Transportation Services Citations and Violations

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Policy Number:

UW-6118

Old Policy Number:

TS-51

Responsible Office:

Transportation Services

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

Wisconsin State Statutes give the University of Wisconsin–Madison authority to enforce parking policies and issue citations under UWS 18.05(6). This policy defines citations and violations issued by UW Madison Transportation Services.

Definitions:

Citation

an official document from UW Madison Transportation Services describing the violation, amount of penalty, time and location of issuance, vehicle description, and information about how to pay or appeal the citation.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

A unique code, including a serial number, used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 3779 (content and structure) and ISO 4030 (location and attachment).

Scope:

Faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

Policy:

1. Violation Types
   1. ADA/Accessible parking violations
      1. Accessible stall violation – Parking in a University of Wisconsin-Madison or State Department of Transportation (DOT) Disabled stall without a valid UW Accessible permit or State DOT disabled permit or plate.
      2. Unauthorized use of a State DOT or UW Accessible permit by an individual other than the permit holder.
      3. Blocking accessible access aisle
   2. Double permit violations
      1. An annual or temporary permit authorizes one vehicle to be parked on campus. Parking two personal vehicles on campus at the same time either in the assigned base lot or in an alternate lot is considered a double permit violation. A double permit violation includes,
         1. Using a permit issued as a temporary replacement for a valid permit to park more than one personal vehicle on campus.
         2. Parking with a personal vehicle with a service permit when there is also a personal vehicle parked using a base lot permit for the same customer.
         3. Parking with a service permit in the same base lot where an annual permit is assigned, or in a lot adjacent to the base lot where an annual permit is assigned.
   3. Garage/ramp violations
      1. Parking in garage/ramp without payment of fee.
      2. Bypassing gates to enter/exit facility without payment.
      3. Tailgating  i.e., entering or exiting a facility behind another vehicle without stopping to pick up a permit or submit payment.
      4. Allowing an unauthorized person to use permit to enter or exit facility.
      5. Vehicle storage exceeding 72 hours without UW-Madison Transportation Services authorization.
   4. Improper parking violations
      1. Vehicle occupying two spaces. Permits are valid in one stall only. Vehicles parked outside of the marked stall lines or occupying two stalls.
      2. Vehicles may not park in a roadway, drive lane, or in grass.
      3. Parking a car, truck, or other full-sized vehicle in a motorcycle or moped stall.
      4. Parking against the flow of traffic, blocking or interfering with the flow of traffic.
   5. Invalid/missing license plate or VIN
      1. Any vehicle parked on campus without a state-issued license plate displayed.
      2. Any vehicle parked on campus with an unreadable state-issued license plate.
      3. Any vehicle parked on campus with a clearly readable VIN displayed. The VIN must be fully visible and not altered in any way or made impossible to read.
      4. Moped or motorcycle parked on campus with an invalid license plate; including, but not limited to, expired state-issued license plate or invalid vehicle registration.
   6. No parking violation
      1. Vehicle parked in a landscaped area.
      2. Vehicle parked outside of painted parking stalls, designated parking areas or beyond the end of the stall obstructing traffic.
      3. Vehicle parked in a no parking area; blocking a fire lane, bike lane, exit or drive aisle, roadway or access ramp, blocking sidewalk or curbs, dumpster, etc.
      4. Parked vehicle blocking other vehicle(s).
      5. Vehicle parked in loading dock while not actively loading or unloading or exceeding 25 minutes.
      6. Vehicle may park in marked stalls only. Vehicles parked in areas on campus not specifically marked or signed as a permit parking area are in violation.
   7. Over- or undersized stall violations
      1. Oversized vehicle – parking an oversized vehicle in a compact vehicle stall.
      2. Undersized vehicle – parking an undersized vehicle in an oversized vehicle stall.
   8. Overtime violation
      1. Overtime violation – includes vehicles parked longer than the time limit posted at a loading dock, University of Wisconsin-Madison or State DOT Accessible stall (overtime parking) or for more than 72 hours with a valid annual permit without authorization from UW-Madison Transportation Services.
      2. Vehicle may not park past the maximum time limit posted on timed parking/pay-by-phone stalls. Adding additional funds does not extend the posted maximum time limit for parking.
      3. Vehicles parked in electric vehicle charging station longer than 4 hours or not actively charging while parked in a charging station stall.
   9. Parking in a reserved area/stall
      1. Parking in a reserved stall or service stall without a valid permit.
      2. Parking in an area reserved for maintenance or construction.
      3. Parking in an area reserved for bicycles.
      4. Parking in restricted snow emergency area. Overnight parking is restricted from November 15 through March 15 for snow removal.
      5. Parking in an area reserved for a special event.
   10. Parking on campus with an altered, counterfeit, lost or stolen permit
       1. Altered or counterfeit permits include reproductions or an actual permit; altered lot number; altered effective/expiration date; or use of a permit listed as cancelled, lost, or stolen.
       2. Use / Display of an annual permit reported as lost or stolen.
       3. Use / Display of a temporary permit reported as lost or stolen.
       4. Use / Display of an altered or counterfeited annual permit.
       5. Use / Display of an altered or counterfeited temporary permit.
   11. Permit violations
       1. Parking without a valid permit.
       2. Parking with an expired permit.
       3. Improper display of a permit.
       4. Improper permit for area – Display of a valid permit in an area where the permit is not authorized.
       5. Improper use of a service permit by faculty, staff, licensed contractor, guests, or students in lieu of purchasing an annual permit. Please see UW-6140 Service Permits for more information.
       6. Using an afternoon or night permit outside of the authorized time allowances.
       7. Failure to be in paid status in ParkMobile with the correct license plate listed while parking with a Flex permit in the assigned surface lot.
       8. Failure to display service permit while parking in a facility entered using a service permit.
       9. Failing to display base lot or Flex permit while parking on campus using a service permit.
   12. Timed parking stalls
       1. Overtime parking – parking longer than the purchased time for the timed parking stall.
       2. No payment at a timed parking stall during hours of control.
2. Citations
   1. Citations may be issued for violating any UW-Madison Transportation Services policy.
   2. Citations are delivered by placing them on a vehicle.
   3. Only authorized UW-Madison Transportation Services employees may issue parking citations. 
   4. The registered owner of the vehicle is responsible for paying for and/or appealing a parking citation (including lost, stolen, or damaged citations), whether or not the owner was operating the vehicle at the time the citation was issued.
   5. More than one citation per day may be issued to a vehicle in violation of parking policies.
   6. All citations must be paid within ten calendar days to avoid further policy enforcement action which may include late fees, suspension fees, suspension of license plates, and referral to a debt collection agency. Citations should be paid online at transportation.wisc.edu.
   7. Parking Citation fine rates are approved annually by the UW-Madison Campus Transportation Committee and are subject to change.
3. Towing of Vehicle
   1. Vehicles will be towed and impounded under the following circumstances:
      1. Vehicles with $100 or more in unpaid citations (30 days or more past due)
      2. Vehicles parked on campus with an altered, counterfeit, or stolen permit.
      3. The vehicle is in violation of parking policies, or poses a safety or security risk. 
      4. Any vehicle where the state-issued license plate and/or VIN cannot be identified by Transportation Services’ staff.
   2. Vehicles are towed and impounded to a facility off campus.
   3. All citations and towing fees due to UW-Madison Transportation Services must be paid before the vehicle is released.
      1. A large vehicle (as determined by the tow company) will be assessed a large vehicle tow. Large vehicles include but are not limited to recreational vehicles, semi-trucks/trailers, and buses. 
4. Repeated, excessive, or egregious violations of UW-Madison Transportation Services policy (whether or not a citation is issued) may result in any the following:
   • Loss of parking privileges,
   • Cancellation of payroll deduction eligibility (temporary or permanent),
   • Loss of eligibility to purchase Transportation Services’ products using a specific payment method,
   • Loss of eligibility to purchase any UW-Madison Transportation Services products (temporary or permanent),
   • Loss of privilege to park a vehicle on the UW-Madison campus (temporary or permanent),
   • Referral to the appropriate Human Resources department, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, or the appropriate supervising or accountable authority, as relevant to the situation.
5. Misconduct which is not issued a citation and which results in a financial loss to UW-Madison Transportation Services may result in referral to the affiliated Human Resources department, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, or the appropriate supervising or accountable authority, as relevant to the situation. 

Related UW-Madison Policies:

UW-6117 Citation Appeals

Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Permit rates available on UW-Madison Transportation Services website

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:

Assistant Vice Chancellor of UW-Madison Transportation Services

Policy Manager:

Director of Transportation Operations

Contact:

Assistant Director of Parking Services -- David Berland, david.berland@wisc.edu, (608) 263-6667

Effective Date:

03-01-2004

Revised Dates:

03-01-2005, 03-01-2006, 03-01-2007, 01-01-2009, 03-01-2011, 03-01-2013, 02-01-2014, 03-01-2018, 05-19-2022, 08-02-2023

Retrieved:

01-19-2025 03:22:20