Parking Policies & Registration

As an academic and residential community, Oberlin College is strictly a walking and biking campus. Residence halls and College Village Housing apartments are within a 10-minute walk and a few blocks from the central campus and academic buildings. We ask you to support our management of available parking spaces by registering your vehicle, properly displaying the parking permit sticker, and parking within marked spaces designated only for the permit issued. Not being able to park close to a desired location does not excuse a violation of published parking regulations.

Parking regulations are a response to agreements by the city and college in support of managing parking, acknowledging the college's commitment to environmental sustainability, reducing emissions that adversely affect the environment, and best managing the locations of existing college lots. By necessity, there will be zero tolerance for violations of parking regulations. Fines for parking violations raise progressively upon each additional violation, and vehicles found violating parking regulations a third time can be towed at the owner’s expense.

Please familiarize yourself with our parking regulations. If you have questions or concerns or have received a parking citation without understanding the reason, please address your question promptly with our department before you receive an additional citation (and progressive fines or cost of towing/storage) and before your status reaches the point of revocation of parking privileges. If you are a dependent student, share this information with your parents if they manage and make payments on your student account. If you are a faculty or staff member, please understand that parking regulation enforcement applies equally to students, faculty, and staff.

Recognizing the role of vehicle use as part of Oberlin’s dedication to supporting environmental sustainability, we encourage all community members to assess their need for a vehicle on campus and to participate in alternative transportation methods. These methods include using bicycles and the services of the Oberlin Bike Co-op, ride-sharing CarShare, and other alternatives suggested on the Oberlin College Environmental Policy, which may be found on the Office of Energy and Sustainability’s Governance and Policy page.

Sincerely,

Oberlin College Campus Safety