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Parking Information for Employees

SMU provides faculty and staff with parking options across campus. Employees who park on campus must have a valid parking permit and park in the employee parking area assigned to their permit. SMU uses License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology in lieu of physical stickers or tags. LPR uses optical character recognition to automatically read license plate characters.

Use the information below to purchase or manage your permit, find your assigned parking area, request a different parking assignment and learn more about employee parking at SMU.

Getting a Parking Permit

Benefits-eligible faculty and staff can purchase and manage their parking permits through the SMU Parking Portal. Your SMU NetID and password are required to access the portal.

Through the Parking Portal, you can:

• Purchase and manage your parking permit
• Add or update vehicle and license plate information
• View your current parking assignment
• Join or manage parking reassignment waitlists
• Appeal a parking citation

Parking permit and citation fees are posted to your my.SMU financial account rather than paid through the Parking Portal.

Keep Your Vehicle Information Current

SMU uses license plate recognition to verify virtual parking permits. The license plate of the vehicle you are driving must be associated with your permit.

If you drive a different vehicle or use a loaner vehicle, update your vehicle information in the Parking Portal before parking on campus.

 

Where Employees Can Park

Benefits-eligible faculty and staff with valid parking permits are assigned to a specific employee parking center or surface lot based on availability.

Employee parking areas are identified in blue on the campus parking map and by signage at the entrances to parking lots and within parking centers.

Your Parking Assignment

Your virtual permit identifies your assigned employee parking area. Employee permits begin with "E", followed by the letter corresponding to the assigned parking location and a unique permit number.

Employees should park in the location assigned to their permit. An employee permit does not provide access to all employee parking areas.

If Your Assigned Area Is Full

Overflow parking for employees with valid permits is available in the W4 Lot. The SMU Express shuttle provides transportation between the area east of U.S. 75 and the main campus.

Where Employee Permits Are Not Valid

Unless otherwise posted, employee permits should not be used in:

• Employee parking areas other than your assigned location
• Student residential parking areas
• Visitor parking areas, including visitor levels of parking centers
• Reserved spaces
• Bishop Boulevard

Always follow posted parking signs and markings, as additional restrictions may apply.

 

Parking Rates and Permit Renewal

The annual parking rate for benefits-eligible faculty and staff is $430.

Employees enrolled in payroll deduction do not need to purchase a new permit each year. Permits are renewed automatically in August for the upcoming academic year, and payroll deductions continue unless you cancel your parking participation.

Employee permits are valid for the academic year and expire August 1.

Discounted Parking Option

Eligible employees whose primary work location is on main campus may choose the W3/W6 discounted parking option instead. The annual rate is $215, compared with $430 for a standard employee permit.

The W3 and W6 lots are located east of U.S. 75 and are served by the SMU Express shuttle, providing transportation to and from campus throughout the day.

Changing Your Parking Assignment

Employees who would prefer a different parking location may join reassignment waitlists for up to two parking locations through the SMU Parking Portal.

To manage your waitlists:

1. Log in to the SMU Parking Portal.
2. Select Add/Edit Wait Lists.
3. Select up to two preferred parking locations.

Each parking location has its own waitlist. Waitlists are managed on a first-come, first-served basis according to the date and time you joined that specific waitlist.

When space becomes available, an assignment is offered to the employee who has been on that location's waitlist the longest.

To provide a consistent process for all employees, waitlist positions are not adjusted based on department, title, seniority or years of employment.

Adjunct Faculty Parking

Adjunct faculty parking permits are purchased by semester and expire at the end of each semester. Adjunct faculty are assigned to an available employee parking location after purchasing a permit, typically within a few days.

Adjunct faculty should park only in the employee parking location assigned to their permit. If an assigned area is full, overflow parking is available in the W3 or W6 Lots with access to the SMU Express shuttle.