Welcome to Parking and Transit Services
To all visitors, alumni, students, faculty and staff, we are pleased to have you on our campus! Parking and Transit Services is an auxiliary service within the Office of Finance and Administration that supports the university’s vision, strategies and goals by providing customer service with professionalism, accountability and integrity.
The department is responsible for overseeing multiple aspects of traffic and parking for USM campuses, including control, enforcement, and coordinated maintenance of parking areas. The department seeks out partnerships to provide various forms of transportation services. Other responsibilities include the main entrance information booth, metered parking, and vehicle identification.
***If you are a student or faculty/staff, please log in to the parking portal using your SOAR credentials. DO NOT create a guest account if your login fails! Contact the parking office for assistance.
Online Permit Registration Portal
***If you experience any issues purchasing a virtual permit or paying a citation, please email parkingFREEMississippi and be sure to include your ID number and description of the issue.
2022 MHSAA Football Championship Games
December 2nd and 3rd will bring high school championship football to USM's campus. The campus community should be aware of the additional visitors and traffic on campus for these events and plan accordingly. MHSAA Football Parking Map
Fall 2022 Permit Registration
Previous permits expired July 31, 2022. For returning faculty and staff, new permits are available to be purchased. For students enrolled in the fall 2022 semester, you should now be able to purchase a semester or academic year permit.
You must have a current, valid permit and registered license plate to park on university
property! We will have a grace period through August 14 to allow plenty of time to
purchase a permit and register your vehicle(s).
If you are on campus, please park in designated zones based on your classification
(faculty/staff, resident, commuter, fraternity, sorority, etc.) and register your
vehicle(s) as soon as possible to avoid fines and having your vehicle booted or towed!
DO NOT PARK IN HANDICAP OR RESERVED SPACES UNLESS YOU HAVE VALID PERMISSION/REGISTRATION
(IN YOUR NAME) TO DO SO ($200 citation plus $100 if towed!)
Email parkingFREEMississippi if you have any questions.
Parking 101
- Purchase a permit and register your vehicle's license plate.
- Review the parking zone map and park in your zone.
- Pay attention to parking signs and restrictions (ie. Reserved Parking, Service Zones, Visitor Parking, Fire Lanes, etc...).
- Do not ignore citations! Contact the Parking & Transit Services team if you have any questions about a citation you received.
Parking Updates and Reminders
- 2022-2023 parking rules and regulations are in effect beginning August 1, 2022. ALL lots with zone restrictions (i.e. Commuter, Residential, Village and Fraternity) will be enforced for valid parking permits. Do not ignore citations or warning cards!
- The Thad Cochran Center parking lot has designated Faculty/Staff spaces next to Chain Technology building and other spaces for Open Zone (excluding reserved spaces). The entire lot may be reserved for special events at any given time, and advanced notice will be given when possible.
- Metered parking and Pay to Park is active for short-term parking. The meter or mobile fee must be paid or you will be issued a citation for expired meter.
- Verify your handicap accommodations are registered with your permit and visibly displayed if you utilize handicap parking spaces.
- Parking in reserved spaces or on the University grounds without proper permissions is prohibited and will result in your vehicle being booted or towed.
Did you Know? Multiple Vehicles
You can have up to four vehicles listed on your virtual permit (only one at a time can be parked on campus). If you find yourself needing to drive a different vehicle, log in to the parking portal and add that vehicle's make/model/license plate to your permit and you are good to go!
If you get a new vehicle and do not have a license plate yet, add the last eight digits of the VIN as your plate number. BUT remember to go back and add your vehicle with license plate when you get it! We do not run the VIN once the vehicle has a license plate!