Summary of Regulations

General Information

The Board of Trustees under authority granted to the Board by North Carolina General Statute 116-44.4 establishes the Parking and Traffic Regulations of Western Carolina University. This statutory authority makes the regulations legally binding on all members of the university community and visitors to our campus.

This abbreviated version of the Regulations provides a quick reference to some of the most important regulations, so that you may be better prepared to comply voluntarily. It is not intended to replace the official regulations. Copies of the Parking and Traffic Regulations along with color-coded maps of campus parking areas are available at the Traffic Office at the Outreach Center Annex.

The Regulations are also available at on the left in the Navigation Bar. There you will find all the general regulatory information, registration information for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, enforcement, penalties, fines, and appeals. You will also find a listing of designated parking areas along with a color-coded map showing assigned lots and a chart showing the number of parking spaces available in each lot.

The Regulations have been designed to serve the best interest of the total university community in a fair and equitable manner. They may not always allow for individual convenience.

Illegal Parking

When a person parks illegally, that person infringes on the rights and privilege of others who are entitled to vehicular and pedestrian access to the campus. Voluntary compliance with the regulations will resolve most of the traffic problems that occur on campus.

The Privilege to Park on Campus

Parking and operating a vehicle on campus is a privilege extended by the University subject to ordinances adopted by the Board of Trustees. This privilege may be revoked if a person seriously or habitually violates the regulations.

A parking permit is required to secure parking privileges. The permit does not guarantee a parking space in a specific space or area. Rather, it authorizes the permit holder to seek a parking space in an area designated by the Regulations.

But, Western Carolina University is able to provide ample parking on campus for all registered vehicles, although spaces will not always be available at desired locations.

Revocation of Parking Privileges (Towing)

When one or more vehicles registered to a student, a faculty member, a staff member, or a visitor, receives more than five citations in a semester, the parking privileges of the registered owner is revoked from the remainder of that semester. It makes no difference whether the citations are paid or unpaid. Accumulation of more than five citations indicates that the driver does not intend to comply with the traffic regulations; therefore the driver’s privilege to park on campus is revoked. The vehicle(s) registered to that driver is placed on a tow list and may be towed at any time it is found on campus.

Parking privileges will also be revoked for receiving more than one citation for parking in a handicapped space and for any fraudulent registration activity.

Vehicles may also be towed for individual violations where a roadway or sidewalk is blocked, for parking in a reserved or handicapped space, and for other violations and situations where towing is judged necessary to preserve order.

Most of the time, towed vehicles are impounded on campus. The Traffic Office pays the wrecker driver. The operator of the vehicle is responsible for reimbursing the Traffic Office for the tow charges. At this time, tow charges are $50 in the daytime and $75 at night.

The Traffic Regulations authorize a $2 a day storage fee for impounded vehicles.

Appeals of towing must be made to the local magistrate at the Jackson County Justice Center in Sylva, but you may speak to Traffic Office personnel first if you believe that your vehicle was improperly towed.

The Traffic Office is not responsible for damages that occur due to towing. Individuals who believe that their cars have been damaged by towing should contact the wrecker service involved. Each wrecker service that contract to tow on campus must be covered with liability insurance for such damages.

Registering Your Vehicle

All vehicle registrations must be made online at the Vehicle Registration Web site . Permits will NOT be mailed. Please monitor the Vehicle Registration Web site for dates, time, and location for permit pickup.

Every vehicle that is parked on campus must display a parking permit issued by the Traffic Office.

Parking permit sales usually begin at freshman orientation in June for new freshmen. Staff and faculty decals go on sale around the last week in June. Sales for new and continuing students begin in July. Sales continue throughout the academic year at the Traffic Office. All decals purchased except temporaries and visitor permits expire on August 10 and must be renewed every year.

Parking permits may be purchased at any time during the year at the Traffic Office during normal business hours.

Pay the required fee (Students & Faculty/Staff)

• Full Year $50 per year
• Spring $25
• Summer $15
• Temporary $5 per week
• Motorcycle $25 per year
• Bicycle FREE (permanent)
• Retired FREE (permanent)

(These prices are effective July 1, 2003)

Payment for Vehicle Registration

Students: During the June and July registration periods, a fee for vehicle registration is attached to all student accounts and may be paid in a lump sum with other tuition and fees. This makes it possible for loans, scholarships, and some other types of financial aid to cover the cost of vehicle registration.

A student who chooses not to register a vehicle but inadvertently pays the vehicle registration fee as a part of their bill for tuition and fees may call the One Stop at 828-227-7170 to have the charge refunded.

Faculty and Staff: Faculty and staff must make payment for vehicle registration by check or cash at all times during the year.

Multiple Vehicles

All students, staff, and faculty may register more than one vehicle, however, freshmen and upperclassman resident students are expected to have only one car on campus at any time. For commuters, faculty, and staff members who will have more than one car on campus at a time, the parking permit for each vehicle is full-priced.

For anyone who wishes to register more than one vehicle and will have only one of the vehicles registered will be on campus at any given time, a transferable permit is available which may be moved from one vehicle to another. Transferable permits may be purchased for the full price of one vehicle registration plus $1.00 dollar for each additional vehicle listed on the registration.

Temporary Decals

Temporary decals may be purchased for $5.00 per week Temporary decals may be used when a temporary vehicle is brought to campus or when a parker cannot pay the full-price for a decal at the time of registration. Temporary decals must be purchased if a vehicle is to be on campus more than three days.

Visitor’s Permits

Visitors may park in student or faculty/staff spaces (white or yellow space) which are not designated as a special use space, reserved space, handicapped space, loading zone, etc. Normally, a visitor who receives a parking citation for no registration may have that citation waived by filling out the back of the citation and bringing by or mailing it to the Traffic Office (instructions are on the back of the citation).

But, visitors are expected to obey all other parking regulations on campus and may be asked to pay fines for handicapped parking violations, no parking zones, parking on the grass, parking on sidewalks, parking in driveways or in undesignated spaces, and overtime parking.

University personnel who are inviting groups of more than five people to campus should notify the Traffic Office and discuss parking arrangements before invitations are issued. Remember, all conferences or activities on campus must be coordinated through the Office of Continuing Education and Summer School and a form must be completed to assure that the function is registered and placed on the University calendar http://www.wcu.edu/chancellor/index/universitypolicy/policy47.html.

Vehicle Registration Exceptions (Open Parking)

Vehicles parked in the academic area after 5:00 p. m. on weekdays and at any time on weekends are not required to display a parking permit. So graduate students and commuting students who are only on campus after 5:00 p. m. need not register their vehicles.

However, the Traffic Regulations require all faculty and staff to register their vehicles. Any student who chooses not to register their vehicle and finds that they must park on campus on a weekday before 5:00 p. m. to use the library, visit the Bookstore, or take care of other business must be responsible for citations they receive for no registration.

This exception does not apply to parking at the residence halls. All vehicles at the residence halls must be registered at all times.

Unregistered Vehicles

When unregistered vehicles receive citations, the owners of the vehicle are identified through computerized links with motor vehicle offices in all 50 states. If the owner is identified as a student, staff member, faculty member, or a member of such person’s family, the fines are applied to that individual’s account.

Trading Cars

If pieces of the old decal are not turned in, the parking regulations require that the purchaser pay full price for the new decal.

Lost or Stolen Decals

Report all lost or stolen decals to the University Police Department. Lost or stolen decals must be replaced at full price. University Police will investigate all thefts, prosecute offenders where possible, and assist the victim in recovering the cost of the stolen decal from the thief.

Where To Park

Generally, yellow stripes denote spaces for faculty and staff members; white spaces are for students. White spaces near the academic buildings are for commuter students. White spaces near the residence halls are for resident students. Freshmen must park in the freshman/overflow lots. Be sure to observe parking control signs designating other restrictions in these categories.

COMMUTERS (C-Decals)

A Commuter is a student parker who officially resides off-campus and drives to campus for classes.

Commuters may park in the white spaces in the academic area at any time. Freshmen who are officially approved to live off campus are allowed to purchase and display commuter parking permits.

Commuters may park in faculty/staff (yellow) spaces from 5:00 p. m. to 7:00 a. m. and on weekends except in areas that are specially designated 24-hour faculty/staff parking such as the Brown and Dodson Cafeteria staff lots.

Commuters may also park in the overflow spaces in the freshman lots.

RESIDENTS (R-Decals)

A resident student for parking purposes is an upperclassman that lives in the residence halls. An upperclassman is a student who has at least 30 hours of academic credit recorded with the Registrar’s Office.

Upperclassman resident students may park in the white-lined spaces at the residence halls at any time. They may not park in the academic area between 7:00 a. m. and 5:00 p. m. Resident students are expected to walk to class.

Upperclassman resident students may park in faculty/staff spaces or commuter spaces in the academic area from 5:00 p. m. to 7:00 a. m. and on weekends.

Resident students may also park in overflow spaces in the freshman lots.

FRESHMEN (A-Decals)

A freshman student for parking purposes is a student who officially lives in the residence halls and has completed less than 30 hours of academic credit.

Freshmen must park in the freshmen/overflow lots most of the time. Freshmen are allowed to park at the residence halls from 5:00 p. m. on Fridays until 8:00 p. m. on Sundays.

Freshman may not drive to class or to other areas of campus to conduct business.

GRADUATE STUDENTS, TEACHING ASSISTANTS, GRADUATE ASSISTANTS

Graduate students, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants are considered students for the purpose of vehicle registration. They are not eligible for faculty/staff decals because there are not enough faculty/staff spaces to accommodate even those graduate students who have teaching responsibilities or assistantships. They must register their vehicles as commuting students or resident students.

WESTERN STUDENTS WITH CLASSES AT UNC-ASHEVILLE and WESTERN FACULTY AND STAFF WHO WORK AT UNC-ASHEVILLE

Students who have all of their classes at UNC-Asheville must purchase a UNCA decal. Western Carolina University honors UNCA decals in the proper zones at WCU. For instance, a graduate student at UNCA with a student decal must park in a student space when on campus at Western Carolina.

Faculty and staff whose primary duty station is on the UNCA campus must purchase a UNCA decal. The UNCA decal is honored in faculty/staff spaces on the Western campus.

FACULTY/STAFF (1-Decals)

Faculty/staff decals (Zone 1) are issued to employees of the University who are not graduate assistants or teaching assistants. An employee is a person who is paid by the University or a private contractor such as Aramark, is listed as an employee in Human Resources or in Academic Affairs, and is not at the University primarily for their own educational advancement.

Generally, employees park in yellow-lined spaces and may not park in white spaces. There are some local exceptions to this rule at the residence halls for housekeepers (who may park in white spaces at the residence halls where they work), in the Baptist Church Lot, and in the Old Warehouse Lot between the Bookstore and the Print Shop, and in the Outreach Center.

Faculty/staff may also park in any of the overflow spaces at the stadium, the Ramsey Center, the baseball field lot, and the Walker A lot.

*Faculty and staff, whose primary duty station is on the campus of UNC-Asheville, see the section above.

Questions about employee status should be directed to the Traffic Office.

RETIRED FACULTY/STAFF (E-Decals)

Faculty and staff members who retire in good standing with the University are eligible for free parking privileges. The registration process is the same as that listed above under Registering Your Vehicle.

Vehicles displaying "E" decals may park in any white or yellow space which is not designated as a reserved, handicapped, loading zone, or other type of special use space.

"E" decals need not be replaced on a yearly basis; they are permanent decals. But if a vehicle is traded or sold, the pieces of the old decal should be turned in to the Traffic Office to secure a replacement decal. "E" decals that are faded may be replaced at no charge.

Retired decals may not be used by students or other family members who are employees of the University.

CHANGING STATUS

When a change in a driver’s official status occurs (a resident student officially moves off campus, a commuter student officially moves onto campus, a student becomes a faculty or staff member), a replacement decal with the correct classification will be issued for $1.00 plus the difference in cost of the decal.

CONFERENCES, GROUPS, VISITORS

See Visitor’s Permits above.

Three offices on campus are authorized to issue temporary parking permits for conferences and individuals visiting campus: The Office of Continuing Education and Summer School; The Admissions Office; and the Madison Conference Center. Admissions and madison passes are free. The price of conference parking permits varies with the length of the conference.

STATE-OWNED VEHICLES

The use of state-owned vehicles which display permanent "state-owned" license plates is regulated by University Policy #30 and administered by Facilities Management. http://www.wcu.edu/chancellor/index/universitypolicy/policy30.html. Call Facilities Management at 7224 if you have questions.

Anyone who operates a state-owned vehicle must possess a valid driver’s license and must have a copy of that license on file with Facilities Management.

Generally, state-owned vehicles may park in either white or yellow parking spaces and may use service-vehicle spaces. Whenever possible, state-owned vehicles should be parked legally within a space although some exceptions exist for service and emergency response vehicles.

In order to park legally in a handicapped space on campus, a vehicle must display an official handicapped placard approved by the state or a handicapped license plate. Neither the Traffic Office or Health Services issue handicapped parking permits. Information on the acquisition of handicapped placards may be obtained by calling the NC License Bureau at 586-3886 located at 238 East Main Street in Sylva. Temporary handicapped permits are also available through that office for person with temporary disabilities that require handicapped parking.

The number of designated handicapped spaces on campus meets standards set by the State of N. C. and federal regulations. But, persons displaying handicapped placards may also park in any white or yellow space except for special use spaces (i.e.: reserved, loading zones, short term, service vehicle, etc.).

Vehicles displaying handicapped placards must be in a designated parking space.

We are very concerned about the display of handicapped placards by persons who are not legitimately disabled. Frequently, drivers use permits that belong to relatives and friends or use temporary permits that are expired. This violates the rights of disabled persons. When such a violation is discovered, the vehicle may be impounded, the parking privileges of the violator may be revoked, and a state citation may be issued for which the fines range from $50 to $200 plus $90 in court costs.

Disabled Vehicles

Notify the Traffic Office immediately if your vehicle is disabled by calling 7301. Our police officers may be able to assist with dead batteries. They may also be able to help you get your vehicle to a legal parking space so that you do not receive citations. Officers will also confirm that the vehicle is disabled and may authorize 24 hours to have the car repaired or moved. Citations received during that time may be waived.

Even if a vehicle is disabled, it is taking up a space that rightfully belongs to someone else. The operator of a disabled vehicle must take prompt action to correct the situation. Call the Traffic Office at 227-7301 if you have questions.

Enforcement

Traffic and Parking Regulations are enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The regulations allow for some special parking considerations at nights and on weekends and for unregistered vehicles at the beginning of a semester, but there is not a time when the regulations are not enforced.

Appealing a Parking Ticket

According to the Traffic Regulations, any contested citation must be appealed within seven days of issuance.

The SGA Traffic Court reviews student appeals. Justices for the Traffic Court are appointed by the SGA President. Check with the SGA Office in the University Center at 227-7206 for further information.

The Traffic and Security Committee hears appeals on faculty staff citations. The T & S Committee is comprised of representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Staff Forum, and two student appointees from the SGA President, and is a standing sub-committee of the University Advisory Council.

You are not required to be present at either of these hearings, but you have a right to be present if you wish.

Decisions from both of these units are final.

Until an appeal is heard, the citation that is appealed continues to be valid and is counted in the total number of citations when considering whether a vehicle should be on the tow list.

The SGA or the Traffic and Security Committee will notify the appellant in writing when a decision is made on an appeal.

Please remember that the WCU Parking and Traffic Regulations specifically state that lack of available parking is not a valid excuse for illegal parking.

Waivable Offenses

While the proper route for appeal of a ticket is listed above, there are some instances where a citation may be waived by Traffic Office staff. Citations may be waived ONLY under the following conditions:

1. Officer error;
2. First-time violations for backing-in or improper display of decal;
3. In some cases where more than one citation is issued within a 24-hour period;
4. Citations issued to visitors for no registration.

If you believe that a citation you have received fits into one of these categories, bring the citation by the Traffic Office and speak with the staff.

Shuttle Service

The University Shuttle is sponsored by the University Police and by the University Center. It runs from the outlying lots to several campus locations every fifteen minutes.

Bicycle Registration

Bicycle registration is strongly suggested, but not required. Bicycle registration is provided free of charge as a service of the University Police Department. You may register your bicycle by bringing the brand name and serial number to the Traffic Office. If you cannot find the serial number, an officer will help you.