Dear AU Community,   

As we begin the 2025-2026 academic year, I want to update you on some changes to the university’s parking operations. The new elements align with industry best practices and the parking operations at our peer institutions across Washington, D.C. Our goal is to provide greater convenience and simplify parking for faculty, staff, students, and visitors who park on campus. 

1. Permit and Payment hours will expand for main campus and Washington College of Law lots and garages beginning on Monday, August 25. Parking permits or hourly payment will be required seven days a week (including weekends) from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. While the active hours are changing, permit and pay-as-you-go rates remain the same for this year, including daily maximum rates. 

2. In addition to pay-as-you-go, monthly, and semester permits, students, faculty, and staff will be able to purchase partial-week permits. Beginning August 25, this option will be supported by T2 Tempo through a link on the Office of Parking and Commuter Services (OPCS) website with rates comparable to the PayByPhone daily rate ($6.75 + fees). Tempo will allow eligible AU community members to only pay for days they plan to visit campus. This may provide a more affordable option than monthly permits, depending on an individual’s schedule. It may also provide a more convenient option compared to pay-as-you-go payment (avoiding the risk of forgetting to pay), as partial-week permits can be purchased ahead of time for one or multiple days. Please note that partial-week permits cannot be refunded or “moved” to different days than what is initially selected at the time of purchase. 

3. A $10 event rate will be charged for parking during select on-campus athletics and special events. Game day or event visitors will be able to park in campus garages/lots (including Bender Arena Sports Center Garage) until the end of the event day. Event rate parking passes can be purchased through the PayByPhone mobile app using a dedicated event rate code made available through OPCS, the Department of Athletics, and event organizing departments. AU community members who already hold a monthly or daily permit covering the date of the event will not need to purchase additional event parking. 

Please note that PayByPhone mobile app and pay station pay-as-you-go daily maximums will not increase with expanded parking hours. The discounted daily parking rate for AU community members (with active myAU Portal login credentials) will remain at the existing rate of $6.75 ($0.75/hour for 9 hours), plus fees. Therefore, community members who already pay the daily rate from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. will not be charged extra for evening parking. 

As a reminder, students, faculty, and staff are required to park on campus for all university-related activities (e.g., work, classes, events, etc.). As part of our Campus Plan commitments with the District of Columbia government, community members are not permitted to park in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. The university enforces this parking requirement through ticketing.

We appreciate your support as we implement this new parking approach. We will work closely with university units in the weeks ahead to address and accommodate unique parking concerns (e.g., conference permits, weekend events, contract staff).

Please visit the Office of Parking & Commuter Services (OPCS) website periodically for all the latest information and FAQs.    

Sincerely, 
 

Bronté Burleigh-Jones 
CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer