All parkers FAQ
Accessible parking
MIT strives to be accessible to all. Click here for a map of accessible parking, ramps, and more.
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Additional or new vehicle
All MIT parkers who commute may register up to three vehicles on a parking account. Only one vehicle at a time is authorized to park on campus. If you have a new car or occasionally drive a different car, simply login to your parking dashboard and update your parking account by adding that vehicle.
If you are a campus resident, you can register only one vehicle at a time. If you have a new vehicle, you can login to your parking dashboard to remove the old one from your account and then add the new one.
If you are driving a temporary vehicle (a rental or loaner), please see the temporary vehicle FAQ below.
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Annual parking cycle
The annual parking cycle at MIT runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. On July 1 every year, the annual cap resets for parkers that have caps. Note that once you establish a parking account, the account is maintained continuously until you cancel it (as long as you continue to be eligible), so there is no annual renewal process. Note also that MIT reserves the right to implement periodic parking rate increases, and any increase will take effect when the next parking cycle begins on July 1.
If you need to cancel parking or make changes to your parking preferences, you can do this at any time of the year through your online parking dashboard or by contacting us. (See FAQ below.)
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Availability of parking spaces
Having an MIT parking account does not guarantee that you will be able to find a space in your authorized area or lot. On occasion, you may need to park in a different lot instead of your usual lot. If you can’t find a space within your zone, call the Parking & Transportation Office for assistance.
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Best time to request parking
Once you apply for parking and are approved, you will begin to incur a prorated annual charge (if you pay a daily rate) or monthly fees (if you pay a monthly rate) as of the day your parking is authorized. Please check your parking confirmation email, and contact the Parking & Transportation Office if you want to adjust the beginning date of your parking.
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Cancel parking
You can cancel your parking at any time through your online parking dashboard or by contacting the Parking & Transportation Office. To obtain parking after canceling, you would need to submit a new parking request form. Note that for affiliates and other monthly-rate parkers, it is important to contact the Parking & Transportation Office if you no longer need parking; otherwise, you will continue to be charged the monthly parking fee.
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Carpools
Eligible Cambridge-based MIT employees and/or students who are daily-rate commuters and who are interested in forming a carpool should follow these steps:
- First, agree with at least one other employee or student (up to five people) to sign up for a carpool together.
- If you already have a parking account as an individual, you will need to cancel that account before joining a carpool.
- The carpool “leader” chooses “Carpool” for permit type when requesting parking. The leader then uses the carpool form to send invitations to the other participants via their MIT email addresses. All carpool members must be MIT employees or students.
- All of the carpool invitations must be accepted before the Parking & Transportation Office can fulfill the carpool parking request.
- If one of the invited members declines to join the carpool, the carpool request is dissolved. You can reapply for a carpool with an adjusted list of invited members.
- More than one vehicle can be included in a carpool account, but only one of the carpool vehicles can park on campus at a time.
- Details about parking rates for carpools are available here.
Any changes to the carpool agreement (such as adding/removing members or dissolving the carpool) should be discussed first with the Parking & Transportation Office. If a carpool change is made by the Parking & Transportation Office, the change will take effect at the beginning of the next calendar month, after which it will be reflected in billing. Note that if you have a subsidized T-pass through MIT, you are not eligible for a carpool.
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Change in status
If your status at MIT has changed (from student to employee, for example, or from active faculty to retired faculty) and you have questions about parking, contact the Parking & Transportation Office.
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Change parking location
If you have a valid reason (such as a medical problem) for requesting a change in parking location, contact the Parking & Transportation Office. We may be able to assist. Please see the Medical Request FAQ below.
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Change parking preferences
You can make changes to your parking preferences at any time. Some changes can be made through your parking dashboard (such as adding or removing a vehicle). For other changes, such as a change in payment method or to request a change in parking location, please contact the Parking & Transportation Office.
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Change payment method
If you want to change your parking payment method (for example, from credit card auto-pay to paying through a student account), contact the Parking & Transportation Office, and we can make this change for you.
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Charter buses and vans
If you have questions about where to park a charter bus or van, contact the Parking & Transportation Office. We will go over the details with you and evaluate parking options on a case-by-case basis.
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Credit card auto-pay
To pay for parking via credit card auto-pay, you provide your credit card information when you request parking, and you authorize monthly charges. Each month, the Parking & Transportation Office will automatically charge your credit card based on your parking activity. You will receive a receipt each time you are charged, and the charge will appear on your credit card statement (currently as MIT_OPE_PARK - CAMBRIDGE, MA).
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Department vehicles
Parking coordinators can request parking for a department vehicle. This request can be made through the parking app dashboard and is paid via Journal Voucher only. Departments pay a one-time annual fee for vehicles, and the cost object needs to be confirmed each year. There are no daily parking fees.
To be considered a department vehicle, the vehicle must be owned by and registered to MIT. All MIT-owned vehicles that park in MIT parking areas must be authorized to park by the Parking & Transportation Office.
If a department vehicle is assigned to a gated facility, the Parking & Transportation Office will issue a parking access card to be used for the department vehicle only. Any misuse of the parking access cards may cause the parking privileges for that vehicle to be forfeited.
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Disability plates and placards
An MIT parker who has a valid parking permit and disability plates or a state placard should park in designated accessible spaces in their assigned parking area. If accessible spaces in that area are full, contact the Parking & Transportation Office. No additional action is required.
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Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations
MIT charging stations currently provide a total of 151 spaces and are located at:
- Albany Street Garage (North Area)
- NW86 Lot (Northwest Area)
- Sloan Garage (E62 Area)
- Stata Garage (Northeast Area)
- W92 Garage (Riverside Area)
- WW15 Lot (Riverside Area)
- Hayward Garage (SOMA Area)
This on-campus amenity is provided for the convenience of all MIT parking account holders, and the charging spaces are in high demand, so availability is not guaranteed. Plan ahead as needed (charge at home when you can) in case all the spaces are occupied.
- You can charge your vehicle at any station located within the campus area where you are authorized to park.
- As we continue to plan for more charging stations (80+ more are in development right now), we are working to ensure that all parking areas on the MIT campus have at least one station.
To use the ChargePoint stations on the MIT campus:
- First, set up a ChargePoint account online or through the smartphone app (available for Android and iOS).
- During set-up, you can request a free RFID ChargePoint card to be sent to you. Activate the card when it arrives; some roaming partner stations require drivers to use the card. On campus, you can use either the app or the card for charging.
- Locate a charging station on campus using the map on the ChargePoint app or the online map. The map indicates which charging spaces are available at each station and which are in use.
- A per-hour fee is charged for every hour the EV is actively charging (prorated for fractions of an hour). You can pay the charging fee through the app or with the ChargePoint card.
- We recommend enabling notifications in the app so you will know when your EV is almost fully charged. This will help you free up the space in a timely manner once the charging cycle is complete, so other EV owners may use the charger.
- Keep in mind that MIT’s charging stations are first come, first served, and your station serves all the MIT parking account holders in your parking area. Since the charging spaces are in high demand, let’s work together to make the process efficient by keeping spaces open and available when they aren’t in use.
ChargePoint EV charging is just one of several environmentally friendly commuter amenities offered through the Parking & Transportation Office. If you have any questions about this or other programs available to the community, contact commuting@mit.edu.
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Evening and weekend day parking
If you have a valid on-campus parking account (including a carpool account), you may park in most lots on campus after 2:30 PM, Monday through Friday, and all day on weekends and MIT holidays, for no additional charge.
- The following lots are excluded (no evening/weekend day/holiday parking): Hayward Garage, MIT Health lot, E19 (Ford) Lot, 139 Mass Ave lot (front), and Childcare lots.
- Vehicles are not permitted to park in Reserved, Electric Vehicle, or Accessible Parking spaces unless they otherwise qualify for those spaces.
- Vehicles are not permitted to park overnight without following the extended parking procedure (see below).
- Note that on weekday afternoons/evenings, weekends, and MIT holidays, the daily rate fee will not be charged to account holders who park on a daily basis. Any fees paid on a monthly basis will continue to apply, including monthly fees for affiliates, residential parking, and off-campus leased lots. Monthly rates will not be prorated. (View rates.)
- During the same periods of time, off-campus parkers have access to ungated lots on campus for no additional charge.
For non-resident extended or overnight parking, please see the FAQ below.
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Event parking and attendant services
For event visitors: Certain garages are available for on-campus large event parking, such as sporting events or department functions. Contact DAPER and/or the Parking & Transportation Office for more information. Refer to the MIT recreation parking map for available parking options. View additional tips for travelling to the MIT campus on the MIT Visitor Page.
For event hosts: Note that the Parking & Transportation Office can arrange for a parking attendant if you need one (for an extra per-hour charge).
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Extended parking (including weekday or weekend overnights)
If you have a valid MIT parking account and need to be out of town on Institute business overnight or for an extended period of time (up to two weeks), you may leave your vehicle in your assigned parking facility. Before leaving the Institute, you should:
- Submit an Extended Parking Notification form
- Designate an emergency contact person who has keys to the vehicle.
- Notify your department Parking Coordinator.
- The Parking & Transportation Office will let you know where to leave your car for extended parking.
- During the winter months, we place extended parkers in roofed areas of garages whenever possible, to facilitate snow removal from roofs and lots.
Please note: Incomplete or late forms will not be approved.
MIT assumes no responsibility for the safety of any vehicle or its contents while parked on Institute property.
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Gate problems
Every gated lot has a speakerphone attached to the gate and a printed phone number you can call for assistance. The speakerphone’s black push button connects you to the Parking & Transportation Office or the MIT Police, depending on the time of day. In either case, you will connect with someone who can raise the gate (if warranted) from their remote location.
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Graduate Employee Daily parking
Graduate Employee Daily parking is available to eligible graduate student employees and provides access to more parking lots on campus for the standard daily parking rate with an annual cap that is higher than the cap for student parking accounts.
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Keep account up to date
Every parker is responsible for keeping parking account information up to date, including vehicle description(s) and license plate number(s). Failure to update your account could result in ticketing for a violation. You can log into your parking dashboard at any time to update your account details.
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Lots and locations
View a list of parking areas on campus.
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Medical parking request
- If you are an MIT employee who needs to change your parking location for medical reasons, see the request form for temporary parking accommodations from the MIT Disabilities Services and Medical Leaves Office (DSMLO).
- If you are an MIT student who needs to change your parking location for medical reasons, contact Disability and Access Services (das-student@mit.edu or 617-253-1674).
- An MIT parking account will be required, and MIT parking rates will apply.
- If you have a long-term medical condition that is permanent or progressive, and you wish to park in accessible spaces, you will need to apply for a disability plate or placard from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
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MIT Health parking lot
Only patients with appointments at MIT Health are eligible to park in the MIT Health (formerly MIT Medical) parking lot free of charge.
- The MIT Health lot gate requires patients to pull a ticket; the gate will not provide access via an MIT ID card.
- Patients can validate their tickets at any of the nine ticket validation stations within MIT Health. A validated ticket opens the parking lot gate and enables patients to exit free of charge.
- Any visitor exiting the MIT Health parking lot without a validated ticket will be required to pay $60 by credit card at the exit gate. This $60 charge will open the gate and is nonrefundable. Signs about this charge are posted at the parking lot entrance and exit gates.
- Note that holiday, evening, and weekend day parking at the MIT Health parking lot is not available to anyone (including MIT parking account holders) unless you are a patient with an appointment at MIT Health.
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Motorcycles
If you are an MIT commuter with a valid parking account, the account covers your motorcycle as well as your car. You do not need a specific motorcycle permit. You can register up to three vehicles (including motorcycles) on your parking account; just use the “+ another vehicle” function on your parking dashboard to add a motorcycle. However, note that only one vehicle at a time may park on campus under each permit.
- You can park a motorcycle in any lot within your designated parking area. Please utilize existing motorcycle spaces if available. Note that motorcycles should not be parked in any campus garages due to safety concerns associated with the ramps and decks. Motorcycles also should not be parked at campus bicycle racks.
- If you are an MIT campus resident (employee or student), you can only register one vehicle at a time on your parking account. Please see the FAQ below (Number of vehicles) about how to switch between your car and your motorcycle.
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Number of vehicles
- MIT employee and student commuters can register up to three permanent vehicles (including motorcycles) on your parking account. Please note that only one vehicle at a time may park on campus.
- MIT campus residents (employees or students) can register only one vehicle on your parking account. If you want to drive a different car or a motorcycle to campus, you can maintain your valid parking status by removing one vehicle (a car, for example) from your account and then adding another vehicle (a motorcycle, for example) to the account. You can use your parking dashboard to add and remove vehicles.
- Note that more than one vehicle can be included in a carpool account, but only one of the carpool vehicles can park on campus at a time.
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Parking authorization
Your parking authorization is based on a parking account (essentially a collection of information associated with your MIT ID card and your license plate) instead of a physical sticker on your car.
- Parkers in gated lots need an MIT ID to enter and exit through the gates. If you are not authorized to park in a particular area, the gate will not open.
- In ungated lots, parkers' license plates are scanned by License Plate Recognition (LPR) software installed on an MIT Parking Enforcement vehicle that patrols the lots.
You can log into your parking dashboard at any time to view which areas and lots you have been assigned to for parking.
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Parking Coordinators
Each department has a Parking Coordinator who is the subject matter expert on all commuting programs available to the department. If you have parking related questions, please consult with your department’s designated Parking Coordinator (or contact the Parking & Transportation Office).
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Parking location
Allocating parking on a campus of this size is a complicated process. If you already have parking, you maintain the same location unless you request a change. If you are a new applicant for parking, we will assign you to the most convenient location based on availability.
Employee and Graduate Employee Daily account holders: When you request parking, you provide the Parking & Transportation Office with information about where you work, and we make our best effort to find you a parking space within reasonable walking distance, based on lot availability and capacity.
- When we approve you for parking, you will receive a confirmation email stating the specific area of the campus where you are authorized to park. This information will also be included on your parking dashboard. The authorized area may have one or several lots; you can park anywhere within the authorized area (excluding residential and reserved spaces). The confirmation email will include a link to a map showing the locations.
Student commuters: All student commuters (including carpools) park in the Riverside area.
Campus residents: Campus residents park at the lot associated with their residence
- East Campus residents park in the Hayward Garage.
- West Campus residents park in the Riverside area.
- Northwest Campus residents park in the NW86 lot or garage.
- Heads of house park at the lot associated with their residence.
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Parking placards
Parking placards are intended for departmental business purposes and allow parking in an area other than your assigned parking area. The parking placard allows a parker with an MIT parking account to park in MIT lots and areas specified on the placard. Placards are not valid without a current MIT parking account.
Placard use is limited to two hours, and parkers must park in legal spaces. Placards are not to be used for all-day parking in more convenient locations.
To obtain a parking placard, contact your Parking Coordinator.
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Renewal
Once established, your parking account is maintained continuously until you cancel it, so there is no need for you to renew the account every year. You can cancel parking or make changes to your parking preferences at any time through your online parking dashboard or by contacting the Parking & Transportation Office.
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Reserved parking
There are a small number of designated reserved spots in some parking facilities. The Parking Committee actively discourages the designation of any parking space as a reserved spot, especially when it is requested solely for the sake of convenience.
The following are approved exceptions:
- Accessible Parking is reserved for individuals with disability parking plates.
- A few spaces have been reserved for department vehicles. These spaces are justified by the appropriate department on a yearly basis.
All requests for reserved parking spaces must be submitted annually to the Parking & Transportation Office via the department Parking Coordinator. These requests must include justification and an estimate of the space's usage. If a request is not submitted, or if it is denied, the reserved signage for that space will be removed, and the space will return to the regular commuter parking pool.
People who have a placard cannot park in a reserved space. Reserved spaces are only to be used by the authorized person or department.
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Responsibilities of all parkers
All parking on campus is at the vehicle owner’s risk. MIT and its employees are not responsible for any damage to or theft of the vehicle or any of its contents (including damage by fire).
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Scratch cards
For information about purchasing a scratch card for one-day parking on campus, please see our visitor page.
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Snow emergency
During snow emergencies, MIT requests that all cars be moved to indoor lots so that the outdoor parking areas may be plowed. For details, please see the regulations and enforcement page.
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Spouse/partner parking
MIT provides on-campus monthly-rate parking for the spouse or partner of a campus resident. Spouses or partners of parkers who commute should explore our options for campus visitors.
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Temporary parking
If you need temporary parking at MIT, there are several options, including public lots, scratch cards, and affiliate parking. Please contact the Parking & Transportation Office for more information.
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Temporary vehicle (a rental or loaner)
If you have a parking account and are temporarily driving a different vehicle to campus, you do not need an additional permit.
- All MIT parkers who commute may register up to two temporary vehicles on your parking account (in addition to three permanent vehicles); just use the “+ temporary vehicle” function on your parking dashboard to add the temporary vehicle. Temporary vehicle parking automatically expires after 30 days, at which time the temporary vehicle will be removed from your account.
- If you are a campus resident, you can register only one vehicle at a time, regardless of whether it is a permanent or temporary vehicle. If you have a temporary vehicle, you can login to your parking dashboard to remove the permanent vehicle from your account and then add the temporary one. When you are no longer using the temporary vehicle, you can login to your account and switch back.
Note: Only one vehicle at a time may park on campus under each permit, including temporary vehicles.
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Visitor parking
For information about visitor parking at MIT (either with a sponsored parking pass or in spaces available to the public), please see our visitor page.
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