Policies and Procedures

Broken parking meters or garage pay stations must be reported to the Office of Parking Services immediately by calling 765-285-1208 or 765-285-1111.

The meter or pay station will be checked for malfunction by a parking technician. Any tickets issued prior to notification of malfunction to the Office of Parking Services will not be cleared. Tickets issued at meters found to be functioning properly will be valid.

The Office of Parking Services will not reimburse money for excess time on a meter.

Parking Meters

If a parking meter is flashing "Fail" when you pull into the space, do not park there. You should find another meter that is functioning properly. Report the malfunctioning meter to the Office of Parking Services immediately.

Garage Pay Stations

Parking garages R6 (Emens Parking Garage) and R7 (McKinley Parking Garage) have four pay stations each. If the pay station that you are at does not work, report it to the Office of Parking Services and make your payment at one of the other pay stations. Failure to pay for parking because a pay station is not working does not excuse you from being issued a citation.

Parking garage R8 (Student Center Structure) only has one pay station. If this station is not working, come to the Office of Parking Services to pay for your space. We will issue you a pre-paid permit for the parking garage. You will need to bring your driver's license and know your license plate number. Failure to pay for parking because a pay station is not working does not excuse you from being issued a citation.

Booting a Vehicle

A vehicle will be booted and/or towed if it has accumulated five (5) or more outstanding parking citations. 

In addition to the fines, there is a $75 fee for the removal of the boot.  When a vehicle has been booted for 8 hours with no response from the owner/operator, it will be towed at the owner’s/operator’s expense.  Exception:  Motorcycles and vehicles that cannot be booted will be towed immediately at the owner’s/operator’s expense.

All citations and the boot fee must be paid within eight hours from the time that the boot is placed on the vehicle.  Citations that are appealed after you are cited as scofflaw still must be paid in order to have the boot removed.  Appealing citations after receiving a boot will not keep your vehicle from being towed.  If the citations are not paid, the vehicle will be towed at the owner or operator's expense.  Parking fines, towing, and storage charges must be paid before an impounded vehicle can be released.

Parking Services will not accept a check for over $100 for a vehicle that has been booted or towed for unpaid citations.

Payment methods we accept:

• cash
• check
• money order
• Visa
• MasterCard
• Discover
• American Express

Towing a Vehicle

A vehicle will be cited for improper parking and towed without warning at the owner or operator's expense if the vehicle:

• has been booted and payment is not received within eight hours
• is not displaying a current license plate
• is parked on campus when the permit has been revoked
• is displaying a stolen parking permit
• is determined to be abandoned or stored on university owned or controlled property
• is illegally parked in a Disabled Driver space
• is blocking a dumpster, stairway, other vehicles, etc.

Parking Privileges may be revoked for any of the following situations:

• displaying a permit that belongs to another student, employee, or department
• displaying a permit that has been reported lost or stolen
• displaying a permit that has been revoked
• displaying a permit that has been altered or falsified
• registering a vehicle that belongs to another student or employee
• being a habitual offender

Involvement in any of the above situations will result in being cited for improper registration and possibly being towed at the owner or operator’s expense.

Parking privileges will be suspended for one calendar year and other disciplinary action may be taken.

As long as your parking privileges are revoked, you may not park on Ball State University property. Each time a revoked vehicle is found on campus, it will be cited for improper registration.

Parking services will refund payments on qualifying student or employee permits and tickets that have been paid and granted an appeal. Refunds for parking meters and garage pay stations will not be issued.

Customers with an account balance will have any refund issued applied to unpaid citations or permits. 

Refund Policy 

University vehicles can park in the following places:

• any regular space in red restricted, yellow faculty/staff, green commuter, or stadium lots
• service vehicle spaces

They cannot park in the following places:

• in drives
• blue housing lots
• at meters without paying
• on sidewalks
• disabled driver or any other special-permitted spaces
• loading docks