Campus Parking and Traffic Policy

Section: General Index: A-19

POLICY

The University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) has established this policy and associated procedures for the safety and security of the campus community as well as to manage limited parking resources for the benefit of all. All laws regulating traffic apply to the operation of vehicles within the property of the university. All university faculty, staff, and students on the Victoria campus must register their vehicles and properly display a valid parking permit.

Parking and traffic regulations are enforced by the Department of Business Services Parking Office who patrol campus parking lots. Citations will result in various Sanctions and Penalties, including warnings, fines, towing and financial stops on student accounts. Review the Common Parking and Traffic Violations section for more information on common violation, which may warrant a citation.

This policy establishes procedures specifically for the campus and student housing in Victoria. University employees and students conducting business at other off-campus sites, including The Victoria College, UHV-Katy, and all other UH System components are expected to comply with any parking and traffic policies at those locations.

PROCEDURE

Administration

Parking on the UHV campus is administered through the Parking Office located in the Department of Business Services, University West building, Suite 107C.

Parking related inquiries at The Victoria College (VC) shall be directed to VC’s College Central by calling (361) 485-6840.

Damages or Loss to Vehicles

The University of Houston-Victoria will make a reasonable effort to protect vehicles parked on the UHV campus by providing patrols of the parking lots. The university does not assume responsibility nor carry any insurance for damages or losses to vehicles or personal property. In the event of a theft or accident, drivers are strongly encouraged to immediately file a police report with UHPD Campus Police and Security (Campus Police) or the City of Victoria Police Department (VPD) and to report the incident to Campus Security, (361) 570-4357 or email securityofficer@uhv.edu.

Where to Park on the UHV Campus

Please refer to the Victoria campus map for the location of UHV and VC parking lots. Parking in Lot “S” on the UHV campus is shared with The Victoria College. Parking and traffic regulations in Parking Lot “S” are enforced by the Parking Office and The Victoria College Campus Police and Security.

Students

Must properly display a valid hanging parking permit to park a vehicle on the UHV campus.
May park in any student designated lot/space except for residential spaces. Residential spaces are only permitted for residential students.
May park in “white curb” reserved spaces or reserved lots ONLY if the space or lot is clearly marked as being unreserved for portions of each day and the student is parking during the unreserved time. (Example: Parking in reserved space at 6:30 p.m. is allowed when space indicates reserved parking from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 pm.).
Are responsible for adhering to A-19, Campus Parking and Traffic Policy regulation.
Failure to have knowledge of the regulations will not be considered a valid appeal for a vehicle violation.

UHV Employees

Must properly display a valid hanging parking permit to park a vehicle on the UHV campus.
May park in the lot or lots associated with their parking permit.
With a reserved parking tag may park in any UHV reserved lot or space.
May park in the shared UHV/VC parking lot “S” directly north of the University West building with any valid permit.
UHV-Katy employees should park in parking lot “S”.

Employees from other UHS Components

Parking permits from other University of Houston components will be honored.
May park in parking lot “T”, Special Events Parking, except for reserved parking spaces located on the first row facing the North Building.

Alumni or Students from other UHS Components

Alumni or students from other UHS components may park in the following areas:

Visitor marked space, Lot "T", or Special Events Parking without a parking permit with the exception of reserved spaces located on the first row facing the North Building.

Campus Visitors

A campus visitor is defined as an individual who is not a student or employee of UHV or VC. Visitors include prospective students, guests, and persons from other UHS components, vendors and the general public. Visitors may park in the following areas:

Visitor marked space, Lot "T", or Special Events Parking without a parking permit with the exception of reserved spaces located on the first row facing the North Building.

Permits

University faculty, staff, and students on the Victoria campus must register their vehicles and properly display a valid hanging parking permit. Vehicles are not considered registered until parking permits are properly displayed. A parking permit does not guarantee a parking space but allows an individual to park if space is available.

Before a permit can be issued, employees will be required to:

Clear any outstanding parking/traffic fines
Provide license plate number and year/model/make and color of each vehicle for identification purposes.
Pay parking permit fee.

To request a permit, with the exception of residence hall parking permits, apply online by completing an Employee Parking Permit form or requesting a permit in person in the Parking Office, Department of Business Services, University West building, Suite 107C.

Permit Placement

It is the permit holder's responsibility to display valid parking permits properly at all times while parked on campus.

Permits may be displayed in any of the following locations:

Hanging Permits must be clearly visible and hung from the inside rearview mirror of the vehicle when parked on campus. If no rearview mirror post is available, or if the tint or rearview mirror does not allow for a clear view of the hang tag, the permit should be taped to the windshield in the lower left hand corner so that it is clearly visible from outside the vehicle. “Clearly Visible” is defined as being able to easily see the permit’s issuing authority and serial number while standing at the front of the vehicle and looking through the front windshield.
Externally mounted permits shall be issued for all non-motorized vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, and motor scooters. These permits should be placed in a conspicuous location on the vehicle as close to the license plate as possible in such a way that it can be easily read.

Types of Permits Issued

Types of permits include:

Employee Reserved Parking Permit – Issued on a first come first served basis to benefit eligible UHV employees first, full-time then part-time. As space permits, non-benefit eligible employees may purchase reserved parking, unless noted otherwise below. Allows employee to park in any reserved lot or space on the UHV campus.
Employee Non-Reserved Parking Permit – Issued to all faculty, staff, and part-time employees not selecting reserved parking.
Student Housing Parking Permit – Issued to UHV students who are residing at a residence hall and may only be used in designated residential lots. Residence hall student parking permits are issued through the Department of Business Services, University West building, Suite 107C.
Commuter Student Parking Permit – Issued to non-residential UHV students and may be used in all non-resident student parking areas. May not be used to park in residential student lots.
Temporary Parking Permit – Temporary parking permits may be issued to:

Employees driving a loaner or rental vehicle. A temporary permit will entitle employees to park in their normal designated parking areas.
Campus visitors who will be on site longer than one (1) hour and to construction/service providers working on campus. A temporary permit will entitle campus visitors and construction/service providers to park in areas designated by the permit approver.
Issued in the Parking Office located in the Department of Business Services.

Disabled Parking Permit - UHV, as a state institution, follows the same guidelines as the State of Texas. For individuals with disabilities, application must be made through the individual's local tax assessor office for the specially designated state license plate or hanger, which displays the disabled symbol recognized throughout the State. Disabled parking permits must be prominently displayed. The disabled parking permit and employee vehicle must be also be registered with the Department of Business Services. The disabled permit must match employee’s full name. Use of a disabled parking permit not in the employee’s name is a violation of policy and subject to a fine.

Common Parking and Traffic Violations

At each campus location, rules, regulations and violations may vary. It is the driver's responsibility to be aware of each campuses parking and traffic regulations. Citations will be issued for parking in Fire Zone spaces, Handicap Parking spaces, or parking in Reserved spaces during restricted times. Additionally, citations will be issued for obstructing walkways or traffic flow, failing to stop at stop signs, failure to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and unsafe driving or activity which endangers others.

Common violations at the UHV campus include:

Expired parking permit
No permit, or permit improperly displayed or hidden from view
Unauthorized parking in restricted areas including:

Reserved (white curb) areas or Reserved Lots Q and U
Disabled (if not displaying State-recognized permit or license plate)
Disabled (if permit does not match UHV employee’s full name)
Fire Zone (red curb) or by a Fire Hydrant
Sidewalks, grassy or other non-designated parking

Failure to stop at a stop sign.
Failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
Excessive speed. The campus speed limit is 20 mph.
Improper parking, not parked correctly in designated parking space.

Reporting Parking Violations

Parking enforcement monitors all parking areas on a regular basis. The monitoring process is not continuous and parking violations can occur between patrols. If you see a parking violation of sufficient/significant magnitude that it needs to be quickly addressed, contact the Parking Office at extension 4858 [(361) 570-4858].

Sanctions and Penalties

Per the Texas Education Code, it is prohibited for any person to park a vehicle on an institution of higher education except in a manner designed by the institution and in the spaces marked. Additionally, the university has authority to bar or suspend driving or parking privileges for rule violations.

Fines - Traffic or parking citations may be cleared by paying a fine or successfully appealing the fine. The schedule of fines is based upon violations received each academic year (September 1st through August 31st) and is as follows:

Fines for UHV Campus:

Violation	Fine Amount
Traffic or parking warning citation	No Fine
Parking in a Lot without proper permit	$35
Parking in Reserved Lot without valid permit	$50
Obstructing a walkway or traffic flow	$50
Permit not properly displayed	$35
Permit expired/No valid permit	$50
Parking in handicapped space without properly licensed and displayed permit	$100 First violation $200 Second violation
Using a handicap tag not issued to the employee by the State or County	$250
Parking in fire lane	$100
Other violations listed on citation	$50

Vehicles parked on the UHV campus in reserved spaces (including handicap, etc.) without a current decal will be identified through the Texas Department of Public Safety for ownership name and address. The cost of this additional step may be added to the parking violation charge.

Financial Stops - Students - Upon receipt of a parking violation, the Department of Business Services will place financial stops on the students’ account records through the Student Billing Office for the violation. This action will cause future registration, transcript requests and other privileges to be denied pending payment of the fine or a successful appeal of the violation.

Suspension of Parking Privileges - Any individual receiving excessive parking and traffic citations, regardless of paid status, during an academic year (Fall through Summer) is subject to having UHV campus parking privileges suspended for a minimum of 30 days and up to the remainder of the academic year. The Parking Office will determine excessive citations based on the frequency and severity of parking and traffic violations.

Unpaid Fines – Employees - Prior to the end of each fiscal year, employees with outstanding violations may be notified by the Department of Business Services. If an employee does not pay, the cabinet-level supervisor will be informed. Non-payment may result in disciplinary action or other sanctions.

Towing - Vehicles of students and employees may be towed. Costs of towing and storage are the responsibility of the owner of the towed vehicle. The owner will also be responsible for any towing company response fee in the event that a tow truck has been dispatched, even if the vehicle has been removed by the driver prior to the response. The Security Office 361-570-4357 may be contacted for the name and telephone number of the towing company and location of the storage yard for vehicles towed.

As a matter of practice, the university will always attempt to contact the permit holder before towing. However, the university has the right to tow any vehicle without prior notification.

Reasons for towing include:

The vehicle is parked or left unattended in any location that blocks or impedes traffic or causes other safety hazards;
The vehicle has significant leakage of oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze or fuel spilling onto the grounds;
The vehicle is abandoned or inoperable. Abandoned or inoperable vehicles are defined here as permitted or non-permitted vehicles left on campus more than 72 hours without prior notification to Campus Police;
The vehicle has four or more outstanding parking violations.

Where to Pay Fines

UHV Fines – Fines must be paid to the UHV Cashier located in Student Billing - Cashier, University West building. Fines may also be paid by mail by sending payment and a copy of the ticket to:

University of Houston-Victoria

Student Billing – Cashier

3007 N. Ben Wilson

Victoria, Texas 77901-5731

VC Fines – Fines must be paid through VC’s College Central, which is located in the Administration I Building. Fines can also be paid by mail by sending payment and a copy of the ticket to:

The Victoria College

Payment Office

2200 E. Red River

Victoria, Texas 77901

Parking Appeal Procedures

Students or employees who receive a parking violation on the UHV campus have 30 calendar days from the citation date to appeal. Your right to appeal is lost after 30 days. Appeals submitted after 30 days will not be accepted. If appealing, do not pay the fine until your appeal has been considered.

Appeal procedures apply to students and employees. (*)
For students, a financial stop will be placed on the student’s record and remain until the issue is resolved.
To complete an appeal, click this eForms link and follow the instructions to complete the appeal. You may choose to mail supporting documents or submit your documents electronically to the Parking Office within 30 calendar days of the citation.
Additional documentation may be requested depending upon the nature of the appeal. Your appeal will not be considered until all required documentation is submitted.
The Parking Appeals Committee will review appeals and notify the appropriate parties. If the appeal is not upheld, the fine must be paid.
All committee decisions are final.

(*) NOTE: Citations issued in error by the university may be voided at the discretion of the Parking Office.

Special Events Parking

Parking spaces for both employees and students are limited throughout the campus, especially at peak class load times. Parking Lot "T", at the east entrance and abutting Ben Wilson St., is mostly unreserved and available for special events, school buses, employees and students. No parking permit, either regular or temporary is required with the exception of reserved spaces. All special events sponsors should provide event visitors with a copy of a campus map and directions to designated parking lot(s).

If the special event requires the blocking of spaces in a parking lot, a notice shall be sent to all UHV campus employees before the event. The notice will include the identification of the lot, hours to be blocked, and suggest an alternative lot for employee parking.

The use of reserved lots or spaces for university functions should be limited to infrequent functions that involve external representatives who contribute considerable time, effort and resources on behalf of the university.

Current campus parking areas are readily accessible to primary facilities with short walking distances involved. With few exceptions, visitors should routinely be directed to Parking Lot "T" where no permit is required, with the exception of reserved spaces, for such purposes. Guests with disabilities should be directed to the closest handicapped accessible parking.

Use of reserved parking is authorized for visitors and functions including but not limited to the following persons or events:

Regents (current and former)
UHS Chancellor and Vice Chancellors
Any UH Component President
State Elected Officials
Board of Regents Meetings
Quarterly President’s Regional Advisory Board Meetings

Special reservation of reserved lots or spaces is an exception approved by the President or a Vice-President.

When possible, arrangements should be made so that spaces are only reserved for the time needed. When an attendant is required, it will be sufficient for the attendant to be on hand for no more than 30 minutes before and after the event.

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS

Any questions and/or comments regarding this policy should be directed to the Business Services Department.

APPROVAL

Electronic Approval On File

Robert K. Glenn, Ph.D., President

August 19, 2020

Approval Date

Next Review Date: August 2023

Origination: Business Services