Employees

Employee permits are valid for the entire academic year, Fall – Summer II.  

2023-2024 EMPLOYEE PERMIT APPLICATION INFORMATION

Online parking applications for the 2023-2024 academic year are now available. Please read below carefully because most current employees do not need to complete one.

For employees who currently have permits:

As communicated last year, we are not reassigning all employees at the start of each new academic year. Employees will continue to park in their current assigned locations, and any reassignments will be made through the wish list process. 

If you currently have a part-time PG permit, you will need to complete an employee parking application for 2023-2024.

If you do NOT want to retain your current parking permit after it expires on August 21, please return it to Campus Services HQ no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Permits not returned OR paid in full by August 22, 2023, will be automatically set up for payroll deductions beginning on August 23 with deductions beginning August 31.

Paying for Permits

If you used payroll deduction for your current year's permit:

You do not need to take any action, and you will not need to apply for a permit for the 2023-2024 academic year. You have been automatically reassigned to your current location. If you use payroll deduction, you do not have to do anything else to pay for your 2023-2024 permit. (Please refer to an email dated August 9, "Your parking permit auto-renewal" for more information.) 

If you paid in full for your current year's permit: 

If you wish to retain your current parking permit so that you may continue parking on campus beginning August 22, 2023, and you wish to pay for your permit using a credit/debit card as you did last year, please review the email dated August 14, 2023, "IMPORTANT! It's Time To Renew ..." for instructions to pay for your permit online no later than August 21, 2023. 

The only payment options available for permit renewal in the online payment portal are credit cards; payroll deduction is not an online payment option. If you wish to renew your permit by paying via payroll deduction instead of paying in full up front, reply to your August 14 email or email campusservices@cofc.edu.

For employees who do not currently have permits:

1. If you would like a regular permit for one of our surface lots or garages:

Please complete the employee parking application. Email the completed application to campusservices@cofc.edu. Permit availability is extremely limited, so be sure to include PG Garage or LK Lot among your four choices. Employees who have applied for permits for the 2023-2024 academic year and employees who are interested in obtaining a permit for the new academic year, can pick up their permits in person at Campus Services HQ (162 Calhoun St.) Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., on or after August 15, 2023. 

2. If you will not be on campus all five days of the work week and would like a part-time permit for PG:

Please complete the employee parking application for a part-time permit. Email the completed application to campusservices@cofc.edu.

All part-time permits will need to be picked up in person at Campus Services HQ (162 Calhoun St.) Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., on or after August 11, 2023. 

  • The price of the permit will depend on how many days per week the permit will be needed: 1 day per week = $150/annually; 2 days per week = $300/annually; 3 days per week = $450 annually; 4 days per week = $600 annually. Employees will have the option to pay in advance for their permits or to pay via payroll deduction.
  • Part-time permits will only be valid on the days of the week for which they are purchased. If you need to drive to campus on a day of the week for which your part-time permit is not valid, you will be expected to pay for your parking on that day. We offer a $10/day daily rate at PG Garage if you pay with Cougar Cash.
  • Regardless of how many days per week your part-time permit is valid, you will be able to use it at any time on Saturdays and Sundays.

Carpool Program

Employees wishing to participate in a carpool should complete one application for one participant and email the application to the Campus Services HQ. In that email, be sure to include the name of the other employee in the carpool. Once we have processed the application, we will contact both participants in the carpool to confirm the carpool and payment arrangements.

Evening And Weekend Parking

Any employee permit is valid in any faculty/staff surface lot (except WA Lot and B Lot) after 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day on weekends. We offer three different types of employee evening permits for employees who do not need parking during peak times:

  • PG Garage afternoon/evening permit: PRICE = $450 annually. This permit will be valid after 1:45 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, and is not valid in any other location.
  • Traditional evening permit for surface lots = PRICE = $125 annually. This permit is valid after 3 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends in any employee surface lot except for B Lot and WA Lot.
  • PG Garage evening permit: PRICE = $200. This permit will be valid after 4:45 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, and is not valid in any other location.

Wish List Instructions

If you would like to park in a different lot or garage than the one to which you are currently assigned and you have not already contacted us with your request, please email campusservices@cofc.edu with a list of your preferred parking location(s) and we will add your name to the wish list.

Wish list reassignments are based strictly upon seniority, which includes all years of state employment plus any temporary service time at the College of Charleston.

Wish list reassignments are made throughout the academic year any time spaces become available. When a space opens in a particular location, we check the wish list to see who is interested in moving to that location, and the employee with the most seniority on the wish list will be offered the available space.

Placing your name on the wish list is no guarantee that another space will become available for you, and especially not before the first day of classes.

ALTERNATE PARKING OPTIONS

CARTA Services

Service on CARTA Express is free to all College of Charleston faculty, staff, and students with a valid Cougar Card, and there is no charge for parking at the park and ride lots serviced by these buses. For more information please visit CARTA. Employees who use CARTA Express as their primary mode of transportation are entitled to up to three emergency rides home per year (reimbursable after the fact with proof of purchase). To take advantage of this service, you must be registered with Lowcountry Go. For more information and to register for this benefit, visit Ride Low Go.

Discounted Daily Garage Parking

Campus Services offers reduced-price garage parking for employees who only drive to campus occasionally. The reduced price of $10 per day will be valid on a first come, first served basis in the St. Philip (PG) Garage. To take advantage of this benefit, you will need to have a Cougar Cash account in order to pay to exit the garage. Simply pull a ticket when entering the garage, and then present the cashier with your ticket and your Cougar Card upon exit. The parking fee will be withdrawn from your Cougar Cash account and a receipt will be provided. *You must ensure that your Cougar Card balance is at least $10 before you exit the garage, because Cougar Cash must be the form of payment in order to take advantage of the discounted pricing.

If your visit to campus is brief and your parking fees for the day are less than $10, your Cougar Card will be charged the exact price owed. To inquire about adding funds to your Cougar Card, please visit Campus Services HQ or call the office at 843.953.1100. You may also find more information on the Cougar Card website. 

Please take note of the following guidelines and restrictions of the discounted daily garage parking program:

  • Your Cougar Card must bear the designation of “EMPLOYEE” or “FACULTY” (student or other Cougar Cards will not be accepted).
  • If you will be leaving campus later than 7 p.m. on weekdays or 5 p.m. on weekends, note that PG is not staffed 24/7. If you will be leaving campus late, we suggest that you step up to the cashier booth upon your arrival and speak to the cashier to make sure that they will still be on duty when you plan to exit the garage. We can only offer the benefit of the discounted daily rate if a cashier is in the booth to handle the transaction.
  • If you exit the garage and re-enter on the same day, you will be subject to paying up to $10 for each exit.
  • The discounted daily rate is intended for DAILY parking only, not long-term parking. If you park your vehicle in the garage and leave it there for more than one day, you will be charged $10 for the first day, and the daily rate (minimum $18) for any subsequent days.

Parking And Fees (Subject to Availability)

Core Surface Parking ($650/Year)

  • AD (next to the Addlestone Library)
  • B (south side of the Simons Center building) offline for 2021-2022 academic year
  • BS (behind 24 Bull St.)
  • CD (rear of 88 Wentworth St.)
  • EF (adjacent Central Energy)
  • GC (30 Coming St.)
  • GS (4, 14 and 22 Glebe St.)
  • GY (34 George St.)
  • I (114 Wentworth St.)
  • J (94 Wentworth St.)
  • JJ (14 Coming St.)
  • MC (270 Pitt St.)
  • PP (45 Coming St.)
  • R (9 Liberty St.)
  • RL (40 Coming St.)
  • WA (170 Calhoun St.)
  • Z (125 Bull St.)
  • W (298-300 Meeting St.)

Perimeter Surface Parking ($300/Year)

  • LK Lot (located behind 176 Lockwood Blvd.)

Core Garage Parking ($750/Year)

  • GG (George Garage)
  • PG (St. Philip St. Garage)

Perimeter Garage Parking ($600/Year)

  • AG (Aquarium Garage), fourth floor and above ONLY

Motorcycle/Moped Surface Parking ($175/Year)

  • Designated spaces in: PP lot (“MP”), the north side of Berry Residence Hall next to McAlister (“MM”), in the AD Lot near the Addlestone Library (“MA”), and in between Starbucks and the Treasurer's Office on Calhoun Street (“MW”).

Employee Handicapped-Accessible Parking ($300/Year)

  • Refer to parking map for locations.
  • You must have a state-issued handicap placard to purchase an HA Permit. If you apply for an HA permit, please bring your state-issued handicap placard to Campus Services HQ for verification.

Evening Parking ($125/Year)

  • Allows you to park in any core surface faculty/staff lot (except WA Lot and B Lot) after 3:00 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.

PG Evening Parking ($200/Year)

  • Valid in PG Garage ONLY after 4:45 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.  
  • This permit is not valid in any other location.

PG Afternoon/Evening Parking ($450/Year)

  • Valid in PG Garage ONLY after 1:45 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.  
  • This permit is not valid in any other location.

NOTE: AG and GG garage permits require a $20 refundable card deposit.

Payment of Fees

Employee parking fees can be paid using the payroll deduction method. Parking fees for temporary employees using the payroll deduction method will be deducted from the first twelve (12) paychecks for the academic year. Employees who park in AG or GG Garage and opt to use the payroll deduction method must pay the $20 refundable magnetic card deposit at Campus Services HQ at 162 Calhoun St. on or before payment deadline date. Parking fees can also be paid in full in advance at Campus Services HQ by check, cash, money order, and Master, Visa or Discover card.

Employees leaving the College prior to the end of the academic year must return their parking permits/garage cards to Campus Services HQ before leaving. Upon receipt of a returned permit/garage card, Campus Services will stop the employee's payroll deductions and/or issue a prorated refund.

Monthly Permits

Qualifying employees who wish to purchase permits on a monthly basis are able to do so. Eligible employees are:

  • Employees with the designation of “CONTRACTOR” on their Cougar Cards (Aramark, Barnes & Noble, etc.)
  • Temporary employees and adjunct instructors who prefer the monthly option over the annual option

Monthly permits will be available for PG Garage and will be priced as follows: 24/7 garage access permits for $65/month; permits valid after 1:45 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends for $40/month; and evening permits valid after 4:45 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends for $20/month. Monthly permits will also be available at the LK Lot (behind the College's office building at 176 Lockwood Blvd.) for $25/month. For further information on monthly permits, please contact Campus Services HQ by email or by calling 843.953.1100.

Accessible Parking

Employees who require accessible parking should complete an accessible parking permit application each year at Campus Services HQ. Please see the section regarding Accessible Parking for more information.