Traffic and parking regulations are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Office of Public Safety is responsible for the enforcement of the parking regulations of the St. Mary's College campus, Trinity Church property and Historic St. Mary's City property. The Office of Public Safety reserves the right to reallocate parking or make temporary changes to these regulations on campus as needed. Unless otherwise noted in the parking policy, all vehicles parked on the campus of St. Mary’s College of Maryland must be registered with the Office of Public Safety. All faculty/staff and current students must display a valid decal or permit on their vehicle.
General Parking Information
St. Mary’s College reserves the right to regulate the use of any or all of its vehicle parking facilities including the authority to:
- Deny vehicle-parking privileges to any individual and/or any groups of individuals who willfully violate and abuse the privileges.
- Reserve parking facilities for the exclusive use of selected groups and designated individuals.
- Immobilize vehicles per policy guidelines.
- Tow illegally parked vehicles as the situation warrants. The responsibility of locating a legal parking space rests with the operator of the motor vehicle.
Lack of space will not be considered a valid excuse for violating any of the provisions of these regulations. St. Mary’s College reserves the right to increase, remove, or reallocate parking spaces as the need arises. Changes, if any, will be advertised and become effective with the posting of signs and/or by announcements in official college publications and emails. Any person who operates a vehicle or vehicles on the campus of St. Mary’s College will be held accountable for all traffic and parking violations charged to the vehicle or vehicles. Students, faculty and staff are responsible for advising their visitors that they are required to register for a valid visitor parking permit to park on campus. Every vehicle is required to have a valid parking decal or permit displayed on the vehicle at all times.
Parking Enforcement and Towing
Vehicles parked on campus must follow all State and College parking regulations. All vehicles in violation of College parking regulations will be issued a citation, immobilized, and/or towed at the owner’s expense.
Some violations include but are not limited to:
- Display of lost, stolen, expired, or fraudulent St. Mary’s College of Maryland Parking Decal or Permit
- Vehicle not registered or No St. Mary’s College Decal or Permit displayed
- Parking in an unauthorized lot
- Parking in a designated handicap area, or blocking handicap access
- Parking or blocking a fire lane (as designated by Maryland State Law)
- Parking of a vehicle that restricts access to a loading dock, dumpster or bus access lane
- Stopping, standing or parking that restricts traffic flow, or creates a traffic hazard
- Parking in a building air intake area
- Parking on designated emergency snow routes
- Failure to immediately move a vehicle upon notification from the Office of Public Safety
No Parking or Standing:
- Route 584 (along Kent Hall)
- Front of Schaefer Hall
- Montgomery Hall
- College Drive
- Rt. 5 from North Field to Mattapany Road
- Dorm Circle
- Calvert Circle
An accumulation of three (3) or more parking citations (paid or unpaid) during any academic year, will result in the vehicle being Immobilized or towed.
- Each vehicle to be immobilized or towed will be issued a citation and immobilized or towed at the owner’s expense.
- The vehicle owner/operator is responsible for the immobilization fee.
- The vehicle owner/operator is responsible for any towing fees once the towing vehicle has left the business and/or has arrived at the site, unless another agreement is reached between the tow service provider and the vehicle owner/operator.
An abandoned vehicle, as described below, may be issued a citation and/or towed.
A vehicle that is parked on St. Mary’s College Campus property, Historic St. Mary’s City Commission Property, Trinity Episcopal Church Property or St. Mary’s City Post Office Property for forty eight hours or more and does not display a valid state motor vehicle registration plate or St. Mary’s College of Maryland parking permit and without notification and approval from the Office of Public Safety.
Appeal Process
All citations must be appealed through the SMCM parking Portal. Appeals must be submitted within 10 days from the date the citation posts. Appeals will be granted or denied with two (2) weeks of submission.
Note: St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Department of Public Safety will not be held Responsible for Damage Resulting from Towing or Immobilization of Vehicles or Items of Personal Property of Value Left within the Unattended Motor Vehicle Parked on Campus.