General
All parking restrictions and regulations are enforced 24/7, including reserved and departmental spaces, service spaces, ADA/accessible spaces, load zones and no parking areas, and safety areas (fire lanes, crosswalks, etc.). Resident lot permit requirements are enforced 24/7. Commuter and faculty/staff lot permit requirements are enforced from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Visitor lot and metered hourly areas are enforced seven days, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (some campus metered hourly areas not within visitor lots are enforced 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday). The winter parking ban restricts parking in most lots from midnight to 6 a.m., from Dec. 1 to April 1.
UNH sets and observes its own list of university holidays. On UNH holidays, most offices are closed so permit requirements in commuter and faculty/staff lots are suspended and parking in metered areas is free. However, all other regulations, including permit requirements in resident lots, remain in effect.
Non-Holidays: Please note that there are some named holidays, e.g. Presidents Day, that are not university holidays and so are treated like regular days. UNH also sometimes schedules no classes on certain weekdays (e.g., mid-semester break/Columbus Day or Thanksgiving Wednesday), which are also not UNH holidays, and thus treated like regular days. Please also note that ordinary days during the winter, spring and summer break periods are not holidays, and are treated like regular days.
While convenient parking can be scarce, there is sufficient parking for day-to-day operations. Some of it is just further away.
UNH can’t put signs to cover every possible situation. Refer to the parking manual or contact the parking office.
Payment is due within 14 days to avoid a late fee. Appeals may be made within 10 days. Both can be done online.
For students, unpaid amounts are reported to the Business Office and result in a “hold” on your account, which could interfere with enrollment, grades, or transcripts. For employees, unpaid tickets will prevent you from renewing your permit. Additionally risks include credit reporting, further fines, towing, immobilization or other collection measures.
Release of vehicles held for fines requires confirmation of full payment of the amount due. Learn how to recover a towed vehicle.
The winter parking ban (WPB) regulates seasonal after-midnight parking use, for more information please see the winter parking ban page.
Yes, there are more than 170 accessible spaces on campus. A state-issued permit or placard and a UNH-issued permit are required. Learn more about ADA/Accessible parking on campus.
Yes, Wildcat Transit serves the greater Seacoast area and the Campus Connector serves the UNH campus.
Permits or hourly metered sessions are required for all parking areas, excluding timed loading zones, or when parked after 6 p.m. in faculty/staff or commuter lots. Areas not requiring a permit are still covered by other restrictions, e.g. time limits, winter parking ban, etc.
Yes, motorcycles and mopeds require permits. No: bicycles. Permits are issued from the parking office.
Yes, unless parked in a faculty/staff or commuter lot after 6 p.m. Students and employees may obtain guest permits in advance with license plate number.
Eligible students and employees may purchase permits from UNH Transportation. Visitors may purchase “pay & display” permits from kiosks located throughout campus. Special event permits may be issued through event organizers.
You must pick up a free temporary permit from the parking office during office hours. If you know you’ll be bringing another vehicle, you may obtain your permit in advance. You need to know you license plate number.
It depends on your circumstances. Contact the parking office.
Come to the parking office and fill out a lost/stolen permit form. A replacement permit is $20.
No. A parking permit is like a driver’s license, and can only be used by the person who obtained it.
Call the parking office to update your information, or submit this update form.
Loading zones are available throughout campus on a limited time basis and do not require a permit.
Parking further away from your destination may be necessary during peak demand periods. The Campus Connector can bring you back to campus from the perimeter lots.
Statements sent from Transportation Services are reminders of unpaid parking tickets. The tickets are the actual bills. Statements may be sent via e-mail or regular mail.
Vehicles are linked to individual permit registrations, ticket appeals or license plates.
It’s possible that the person receiving the statement is not the person who was operating the vehicle when it was ticketed.
Sometimes it takes time identify an owner and/or accurate billing address. Again, the ticket is the bill. Not getting a prompt reminder does not excuse the ticket.
It can. Unidentified plates are not traced immediately after a ticket is issued on the chance that the ticket will get paid without a trace. Plates sent to out-of-state motor vehicle departments can take several weeks to return. Sometimes a department of motor vehicle response requires additional investigation to form an association with an owner.
Tickets are placed under driver-side windshield wipers, but we have no way to ensure the ticket is picked up by the driver. No enforcement agency can accept “I never got the ticket” as an excuse to get out of paying.
Not agreeing with the regulations or enforcement policy does not mitigate the violation. UNH provides a 10-day opportunity to contest a ticket for an enforcement error or an extreme extenuating circumstance.
The payment options are presented on the statement. Paying online is the fastest method.
Students
Approved permits are shipped from our vendor using US Mail to whatever address you assigned in your order; UNH Parking has no way of tracking a delivery once it's in the mail. You can access your account at ThePermitStore.com to double-check which delivery address was used. Please check for your permit at that address. While waiting, you might have to use the temporary permit that was emailed to you at the conclusion of your order. If the permit has not caught up to you by the time the temp permit is about to expire, come to the Parking Office (MUB 211) to inquire about a replacement. Replacements will not be mailed out.
Due to space limitations, not everybody who needs a permit is able to get one. While we receive many appeals citing urgent need, unfortunately we cannot offer a permit nor a priority over others with similarly urgent needs. We also have no information about current availability at off-campus/private options.
Wait-list selections are made by lottery, not in the order they were entered. So your position on the list relative to others will not matter. Offers are made if/when someone else cancels or forfeits their permit*. We have no way of knowing if, when, or how many spaces will open in this way, so cannot give "odds". Unless/until you are made an offer, you should plan on not bringing a car to campus. (*There is generally more vacancies created at the conclusion of the fall semester.)
This is usually because you have more than one account at the vendor site (e.g. one from last year, another from this year) and may be accessing the wrong account. As long as you have your decal, you don't really need to activate the permit.
Yes, pay-per-day temps are available at the parking portal. HOWEVER these permits are limited and subject to sell out, so should not be relied upon as a means of keeping a car on campus until a regular permit space opens up.
Yes, the refund policy allows for limited partial refunds for early termination of a permit. However, since refund requests trigger a cancellation of the permit, you don't want to request the refund until you're done with the permit (but before deadlines). Refunds should not be requested "in advance".
'26-'27 LOTTERY ENROLLMENT DATES: June 1 8:00AM EST - June 14, 11:59PM EST.
There is no advantage to entering the lottery early, so long as it is before the deadline.
Resident parking permits are issued by lottery, not on a first-come-first-served basis. This applies to:
- Gables
- Woodside
- Strafford
- Resident East
- Resident West
- Non-Resident (Storage)
Commuter, moped, and motorcycle permits will NOT be sold by lottery; see question 10, below.
In past years, the rush to secure permits meant that permits were gone in an instant, preventing many--including even the most proactive and prompt applicants who logged in at the start of sales--from having a chance at a permit. The lottery system gives everyone a fair, orderly enrollment period and helps keep the system equitable. This lottery process does not decrease the chances of getting a permit, it only improves the process.
Parking permits have not been distributed based on seniority for several years, due to the sophomore residency requirement and the goal of providing equal opportunity regardless of class standing or individual circumstances. Sophomores are required to live on campus, and giving them last priority would penalize them for something out of their control. The lottery ensures equal access for all eligible residents. This is unchanged from the past several years.
We understand that many students have important responsibilities off campus. However, we receive too many exception requests to fairly evaluate each one, and we do not have the capacity to review supporting documentation or verify individual circumstances. To keep the process equitable and manageable, we do not offer exceptions based on work, family, or personal commitments. Please note that this also is the same as it was last year, and not a new change in procedure.
- To be eligible for a Strafford permit, you must reside in a residence hall NORTH of Main Street, Durham (Congreve, Lord, Jesse Doe, Adams Tower, Stoke, Sawyer, Scott), sophomore or above.
- To be eligible for a Resident East permit, you must reside in a residence hall SOUTH of Main Street, Durham (Hetzel, Alexander, Mills, Devine, Engelhardt, Hunter, Gibbs, Hitchcock, Randall, Babcock, Hubbard, Christensen, Williamson, Hall, Eaton, Richardson, Marston, Haaland, Peterson, Handler) sophomore or above.
- Gables & Woodside permits require Gables & Woodside residency, respectively
- Resident West permits require residency at any campus residence hall/complex, sophomore or above.
- Those residing in private off-campus apartments, fraternities, sororities, etc. are eligible for Non-Resident (storage) permits only.
'26-'27 Lottery enrollment dates: June 1, 8:00AM EST - June 14, 11:59PM EST.
Important: There is no advantage to enrolling early—just be sure to enroll before the deadline.
- During the enrollment period, visit: www.unh.edu/parking
- Review your eligibility and available permit types
- Click through to The Permit Store to enroll
Campus residents, sophomore and above, may enroll in:
- One core lottery (Gables, Woodside, Strafford, or Resident East)
- AND the Resident West lottery
Off-campus students, sophomore and above, may enroll only in the Non-Resident storage lottery.
- Your order for a resident permit will be marked “pending”.
- If selected, you’ll receive an email the week of TBA.
- Your order will be completed, decal mailed, and the fee posted to your student account.
- If not selected, you’ll be notified and given information on joining the waitlist, which is also lottery-based.
No. If you are not selected, your order will be canceled and no charges will be posted.
June 1, 8AM. These permits do not sell out, and no lottery is needed. Following the starting date, apply anytime over the summer.
- Go to www.unh.edu/parking
- Review eligibility and proceed to The Permit Store
- Orders may be approved immediately or after manual review (check your email for updates)
All outstanding parking tickets must be paid prior to applying for a parking permit or lottery enrollment. Unpaid parking tickets at the time of application will result in the denial of the parking permit application.
Once approved, your permit fee will be charged to your student account.
Decals will begin shipping on or after July 1. A temporary permit will be emailed upon approval so you can park until your decal arrives.
Yes, although there is a limited window at the end of the fall semester to request a partial refund. If you plan to be away spring semester, please wait until December to submit your request.
Call 603-862-1010 or visit UNH Parking Home
