Faculty/Staff 2022-2023 Vehicle Registration

Faculty/Staff Permit Registration begins July 18th at 8am. Purchases can be made online via Pirate Port.

There are some important changes related to the vehicle registration and renewal process for the 2022 – 2023 academic year that you will want to read about below.

There will be an increase of parking fees for 2022 – 2023. See here for list of parking zone fees and additional information for staff and faculty. 

We are aware that many Faculty/Staff members are still working remotely, your permit must be renewed to keep your parking space. If you do not renew your A1 permit for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, you will have to return to the bottom of the A1 waiting list and you will only be allowed to purchase a B1 permit.

ECU Parking is excited about the return to Pirate Nation!  As more staff and faculty return to campus from remote working, we will see a return of campus traffic and increased parking lot usage. Parking regulations were enforced throughout the past year, and will be more crucial as the campus population returns to pre-Covid levels. Enforcement should not be seen as punishment, but rather as a way to maintain availability of parking for those who purchased access to the parking lot, as well as providing ample space for safety, service, and facilities vehicles, as well as ADA compliance.

A  “Plate to Permit” system is in place, with simple, online registration and payment for parking zones. Once registered, you will no longer have a parking decal to indicate the eligible zone. Parking privileges are identified by license plates, rather than a decal or hangtag. Temporary hangtags will not be needed for most visitors, part-time or temporary employees as they will be identified by license plate as well.

One key difference with the license plate recognition system is that parking must be head-in. Backing in or pulling through a parking space does not allow the camera to read your plate and may cause a citation to be issued.

Staff and faculty will be using the Plate to Permit system for the 2022 – 2023 academic year, with vehicle registration completed in Pirate Port. Users can add new vehicles, but if any vehicle information needs to be changed, please contact the Parking Office, (252) 328-6294 or email parking@ecu.edu.

What changes with this new system?

• When you purchase your parking permission, you will no longer get a parking permit decal. Parking zone enforcement is based on your registered license plate(s). Basically, your license plate is your parking permit.
• You will NOT receive a parking decal.
• If you have only a rear-facing license plate (standard for NC), you will need to park head-in. In the future, you will be able to purchase a special plate from the parking office if you wish to pull-through a parking space. If interested, please complete this online form and you will be notified when your front plate identifier is ready. The cost will be $10. At this time there is not an estimated time for when these will be available for sale.

What stays the same?

• You must register your vehicle(s) with ECU Parking and pay the applicable fee to park on university property.
• You will complete your vehicle registration online and pay the annual parking fee or use the payroll deduction option if applicable.
• You will still be allowed to register up to six vehicles.
• If an alternate vehicle is being parked on campus, owners will need to contact the Parking Office to update license plate and vehicle information.

More about the License Plate Recognition Plate-to-Permit System

The License Plate Recognition (LPR) system is integrated into ECU Parking vans which recognize registered license plates. Control officers are alerted when the system’s camera identifies a vehicle without permission for the zone, displaying the information on a screen. The control officer can then verify the information and alert an enforcement officer if a citation is needed. By giving citations, parking is better controlled, ensuring ample parking for registered vehicles.

The recognition technology needs a clear license plate view. Unless a vehicle is registered in a state that issues both front and rear plates, individuals will no longer be able to park forward-facing without risking a citation. However, for those who have a rear-only plate and backing-in or pulling through a space is preferred, ECU Parking will offer a unique LPR-readable front plate for purchase in the near future. This front plate will be tied to the state-issued plate and be valid as long as the plate number remains the same.

Rest assured, ECU does not collect nor store private information on vehicles. More information can be found at https://parking.ecu.edu/license-plate-recognition/.

Questions?

Contact the Parking Office with any questions, by email at parking@ecu.edu, phone, (252) 328-6294, or stop by our office at 305 E. 10th Street.