Parking Services
Virtual Parking Permits Are the Smarter, Simpler Choice
- No trip to the Parking Office required. Your virtual semester parking permit is your vehicle license plate, it’s ready to go the moment you complete your purchase online.
- Update your vehicles anytime. Add or remove vehicles from your permit account 24/7—no sticker switching, no replacement fees, no problem.
- Maximum of two vehicles assigned to a permit. Only one vehicle may be on campus at any time.
Why hassle with a physical sticker when you can go fully virtual? WSU Vancouver joins WSU Pullman and WSU Spokane in implementing License Plate Recognition technology (LPR). We’re making it easier than ever for drivers to conveniently park on the WSU Vancouver campus. Here’s how virtual semester parking permits will improve your parking experience:
VIRTUAL ANNUAL/SEMESTER PERMIT SALES FOR 2026-2027 BEGIN JULY 20, 2026 AT MIDNIGHT AND ARE VALID AS SOON AS THEY ARE PURCHASED. Confirm your vehicle is assigned to your current term parking permit prior to parking on campus. Vehicles assigned to your permit must be kept updated to avoid the issuance of parking citations.
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Automated License Plate Recognition Privacy Policy
Washington State University Vancouver utilizes automated vehicle license plate recognition (ALPR) hardware and software for its parking system. ALPR and pay-by-plate technology specifically connect campus parking permits to individual vehicle license plates. These technology improvements significantly enhance and simplify customer experience, enforcement, and parking lot utilization analysis.
ALPR data is collected on the WSU Vancouver campus streets, parking lots and parking areas, and other areas that WSU Vancouver is or may become responsible for. ALPR data is collected by cameras positioned on a mobile vehicle-mounted system and fixed cameras.
Our “ALPR vehicle” is driven by trained personnel in parking locations throughout the WSU Vancouver campus. Our ALPR vehicle can be active 24 hours daily, 7 days a week.
Prohibited practices concerning ALPR:
- Disclose, share, or permit access to ALPR data except as required in a judicial proceeding.
- Provide direct access to its ALPR system to any entity except for other agencies authorized to use an ALPR system.
- Collect ALPR data on the premises or immediate surroundings of elementary or secondary schools, places of worship, courts, food banks, any facility conducting an immigration matter, or facilities that provide protected health care.
- Sell, lease, rent, or purchase ALPR data or audit trail data.
The ALPR system captures two photos of observed vehicles: (1) a context photo of the vehicle and its immediate surroundings and (2) a photo of the license plate. Typically, these photos are taken from the rear of the vehicle, although there are occasions when a photo is taken from the front (e.g. when a car is backed into a parking space). The photos are not of a resolution that allows identification of the vehicle occupants. Along with the photographic data, the system also records the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and date/time information of the observation. Further software processing of the vehicle license plate image generates an alphanumeric version of the vehicle license plate number, which is also stored with the parking ALPR record.
The intended use of data collected by the ALPR system is for parking activities and enforcement. ALPR data is used to determine a vehicle’s parking permit permissions in each parking area and support the issuance of a parking citation if needed. The data may be used by the WSU Vancouver Campus Police in assisting with immediate or ongoing safety concerns and conducting specific security investigations, and compulsory law enforcement investigations. Any use of the data for purposes outside of these stated purposes must be detailed and approved in writing through administrative channels by the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Finance and Operations.
Data collected by the ALPR system, not resulting in parking enforcement action or not part of an ongoing law enforcement investigation, may be retained up to 21 days. Statistical lot utilization data (generic vehicle counts) is retained indefinitely for parking program planning and operations. Data resulting in parking enforcement action is retained with the citation (ticket) records according to established WSU data retention policies. Data associated with an ongoing security and/or law enforcement investigation is retained until the investigation is completed or as directed by investigators or courts and/or in conformance with WSU data retention policies.
Exceptions: when retained for the purpose of parking enforcement, provided the data is deleted no later than 12 hours after final disposition of a parking enforcement case, including exhaustion of any applicable appeals process.
Access to records created and maintained by the ALPR system is restricted to trained WSU Vancouver parking personnel performing their duties and a limited number of WSU Vancouver Campus Police (WSU Vancouver Public Safety). All personnel with access to the system use unique identifiers and passwords to access records, and all login, record additions, and other activities are logged. Access to the system by others is strictly prohibited.
Note that data may be subject to the Washington Public Records Act and subject to legally recognized redaction.
Students, faculty and staff with a WSU Vancouver parking account may view information we have about their own individual vehicles at any time by logging onto their WSU Vancouver parking account.
WSU will notify the public of its ALPR data collection activities and policies via:
- Posting of this privacy policy on the WSU Vancouver Parking Services website.