Summer’s coming: What you need to know about parking and transit

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 28, 2025) — University of Kentucky Transportation Services is looking forward to warm, sunny days on campus when parking is generally more plentiful, with additional options available for any valid UK permit. This year, summer parking control starts on Monday, May 12, and continues through Friday, Aug. 15.

Summer parking permits

A valid UK parking permit is required when parking on campus over the summer. Students who plan to remain on campus will be able to purchase a summer permit from our office beginning on Monday, May 5.

Summer permits cost $10.50 per week and can be purchased for the total number of weeks needed. These permits are not available online, but can be purchased from our customer service center, located at 721 Press Avenue, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. They’re also available for sale by phone at 859-257-5757, but must be picked up in person.

Summer parking details

• Summer permits authorize students to park in most student lots, as well as Cornerstone Garage (PS #5), the Scott Street area lots, and the Sports Center area lots. See the summer parking map for details.
• In previous years, the top two floors of Hilltop Avenue Garage (PS #2) were open to individuals with any valid UK permit. This option will not be available this year due to the temporary closure of Sports Center Garage (PS #7) for construction. Hilltop Avenue Garage is being used to accommodate some of those displaced permit holders.
• Employee lots remain restricted to designated employee permits throughout the summer. Summer permits are not valid in employee lots until off-peak hours.
• Most lots are controlled for valid permits from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. However, many employee-intermediate (E) lots revert to any valid permit after 3:30 p.m. weekdays. Please pay attention to signage at the entrances to lots and structures.
• The only students eligible for E-academic permits over the summer are students registered as teaching assistants, graduate assistants or research assistants. All other students will receive standard summer permits.
• Metered or paid visitor lots remain on control over the summer and require payment. Summer permits do not authorize users to park at meters or in pay lots without paying the meter.
• Even when lots are not controlled for permits, they’re still monitored for other parking violations including, but not limited to, parking in fire lanes, parking on yellow lines, and unauthorized parking in ADA-accessible areas

Restricted Lots (24/7): The following lots are restricted throughout the summer for specific permit types; summer permits are not valid in these areas:

• Employee reserved lots
• The Nutter Center Lot
• Various core parking lots
• Memorial Coliseum residential areas (R17 and R18)
• Complex Drive (R7)
• The Football Training Center core lot
• The South Mill Lot (C41)
• Seminary area residential lots (R29 and R30)

Transit updates

Some campus buses run limited hours during the summer.

• Blue, White and Green routes run a limited schedule of 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting on Monday, May 5.
• The Purple Route is not in service during academic breaks.
• The Yellow Route is not in service during the summer; its last day of operation will be Sunday, May 4. 
• No changes to the Orange Route (UK HealthCare) bus service over the summer.
• Buses will not be in operation on Memorial Day, Juneteenth or Independence Day. On these holidays, UK HealthCare employees are authorized to park in healthcare parking facilities, per UK policy A10-055.

Additional information, including a summer parking map, can be found on this website. If you have questions, please contact UK Transportation Services or call 859-257-5757.