Why We Charge for Parking
Texas law prohibits state universities from using state or university funds for any parking operations, which necessitates that PTS operates on a totally self-funded basis. All construction, operations, maintenance, enforcement, and administrative expenses must be financed through revenue generated by the sale of permits, meter use, garage daily parking fees, event parking, and fees collected from enforcement. University faculty, staff, and students pay for the privilege of parking on campus and safeguarding this privilege is a legitimate and important responsibility of PTS.
Our campus is very large, and parking spaces are an extremely limited commodity for the thousands of daily employees, students, and visitors. Many faculty, researchers, staff members, and students routinely visit our campus both throughout the week and on weekends; therefore, parking regulations must be enforced on a year-round basis. We regret we are not in a position to offer free parking to those visiting our campus throughout the year; however, visitors are encouraged to utilize any of our eleven pay-by-the-hour parking garages located around the perimeters of campus.
Camp and Conference Parking
Streets and Surface Parking Lots
Streets and surface parking lots require a university permit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Parking in these locations, even for a short period of time, may result in a citation.
Garages
Most summer camps and conferences are housed in Jester Center. The parking for this location is Brazos Garage (BRG). This garage is accessed from Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) Blvd and is directly across from Jester. With over 1500 parking spaces, it offers plentiful parking at a very convenient location for both camp drop-offs and pick-ups. See rates.
For those with a vehicle, this garage also offers long-term parking with 24/7 access. Often camps and conferences arrange long-term parking rates for attendees and we encourage you to check with your sponsor to see what type of parking rate might be available for your group. If you are unsure where to park, please utilize one of our garages to ensure you are not cited. If you are housed or will meet somewhere other than the Jester area, please refer to our Visitor Map or Garage Maps to find the closest garage.
Sponsor-Arranged Parking
For some occasions, the sponsor of a group may arrange parking in alternative locations outside the garage. If you receive written information from your sponsor that outlines parking in some area other than a garage, please carefully follow the written instructions you are sent to ensure that you are parked in the correct location. All parking outside of a garage must come in official written form from your official group sponsor and that information must come after a coordinated effort with Parking & Transportation Services. Verbal instructions will not be honored.
Be safe, enjoy your stay, park in a garage or in the specific location outlined in your official written instructions, and you will avoid citations. For more parking tips, check out our Parking 101 guide (PDF).