Columbus State University’s Parking Services is implementing a new license plate scanning system to monitor parking throughout campus. Initially effective on Jan. 1, 2019, the system is currently being updated and will now be enforced on July 1, 2019. Students will receive warnings for parking incorrectly as a reminder of this upcoming policy until it comes into effect.

The new license plate recognition (LPR) software is utilized by Parking Services employees to scan each license plate on vehicles parked on campus. Each scan has the potential to alert Parking Services employees to any vehicles on the Hotlist.

“The Hotlist,” said Parking Services, “alerts Parking Service agents of vehicles marked by the University Police  with active bans from campus, Amber Alert vehicles, and police APB’s in regards to criminal activity.” The police term “APB” stands for “all-points bulletin.” It is an alert from one police station to all others in the area with instructions about arresting a suspect or suspects.  

“The more efficiently our teams can move through lots, the safer our campus stays,” said Parking Services. “Additionally, by moving to license plate scanning, we are able to eliminate the need for more wasteful plastic hang-tags.”

These hang-tags, or Parking Permits, allow students who commute to park on campus. To acquire these permits, students must pay a $45 annual fee to Parking Services in Illges Hall. Their hours are Mon. through Fri. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The dates the permit is in effect are listed on the tag. Permits can now also be renewed online.

For the LPR software to work, the rear license plates must be visible. Therefore, currently, vehicles should not back into or pull through parking spaces on campus. However, Parking Services is working to develop a front license plate that the software will read as a normal license plate when mounted to a vehicle’s front bumper.

The front license plate will be available at no cost to those who apply for parking since these plates will be mandatory if a driver chooses to pull through or back into a parking space. There will be a replacement fee of $20 if the front plate is damaged, lost, or stolen. This replacement fee will take the place of the $20 replacement hang tag fee.

“Since these plates will not be available until later in the Summer 2019 semester,” informed Parking Services, “ the new “No Pull Thru / No Back In” policy will be enforced with $10 citations beginning July 1, 2019.”

Once the “No Pull Thru/ No Back In” policy is in place, any vehicle backed into a parking space without a front license plate that matches the rear plate will be considered incorrectly parked and is at risk of an additional ticket.

These and any other citations received can be easily paid or appealed online at https://parking.columbusstate.edu/.