Knowing where to park, how to park and when to park has never been easier.
Getting a permit to park on campus is easy.
Following these simple regulations will keep you safe and informed.
Want to know where to park? View our parking lot pages to learn everything you need to know.
Pay stations and meters are conveniently located throughout campus.
Conveniently located at the entrances of campus and in major parking lots.
Visiting the campus shouldn't be frustrating. We are here to help.
With limited parking on campus and the many alternatives to driving alone, it is not necessary to bring a car to Cal Poly.
Local transit is safe and reliable and best of all it´s FREE for staff and students!
Google Transit Trip PlannerThere are over 6,500 bike rack spaces and 254 secure bike lockers available on campus.
There are over 6,500 bike rack spaces and 254 secure bike lockers available on campus.
Cal Poly currently has 9 employee vanpools in operation, with over 115 vanpool riders.
Affordable. Convenient. Less stressful. Local and regional transit to get you throughout the city, to the beach, shopping, or the areas in the county. Get on the bus and rest your mind.
9 Zipcars are at convenient locations throughout campus and are available to rent by the hour or day.
Looking for carpool options? IRideshare can help match you with an existing carpool or individual looking to carpool. Additional incentives and rewards are available to all faculty and staff who are "registered" at iRideshare.
Cal Poly students receive a 15% discount from Amtrak through the Amtrak Student Discount Program.
Charging stations are located on campus in the Grand Avenue Parking Structure as well as the parking lot across from the Kennedy Library.
So, you got accepted to Cal Poly and you made the life-changing decision to attend the Best University in the West. Now is when the fun begins, researching your future home and getting to know everything you can. When it comes to parking there is a lot that you should know. Hopefully this page answers all the questions you have and a few that you didn’t know you needed to know.
Yes, it’s true, first-year students who live on campus are not permitted to bring vehicles to campus for the duration of their freshman year (fall through spring quarters).
This includes students who have enough credits to be considered a second year (sophomore) at any time during their first academic year at Cal Poly.
The reasoning behind this policy is simple, there are not enough parking spaces on campus and there is no current plan to build more. It is also in line with Cal Poly’s sustainability goals and efforts to decrease the number of single occupancy vehicles coming to campus.
A limited number of spaces have been allocated to accommodate first-year residents who demonstrate a compelling need or who would suffer undue hardship under the First-Year Resident Parking Policy. Exception requests require appropriate justification for approval. The exception process and timeline is detailed under the First-Year Resident Parking Policy tab on the Residential Parking Permit webpage.
San Luis Obispo – or San Luis as you will come to know it – is a relatively small town and is pretty simple to get around. With that said there are several free and low-cost transportation options available to students. These include free rides on SLO Transit buses, Zipcars available for drives around town, Mustang Express to get you home for breaks, more than 7,000 bike rack spaces and 252 secure bike lockers, taxi/Uber/Lyft, Regional Transit Authority (RTA) buses to get you to the beach and Amtrak to start your destination almost anywhere.
Following your first year at Cal Poly you will be eligible to buy a parking permit through the Parking Permit Lottery. This lottery system offers a simple, equitable way for commuter and resident students to purchase annual and quarterly permits.
What makes the lottery simple and equitable? All interested, eligible students sign up for a waitlist, names are randomly drawn and a permit is held for the awardees. This beats having to be online at a specific time waiting to click a button only to have the server crash.
Over the past few years, the number of parking lots and spaces throughout campus has been reduced in support of the Cal Poly Master Plan. These changes, while great for the future of Cal Poly and reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles on campus, have decreased the amount of available parking. This is why parking permit sales are limited for all student permits, residents and commuters alike. We manage the inventory so that permit holders have a reasonable expectation of finding a parking space.
To ensure that the limited campus parking resources are utilized correctly parking citations happen. Left undealt with citations can lead to significant consequences like holds on DMV and class registration, late fees or cars being towed at the owner’s expense. If a parking citation happens, it’s the student’s responsibility to pay the fine. For those who need a little help, there is a payment plan available. For more information visit the Parking Citations & Appeals webpage.
California law states that permission to park on CSU campuses is granted to those persons who have paid a parking fee. These laws stipulate that each campus must generate revenue to fund the construction, operation and maintenance of all parking structures and lots on campus without the help of state or tuition funding.
Cal Poly’s Transportation and Parking Services is self-supporting, meaning it does not receive any taxpayer or tuition funding.
The funding used to fiscally support campus parking comes from parking permit revenue.
TAPS staff are the friendly team available to help you manage all things parking and transportation. Each one of them, yes including the folks driving around managing the parking lots, are available to answer questions. Smile and wave when you see them, and they will smile and wave back. If you need to know where the ZIP Cars are, they know. How to buy a daily parking permit, they’ll tell you to use the ParkMobile or PayByPhone apps. What bus line takes you to the beach, Route 10. Best taco in SLO, it’s debatable but they all have an opinion
Our staff is here to help, and they truly are happy to when they can. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
Telephone: 805-756-6654
Email: parking@calpoly.edu.
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Resident Areas require permit 24/7
