Parking permits required at Stanford's main campus and Stanford Redwood City

Commuters and residents are required to have a valid ‘A,’ ‘C,’ ‘Z,’ ‘C-SRWC,’ ‘MC,’ or resident parking permit to avoid citations. Please refer to our announcement for more details.

For COVID-related transportation updates, please visit our Stanford Transportation COVID-19: Featured Topics page. If you are interested in learning more about your commute options as you return to campus, please refer to our Returning to Your Stanford commute page.

Which Permit Is Right For You?

How long do you need to park?

The virtual permit system provides the option to choose between 'Short-term/Daily' or 'Long-term/Commuter' (monthly) permits according to your needs. Determining the permit that is right for you depends on how often you need to park on campus. 

If you are not commuting full-time, purchasing daily permits for days you need to drive to campus could be a savings for you. We have developed the following to help you determine how many days it makes financial sense to purchase a daily versus a monthly permit:

Where do you need to park?

Campus parking

Stanford affiliated or sponsored commuters may park in 'A,' 'C,' or 'Z' parking zones with the purchase of an 'A,' 'C,' or 'Z' permit. A limit of one permit type per customer applies. Commuters are not allowed to purchase Resident zone permits.

An 'A' permit is also valid in 'C' and 'Z' parking zones (except Hoover Pavilion Garage). 'C' permits are also valid in 'Z' parking zones when shared signage is present. 'Z' permits are valid in Searsville Lot (L-22) and Hoover Pavilion Garage near the medical center.

Pricing is based on location and convenience (See the Parking and Circulation Map for the locations of these areas):

  • 'A' spaces
    • 'A' permits cost more, but are closest to buildings and generally offer greater availability throughout campus.
    • They also allow you to park in 'C' and 'Z' spaces (except Hoover Pavilion Garage).
    • If you frequently need to use your car during the day for travel around campus or return trips to off-campus sites, consider an 'A' permit.
  • 'C' and 'Z' spaces
    • 'C' and 'Z' spaces provide parking at a lower cost, but are in higher demand and generally located a greater distance from buildings and the center of campus.
    • If you purchase a 'C' or 'Z' permit, expect to walk or bike some distance, or take a free Marguerite shuttle, to/from your workplace/classroom/lab and expect such spaces to fill by mid-morning close to buildings with higher demand.
  • Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds
    • All motorcycles, scooters and mopeds need a permit.
    • They may be parked in lower-priced "Motorcycle" spaces (with the purchase of an 'MC,' 'A,' 'C,' or 'Z' permit) or in higher-priced 'A,' 'C,' or 'Z' spaces (with the purchase of an 'A,' 'C,' or 'Z' permit).
    • Do not park them in bike racks.

Stanford Redwood City parking

Stanford affiliated or sponsored commuters will be able to park in SRWC ‘C’ parking zones with the purchase of a 'C-SRWC' permit. The cost to purchase a permit will be equivalent to the price of a ‘C’ permit on main campus.

All motorcycles, scooters and mopeds at SRWC need a parking permit. They may be parked at either SRWC-“Motorcycles” spaces or ‘C-SRWC’ spaces.

Off-campus work site parking

  • Most off-campus hospital worksites do not require permits.
  • Learn about parking and other options at the Porter Drive work site.
  • Send an email to parking@stanfordmed.org. or call 650.736.8000 for information on specific off-site locations.

Virtual permits

Instead of displaying a physical parking permit, your license plate is your virtual permit. Use our online system to purchase, exchange, or return virtual permits. Your permit will be valid immediately after you purchase it and enter your vehicle information.