Garage Parking FAQ

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the parking garage at ECU. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us, (252) 328-6294 or email parking@ecu.edu.

Where is the parking garage?

The only garage at ECU is located behind the Main Campus Student Center, 501 E. 10th Street. The entrance is off of Student Center Drive.  Other parking garages are planned for the future; however, it takes time and funding to build.

 

Do I have to pay to park in the garage?

Yes, all garage patrons must pay to park. A garage permit or payment of $1/hour is required.

Building and maintaining a parking garage is very expensive and funds come from annual and hourly parking fees. No tuition, student fees, or state funds are used for parking at ECU.

 

How do I get a garage parking permit/access card?

Annual garage permits can be purchased by staff, faculty, and students. You will get an access card after registering your vehicle and paying the annual fee.  (See garage permit page for details). If you have already registered and paid the annual fee for parking in another zone and are interested in upgrading to the garage, visit or contact the parking office for information about the exchange.

 

Are there any places to park on campus without a permit, other than the parking garage? Is there Visitor Parking?

Yes, pay station parking is in the following areas at a cost of $1/hour. Credit card or Parkmobile app accepted.

  • Corner of 5th Street & Harding Street near the main entrance to campus.
  • Between Jenkins Art Building and Garrett Residence Hall.  Enter campus from 5th Street onto Founders Drive. Turn right onto Faculty Way. Lot entrance is beside Jenkins Art Building.
  • East of the Croatan and Rivers Buildings.  Enter off of Maple Street; or, turn onto campus at the light on 10th Street and College Hill Drive and turn right to travel beside Fletcher Music to reach the parking areas.

 

Why do I have to pay to park? What does ECU Parking do with all of the fees and fines collected?

State funds are not used for parking at state universities, but must be covered by parking fees. ECU staff, faculty, and students may purchase a parking permit for an annual fee. Hourly paid parking can be used by anyone. These fees cover the cost of maintaining all of the parking lots on campus, including construction, paving, striping, signage, staffing, and other business-related costs. A portion of the parking fees collected are provided to ECU Transit to cover the cost of bussing students from perimeter areas. In addition, parking offices must turn over 80% of fines collected to the public school system.

If parking was not regulated or enforced on campus, the time to find an available space could cause disruption of classes and operations. Zoned parking allows efficient use of space, based on the proximity to buildings and their uses. The strategic planning of ECU is to be a pedestrian campus, with the majority of parking on the perimeter, and transit or walking encouraged.

 

Why does it say the parking garage is full, when it looks like there are open spaces?

The Main Campus Student Center parking garage has 709 regular spaces and 15 ADA spaces for a total of 724 spaces. There are approximately 150 individuals who purchased the garage permit. Enough spaces must be left empty for these patrons. When the “full” sign is out, and the parking attendant is letting select vehicles into the garage, it would be because they have a garage permit.


Why are the parking garage gates sometimes open?

The university reserves the right to open parking garage gates if needed. Gates will be left open for one of several reasons:

  • If there is a technical issue with the payment or ticketing system, or the gates are malfunctioning, they will be left open.
  • If the parking office has limited staffing and is unable to assist garage patrons, the gates may be kept open.
  • Special events, such as a few days at the beginning of fall semester when heavy traffic is expected, gates may be kept open as a courtesy.

 

Is there ADA parking in the garage?

Yes, there are 15 ADA spaces in the garage. These can be used by permit holders or those paying hourly.

 

Are there vehicle charging stations in the garage?

Yes, there are 2 charging stations near the entrance to the garage.

 

How to purchase your annual permit and register your vehicle(s):

  • Visit ECU PiratePort: https://pirateport.ecu.edu/connect/. You will need your Pirate ID and passphrase
  • Click the Parking & Transportation application or type Parking & Transportation in the search box
  • Click the Manage Account button to update or verify your information
    • Please include a valid telephone number
  • You will need your license plate number, vehicle year, make, model and color
  • If everything is up to date, click Parking Portal on the top left hand side.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Get Permits and follow the directions

We ONLY accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover online and in our office. If you wish to pay by cash or check – visit the Parking & Transportation Office at 305 East 10th Street during cashier hours, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.

You will NOT receive a parking decal. Your license plate is now your permit to park. Your “permit” is active within a few minutes of payment!

Temporary Permits

Students are allowed up to two monthly permits or eight weekly permits for the academic year in the designated student lot for which they are registered, and as long as permits are available.  This is ONLY for short-term parking. This is NOT to replace a parking permit.

  • Monthly permits $20
  • Weekly $10
  • Day $5

Yearly permit holders
If you have an active yearly permit, you can add a temporary vehicle for free if you have been in an accident or if you are driving a different vehicle. You must contact our office at 252-328-6294 to register the vehicle to your parking account.   The maximum time frame for these temporary permits is two weeks.

ADA Designation

ECU is committed to accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please see the ADA web page to learn more about the process to have ADA designation added to your ECU parking registration.

Stolen License Plate

Permits associated with license plates that have been lost or stolen will be deactivated and flagged for towing. The individual that a permit is registered to is responsible for all non-moving traffic violations involving a vehicle carrying a permit issued to him or her.  License plates that are stolen must be immediately reported to the ECU Police Department. Any vehicle found displaying a lost, stolen, or forged license plate will be immediately towed, and the owner will be reported to the proper authorities.

How to Replace your Parking Eligibility

There will be a replacement charge of $25.00 in order to reinstate your parking eligibility.

Stolen:  The permit holder must file a police report and bring a copy of the report to one of our offices. A replacement form will also need to be signed and on file with the police report before eligibility will be reinstated at no cost.  Warning: the consequences of filing a false police report could result in criminal charges.

Citations

Citations not paid or appealed in 10 business days will be transferred to the cashiers office and added to your tuition.  If a citation has been transferred from our office you will have to pay it at the cashiers office in the Old Cafeteria Complex or online in Pirateport through your tuition.  For more information about citations click here.