In order to enforce parking regulations and conditions, the Office of Parking and Commuter Services is authorized to issue citations, immobilize vehicles, confiscate (bicycles or dockless vehicles), pursue collections, or tow - at the owner's expense - any vehicle that is in violation of the established rules and regulations. In addition, the Office of Parking and Commuter Services may relocate a vehicle if necessary if there is no response to a request to move it.

Equipment utilized in parking and traffic regulation and enforcement is University property. Vandalizing or destroying Pay-As-You-Go machines, vehicle immobilization devices, signs and markings, and/or citations are strictly prohibited.

Citations are issued to vehicles, not vehicle operators. Citations issued to vehicles remain a valid and binding fine, regardless of the vehicle operator. The registered owner of a vehicle is considered fully responsible for all citations issued to their vehicle, regardless of the vehicle operator at the time of citation issuance. Fines accrued by violating the parking policy constitute a lasting financial obligation to the University by the violator until such time as the citations are paid. Fines are charged in a tiered manner (see the Addendum on Citation Fines). A citation which has not been paid or appealed is considered an “open” citation. A penalty is applied to all citations which are not paid or appealed within 30 calendar days. Appeals received after 30 calendar days will not be considered. Additional penalties are assessed at the 60 and 90-day mark if the citation remains unsettled.

Additionally, according to the DC Government Zoning Order that authorizes and governs AU’s Campus Plan: AU shall continue its Good Neighbor Policy of enforcing the requirement that students, faculty, staff, and vendors of AU and Washington College of Law (WCL) will not park off campus on neighborhood streets. AU will adopt higher fines for repeat offenders, and WCL members are now subject to “administrative penalties, up to and including Honor Code violations and/or disciplinary action” for failure to abide by AU’s “good neighbor” program. Additionally, AU will prohibit registration, receipt of grades, and graduation for any student with any outstanding unpaid or uncontested violations. Effective with the opening of the Washington College of Law-Tenley Campus, upon a third parking violation and any subsequent violations within a 12-month period, AU shall issue an “Admonition,” as defined in the Honor Code, subject to the students’ rights to due process. AU will amend its parking policy to specify that Admonitions will be issued upon proven third or further parking violations, and that students with multiple parking violations may be subject to any further sanctions permitted by the Honor Code that the Honor Code Committee may decide to impose. AU will also amend its parking policy to make clear that students are expected to obey District of Columbia parking regulations as well as AU regulations. 

Collections

Citations remaining open in excess of 60 calendar days are subject to referral to a collection agency. These notices are sent to the vehicle’s registered owner as reported by the applicable state’s department of motor vehicles.

Students with unpaid tickets in excess of 90 days are liable to have a hold placed on their student account.

Failure to comply with collections notices may result in the initiation of legal action against the violator.

Vehicles with $300 or more in outstanding fines or three (3) or more open citations past 30 calendar days are subject to vehicle immobilization via the application of a vehicle immobilization device: a “boot.” American University assumes no liability during the application or removal of the boot. Once a vehicle is immobilized, the boot will only be removed after all open citations have been paid.

Vehicles issued any of the following citations may be subject to immobilization, and individuals found to have caused, committed, or benefited from the below infractions may be subject to University Police investigation, and referral to Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services, Employee Relations, or the Office of the Provost as appropriate:

• Displaying, Manufacturing or Possessing a Stolen or Fraudulent Permit,
• Providing false vehicle registration information,
• More than one vehicle per registrant on campus at the same time,
• Obscuring or removing license plate.

After a vehicle remains booted in excess of 30 calendar days without the vehicle owner contacting the Office of Parking and Commuter Services, the vehicle is considered abandoned and subject to the following:

• The vehicle may be investigated and/or ticketed by the District of Columbia.
• The vehicle may be towed and impounded by the District of Columbia.
• The vehicle may be towed by a contractor at the University’s discretion.
  • The University assumes no liability for impoundment or impounded vehicles. 
  • At the time of impoundment, the vehicle owner is responsible for payment of all impoundments, storage, and disposal fees assessed by the towing company.
  • Once impounded by a private contractor, the vehicle owner has 30 days to pay the contractor before the vehicle is disposed of by the contractor.