Campus Parking

Virtual Permits

PURCHASE DAILY VIRTUAL PARKING PERMITS

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

• What is Virtual Permitting?
  With Virtual Permitting at the District Offices, Orange Coast College, Golden West College, and Coastline College, physical parking permits will no longer be issued. Instead, parkers will register their vehicle and license plate number when purchasing their permits. We will then use that plate number as your permit number. This system will make parking on campus easier, reduce the amount of waste from physical permits, and will be more efficient for everyone on campus.​
• How will Virtual Permitting work?

  Our Virtual Permitting​ System uses License Plate Recognition (LPR) software to create and verify virtual permits.​

• How does LPR work?

  When purchasing a permit, the parker registers their license plate and vehicle information into the online parking system. The LPR software then combines this information with the individual's payment and generates a virtual permit linked to that vehicle's license plate number.​ 

  IMPORTANT REMINDER:  The LPR system relies on a license plate for permit verification. Please ensure correct license plate information is provided in order to avoid a parking violation.

• What will I like about Virtual Permitting?
  • Your permit purchase and renewal process are simplified! – Just purchase a permit online and park. Your plate number is your permit number, so waiting for your permit in the mail, downloading temporary permits, lost or stolen permits, paying to replace a permit, police reports, and processing times are a thing of the past!
  • We eliminated the need to display physical permits and the need to move permits from vehicle-to-vehicle.
  • You will never forget to display your permit, worry about permits falling from your windshield or the permit being displayed improperly.
  • When purchasing a permit at parking pay stations, pay stations will be paperless and returning to your vehicle to display a paper permit will no longer be necessary.​
• Environmental Impact/Sustainability?
  • Reduces waste
  • Eliminates plastic permit production – manufacturing impacts such as fossil fuels, carbon footprint of factory/facilities
  • Eliminates paper receipts at parking pay stations
  • Eliminates disposal of expired and unused plastic permits
  • Eliminates delivery (fossil fuel, emissions, vehicle/road wear and tear)​
• How will this be enforced by Campus Safety?

  Campus Safety will use License Plate Recognition (LPR) to assist in enforcement.  LPR works similar to a supermarket scanner with your license plate functioning as the barcode. When a vehicle parks on campus, the license plate is scanned by cameras mounted on enforcement vehicles. The numbers of your plate are automatically referenced against the parking database to verify a valid permit and parking privileges for the location. If the license plate is not associated with a valid virtual permit or the vehicle is parked in an unauthorized location, then a Campus Safety Officer will review the vehicle and any possible permits and determine if vehicle is subject to a citation.

• How can I verify that the license number I have on record is correct?

  Your information can be viewed and updated via the CCCD Parking Portal.

• How will my license plate information be used?

  The license plate information collected in this process will only be referenced against the parking database for the purpose of verifying parking permits on campus. The enforcement rules will not change because of this new technology, nor will information be shared or accessed by anyone other than Campus Safety personnel.​

• How will Motorcycle permits be handled?

  A valid permit is required for motorcycle parking.

• Will there be a permit that designates faculty and staff?

  LPR will automatically verify faculty and staff virtual permits via license plate. Vehicles parked in areas on campus not associated with their virtual permit type will be subject to citation.​

• Will I receive a citation if my license plate is dirty or if I have a decorative cover?

  As long as your plates are legal for driving, our system will be able to read them.​

• Where can I find my online parking account to register my vehicle information?

  Students, faculty, and staff can access parking through the CCCD Parking Portal.  Here you can add or delete vehicles that should be correlated with your parking permit.​

• What if I own more than one vehicle?

  Students can only register up to two vehicles per permit.  Faculty and staff may register up to three vehicles. You can assign a temporary vehicle or change the vehicle online through the CCCD Parking Portal.

• Where is my permit required?

  Permits are required at the District Offices, Orange Coast College, Golden West College, and Coastline College campuses. Permits are valid districtwide.

• What if I get a new license plate?

  It is important that your license plate and vehicle information is current and correct in order to avoid an unnecessary citation. Please visit the CCCD Parking Portal to update your information immediately after any change in license plate number. It is also important to delete all old or unused vehicle listings from your account. Vehicles with outstanding citations will not be removed until all citations are paid or appealed.​

• What if I have a personalized plate or special characters/symbols?

  If you have a personalized plate with less than 7 characters, or if you have a special character within your plate (heart, star, etc.), skip the special character when entering the number into the system and simply include the remaining characters on the plate.

• What happens if I do not have a virtual permit when I park? Will I receive a citation?

  Vehicles parked on campus without an appropriate permit are subject to a citation.  However, a daily virtual permit can be purchased at the pay stations, Passport Parking App, or online at www.PassportParking.com.

• What happens if I don’t have access to a computer or phone?

  Pay stations are available in order to purchase daily parking.

• What if I do not have a front license plate?

  The State of California requires that two plates be displayed, one in the front and one in the back of the vehicle (California Vehicle Code 5200). If you have a back-facing plate only, please park head-in only so that our officers can see your registered license plate. 

• What if I have two vehicles listed on my virtual permit?

  The LPR technology will recognize the first vehicle on campus as valid, but any additional vehicles under the same virtual permit on campus at the same time will be subject to citation. Two vehicles listed under the same virtual permit may be on campus at the same time if the second vehicle purchases a daily parking permit.

• What if I have a brand-new vehicle?

  California now requires new vehicles be issued paper plates with a temporary license plate number.  LPR has the ability to recognize these temporary plates.  Enter the temporary number and when you receive your new plate from the DMV, log into the CCCD Parking Portal and register the new plate.

• What if I have a loaner vehicle or rental car?

  Individuals are allowed to add vehicles to their parking permit temporarily. Log into the CCCD Parking Portal and add the temporary plate. It is important that you remove vehicles as soon as your use of the temporary vehicle has ended. Vehicles with outstanding citations will not be removed until all citations are paid or appealed.

• What if two people have both purchased virtual permits, but also share the two vehicles?

  To avoid being cited in error, we recommend only listing your vehicle on your own virtual permit. If the vehicle has a valid virtual permit, listing the vehicle on another account is not necessary. To register a second vehicle to your virtual permit temporarily, please visit the CCCD Parking Portal.

• Can I allow another person to use my virtual permit?

  All permits are non-transferable and can only be used by the individual who purchased it. Permit privileges can be revoked f​or any individuals found sharing virtual permits.

• Can I park overnight on campus?

  The Harbour resident virtual parking permit allows permit holders to park overnight in designated overnight parking spaces (orange spaces in Lot G) 24 hours a day.

Permit Refund Policy

Permit and Citation Inquiries

Administrative Procedure