff may purchase an Evanston campus permit at the Evanston Parking Office with a letter of authorization from their department verifying official business on the Evanston campus.
Chicago campus students may purchase an Evanston campus permit at the Evanston Parking Office only if they have Evanston campus classes during parking enforcement hours from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (subject to verification by class schedule).
Faculty, staff and most students must live outside the walking zone to be eligible for main campus annual permits:
- Central St. to the north
- Ridge Ave. (not on it) from Central St. to Emerson St. to the west
- West of the Metra tracks from Emerson St. to Lake St.
- Lake St. (not on it) to the south
Special Events, Evenings and Holidays
No. Parking is limited on campus, and lots must be kept open for faculty staff, and students who have purchased parking permits. See Policy for Event Hosts for more information.
Game day parking is coordinated by the Athletics Department. Please see Athletics Department parking information to learn more.
Parking is free in campus surface lots and the North and South garages after 4 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends. Parking enforcement begins at 8 a.m. on weekdays.
Permits are not required on days the University is closed for business. Please refer to Human Resources' Holiday and Winter Recess page for dates that permits are not required (quarterly breaks are not considered University holidays).
Yes. Parking is free in the garages on weekdays after 4 p.m. and all day on Saturday and Sunday. Pull a ticket at the entrance of the garage and insert the same ticket at the exit. The gate arms will rise, and there is no fee assessed. Note that you must enter after 4 p.m. and exit by 8 a.m. the next University business day for parking to be free.
Visitor Permits and Parking
A permit is needed if you will be parking in surface lots on campus Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Your Northwestern department host may be able to supply you with a visitor permit, or visitor permits are also available for purchase at the Evanston Parking Office. See Visitor Parking for more information.
You can also pay the daily rate at pay stations located in the North and South Parking Garages. Pull a ticket upon entry. Take the ticket with you and pay at one of the lobby pay stations when leaving. Insert the paid, validated ticket into the box located in the exit lane, and the gate arm will rise to allow your vehicle to exit.
See Visitor Parking for information and the order form and Hosting an Event for information regarding validation tickets. Departments may order visitor permits, which are good in surface parking lots. Departments may also order validation tickets to pay for parking in the North or South garage.
Contractor Parking
Visit our Contractor and Vendor Permits page for more information.
Contractors, subcontractors and their employees are prohibited from parking in main campus parking lots and garages, including the North and South Parking Garages. Visit the Contractor and Vendor page for more information.
Use of North and South Parking Garages
Current annual and academic year Northwestern parking permit holders may park in the North and South garages as part of the privileges associated with their permit. The valid Wildcard belonging to the permit holder is used to activate the gate arms at both the entrance and exit of both garages.
Visitors and all other individuals who do not possess a current Northwestern parking permit are assessed a $9.00 fee when exiting the garages. A ticket is issued to parkers at the garage entrance. The fee is assessed per exit if the vehicle is parked at any time on a University business day between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Payment can be made either at the kiosks located on the ground level of the garage or at the exit lane. A paid ticket is required to exit.
Persons intentionally circumventing the gate arms to avoid payment or for any other reason are subject to a citation. Any Wildcard or parking access card used to allow a person other than the registered cardholder to enter or exit a parking garage is subject to a citation to both the cardholder and the person using the card.
Visitors to the Office of Admissions may park in the Segal Visitor's Center garage, also known as the South Garage. Please take a ticket upon entry and provide it to the Admissions counselor with whom you meet. The Admissions Office may provide you with a validation ticket for reduced rate parking.
No. Please contact the staff at the front desk of Henry Crown Sports Pavilion to determine whether a parking access card valid for two hours of parking may be issued to you for entry into and exit from the North garage.
Currently cash, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover cards and bank-issued debit cards are accepted forms of payment. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also accepted.
The garage exit lane accepts credit card payments as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Insert your parking ticket and follow the prompts on the box to pay and exit.
Yes. Parkers may enter the garage by taking a ticket at the entrance. To avoid paying the daily parking fee, bring the parking ticket to the Evanston Parking Office before 4 p.m. to obtain a validation ticket for exiting the garage.
There is a $50 fee for a lost ticket. You may pay the fee at the lobby pay station.
Contact the Evanston campus Wildcard Office by visiting them at Norris Student Center or by phone at (847) 467-6843.
Unfortunately, the access control equipment does not recognize motorcycles. Only vehicles with at least four wheels can be detected and will trigger the gate arms to rise. Motorcycles displaying valid parking permits can park in any surface lot.