Parking – To the Point – Student Handbook 2025-2026

The Office of Public Safety is responsible for the creation and enforcement of the parking regulations listed in this policy on the SMCM 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.

Audience

Students, Faculty, Staff and community members.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for monitoring and enforcing established parking regulations on the three properties within the department’s jurisdiction.

Procedures

All vehicles parked on property owned or controlled by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Trinity Church, or Historic St. Mary’s City must be registered through the Office of Public Safety Parking Portal unless noted otherwise. All vehicles, with the exception of vehicles registered for visitor parking, must display a current decal or permit at all times while parked on property owned or controlled by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Trinity Church, or Historic St. Mary’s City. This includes student vehicles that have an accessibility hang tag or accessibility license plate. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if a student or employee with an active accessibility hang tag (state-issued or by OAS) or license plate is not able to find an open accessible parking in their assigned lot, they may park in the next closest available spot to the accessible parking area even if that spot is designated for a different group (e.g., visitors only, faculty-only). The student or employee must have a valid SMCM decal or hang tag already on their vehicle, in addition to displaying the accessibility hang tag or license plate.

Regulations

Parking or Standing is not permitted in the following areas on the College campus:
1. Parking or standing is not permitted in the following areas on the College campus:
  1. Fire Lanes
  2. Designated No Parking Areas
  3. On the grass
  4. Roadways
  5. Sidewalks
Additional Violations
1. The following are also considered violations of the College’s Parking Regulations:
  1. Blocking a fire lane
  2. Blocking an Accessibility parking space
  3. Parking in an Accessibility parking space without an accessibility permit
  4. Parking in a manner that blocks the flow of traffic
  5. Blocking a dumpster
  6. Parking in a reserved space
  7. Parking in a lot other than the one designated by the issued permit
  8. Displaying an altered or invalid decal
  9. Parking in a manner that disrupts normal college operations
Resident Parking
1. Resident Students must purchase and display a valid residential parking decal while parked on campus
2. Vehicles that display a resident decal or permit may only park in the lot designated on the decal, except:
3. After 5pm and before 7am on weekdays and all weekend resident students may park in lot K
Commuter Parking
1. Commuter Students must purchase and display a valid commuter parking decal while parked on campus
2. Vehicles that display a commuter decal or temporary commuter parking permit may only park in commuter parking area, except:
3. After 5 pm and before 7 am on weekdays and all weekend commuter students may park in most Faculty and Staff parking areas. Commuter students may not park in lots D, O, or P at any time.
Faculty and Staff Parking
1. Faculty and Staff must register for and display a valid Faculty/Staff parking decal or hang tag while parked on campus
2. Vehicles that display a Faculty/Staff decal or hang tag may only park in designated Faculty/Staff parking areas.
Visitor Parking
1. Visitor permits and visitor parking are only available to non-affiliate visitors to the campus.
2. Visitors must register for, and maintain a valid visitor parking permit while parked on campus.
3. Vehicles may only park in designated visitor parking areas.
Loading/Unloading
1. St. Mary’s college will permit vehicles to be parked in violation of the above regulations for the purposes of loading or unloading only under the following circumstances:
2. A maximum of ten minutes will be allowed for loading and unloading.
3. A licensed driver must be available to move the vehicle upon request.
4. Accessibility Parking Spaces shall never be used for loading and unloading.
5. Hazard lights should be used when parked in a roadway for loading/unloading, however the use of hazard light does not permit further violations of the parking regulations.
Parking Lot Designations
1. All parking lots on the SMCM campus are clearly marked, designating the type of permit allowed to park within the lot or section of the lot.
2. Trinity Church and Historic St. Mary’s City parking lots are clearly marked stating parking regulations.
Additional Parking Restrictions
1. Students of college faculty or staff parking vehicles with a Faculty/Staff permit must park in Commuter lots or Lot T.
Event Parking
1. All parking for events must be coordinated through the Office of Public Safety.
2. Event planners must provide a minimum of a 14 days notice to the Office of Public Safety.
State Vehicle Parking
1. State Vehicles may be temporarily parked for official use in any college owned or controlled parking lot.
2. Long term state vehicle parking may only be done in designated state vehicle parking areas.

Sanctions

SMCM Officers may issue parking citations for violations of established parking regulations. Vehicles may be issued one citation per violation. Vehicles in violation of established parking regulations may be cited once in any 24 hour period for each violation.

Parking or Standing is not permitted in the following areas on the College campus:
1. Accessibility Parking Only without an MVA hang tag or temporary accessibility permit: $100.00
2. Parking in or blocking Fire Lane: $100.00
3. Parking on Grass: $100.00
4. No Valid Decal or Permit Displayed: $75.00
5. Parking in Faculty/Staff Only designated area without a College-issued Faculty/Staff hang tag or permit: $50.00
6. Parking on or Blocking Sidewalk: $50.00
7. Vehicle Decal Placement not in compliance with the College’s Parking Enforcement Policy: $50.00
8. Posted No Parking Area: $50.00
9. Blocking Multiple Spaces: $50.00
10. Commuter in Non-Commuter Lot: $50.00
11. Resident in Commuter Lot: $50.00
12. Non-Resident in Resident Parking Only: $50.00
13. Resident in Wrong Lot: $50.00
14. Parked in or blocking Roadway: $50.00
15. Parking in Loading Area Only: $50.00
16. Unauthorized Parking: $50.00
Immobilizing/Booting
1. SMCM Public Safety Officers may immobilize vehicles for the following reasons:
  1. Illegally parked unregistered vehicles to determine ownership.
  2. Habitual offenders
2. Removal of Immobilization Devices
  1. No parking permit – Immobilization Devices will be removed at no cost to SMCM students, staff and faculty after the vehicle owner or user:
    1. provides his/her personal information (name, proof of affiliation to St. Mary’s College of Maryland) and
    2. obtains an SMCM vehicle permit.
  2. Habitual offenders after receiving three (3) or more citations in a single academic year will incur costs as follows:
    1. Boot removal will cost $100.00 in addition to the violation fee(s).
    2. Boot removal and violation fees shall be paid within 72 hours after the boot has been secured.
Towing
1. SMCM Public Safety may tow vehicles at the owner’s expense where a vehicle is:
  1. Parked in a marked handicap space without authorization;
  2. Blocking the roadway or blocking service or emergency vehicle ingress or egress;
  3. Creating a road hazard or damage to property or grounds;
  4. Deemed to be abandoned on College property;
  5. Designated by the College as banned from the campus;
  6. Determined by the Office of Public Safety to have had an immobilization device on it for more than 72 hours; or
  7. Parked in a marked Fire Lane.
2. Towing shall be done per policy 502

Student Conduct Board Referral

Students will be referred to Student Conduct Board for the following reasons:
1. Accumulating five or more parking violations in a single academic year;
2. Refusing to register a vehicle and purchase a parking permit from the Office of Public Safety;
3. Damaging or attempting to damage an immobilization device or boot;
4. Altering a college parking permit; and/or
5. Using a College parking permit/decal not issued to the subject vehicle.
Sanctions
1. The Student Conduct Board may impose sanctions in accordance with the provisions set forth at: https://www.smcm.edu/tothepoint/sanctions-vii/
2. In addition to the above options students may lose campus parking privileges at the discretion of the Board.

Definitions – Legal Space

Parking spaces bounded by two parallel control lines and do not have specific signs reserving the use of the space or an area specifically marked to allow parking.

Immobilization device/boot

An immobilization device or boot is a device that is designed to prevent vehicles from being moved and can only be removed with a unique device.

Habitual Offender

An individual whose vehicle has received three (3) or more citations (paid or unpaid) in a single academic year.

Abandoned Vehicle

(MD Transportation Code § 25-201) Any motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer that is inoperable and left unattended on public property for more than 48 hours; or that has remained illegally on public property for more than 48 hours; or that has remained on private property for more than 48 hours without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property.

Resident

A resident is a currently enrolled student who lives in on campus housing.

Commuter

A commuter student is a currently enrolled student who does not live in on campus housing.

Faculty/Staff

Faculty/Staff are current full or part time college faculty or staff. Student staff do not qualify as Faculty/Staff for the purposes of this policy.

Visitor

A person who is not currently affiliated with SMCM as a student, faculty, staff, staff member of Bon Appetit, or a member of the Michael P O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center (MPOARC).

State Vehicle

A vehicle registered to the state of Maryland and which displays state government registration plates.