Campus News

UK residential parking permit sales for all students start July 22

Students should have their vehicle information available, as this is required before a permit can be purchased. Students will need to submit the make, model, color and license plate number of the vehicle. Graphic by Callie Brown.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 18, 2024) — Student Periphery (RK and CK), Remote (X) and Off-Peak (O) permits will be available for purchase starting next week. 

Permits are available for purchase online or by visiting the University of Kentucky Transportation Services’ customer service center, located at 721 Press Avenue.

Residential Periphery (RK) and Remote (X) permits will go on sale starting noon Monday, July 22. Commuter Periphery (CK) and Off-Peak (O) permits will be available starting noon Tuesday, July 23.

Student periphery (RK and CK) permits are available for the full academic year for $272 or $136 for the fall semester only. Remote and Off-Peak permits cost $168 for the full academic year.

A student’s outstanding parking citations must be paid before a permit can be purchased. Citations can be paid online or at the UK Transportation Services office.

To purchase a permit online, students should log in to their customer account using their linkblue username and password. If purchasing a permit in person, please bring a UK ID, as well as information on the make, model, year and color of the vehicle, plus the license plate number. Vehicle information is required before a permit can be issued.

Permits purchased online prior to Friday, Aug. 9, will be mailed to the student’s home mailing address. After that date, they must be picked up in person inside the UK Transportation Services’ customer service center or outside at the express pick-up window.

2024-25 permits are valid beginning Saturday, Aug. 10, and must be displayed when parking on campus.

More information about the permits can be found below.

Residential Periphery (RK) permit details — on sale noon Monday, July 22

Residential Periphery (RK) permits are available for on-campus residents and provide a variety of parking options, including the Kroger Field Blue lot, Commonwealth Drive lot and the College Way East and West lots. These parking areas have direct access to the campus bus system.

RK permit holders may also choose to park in the Wildcat Court lots, but these lots do not have direct campus bus access and require a brief walk to the College Way South bus stop, located at the intersection of College Way and Wildcat Court.

RK permits authorize permit holders to park overnight on campus.

Residential students may also see other residential permit options when logging into their account. This could include R2, R7, R5, R10 or R16 permit types. If one or more of these permit options appear, the student may choose to purchase one of them instead of an RK permit. See this page for details about all residential permit types.

Commuter Periphery (CK) permit details — on sale noon Tuesday, July 23

Commuter Periphery (CK) permits are available for off-campus commuters. Like RK permit holders, CK permit holders may park in the Kroger Field Blue lot, Commonwealth Drive lot and the College Way East and West lots, which have direct access to the campus bus system.

CK permit holders may also park in the Wildcat Court lots, but these lots do not have direct campus bus access and require a brief walk to the College Way South stop, located at the intersection of College Way Drive and Wildcat Court.

CK permits are intended for daily commuting and do not authorize overnight parking. CK permit holders who park overnight in campus parking areas will be cited for each violation of this policy.

Students living in off-campus housing areas with insufficient parking accommodations may consider a Remote (X) permit if they need to park their vehicle on campus overnight.

Additional parking options during off-peak hours

In addition to authorizing parking in the areas mentioned above, both RK and CK permits also authorize permit holders to park in most employee intermediate (E) parking areas after 3:30 p.m. and in most employee core areas after 5 p.m. However, please pay attention to any signage at the entry to parking areas and any additional control signage, curb markings and other parking control devices within these areas before parking, as there are some exceptions.

Also be aware that parking permits do not authorize parking in pay lots or at meters. If you park in a pay lot or at a meter, payment is required.

Please keep in mind that RK and CK permit holders must pay attention to relocation/no parking requirements for home football games. Please see this page for additional information.

Remote (X) permits — on sale noon Monday, July 22

A limited number of Remote (X) permits are available for on-campus residential students. X permits are a cost-effective option for students who infrequently use their vehicles, but want to have them nearby.

Remote (X) parking is located in the Greg Page and Shawneetown apartment area and is served by the campus Green Route, which provides access to campus via a bus transfer to the Blue and White routes at the Stadium Blue Lot bus shelter.

Off-peak permits

Off-peak permits are offered to students and employees who only desire to park on campus after 3:30 p.m. This permit provides the permit holder with convenient access during periods of low parking demand at a steeply discounted rate.

How to input license plate information

If ordering a permit online, please see below for information and tips about how to properly input a license plate number:

  • Type horizontal then vertical characters in the order they are shown on the plate.  
  • Make sure not to include spaces or dashes between characters.  
  • For personalized license plates, make sure to input letters and numbers correctly. 
  • Input zeros rather than the letter O. 
  • Please make sure to double check all characters before submission for any errors.   

Please see UK Transportation Services’ Parking Maps page for detailed information about campus parking areas.

Permit renewal time also offers students a good opportunity to consider other methods of transportation to, from and around campus, rather than single occupancy vehicles. UK Transportation Services offers several attractive incentives to encourage both employees and students to consider sustainable options, such as biking, busing, walking or ride sharing. For details about these programs, visit the Sustainable Transportation section of the website.

For more information concerning parking and transit operations on campus, sign up for UK Transportation Services’ e-news and follow on X (Twitter) @UKParking. 

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.