Author: Zi Wang

Fall 2023 semester parking permits will go on sale online only at parking.gmu.edu. Parking permits will only be sold on a per-semester basis. Semester and daily/weekly/monthly parking permit rates are posted on the Parking and Transportation website.

Permit sales begin on the dates below for each group rather than all at once like in the past. You can purchase a permit any time after the dates below. 

• Faculty, staff, graduate students, and seniors: Tuesday, July 25, at 8 a.m. EDT
• Juniors and sophomores: Thursday, July 27, at 8 a.m. EDT
• Freshmen: Friday, July 28, at 8 a.m. EDT

Payroll Deduction Permits
Returning faculty/staff currently participating in the payroll deduction program: Permits will automatically renew in September with the new rates for the 2023–24 year taking effect. You will need to access your account and ensure the correct vehicles are associated with your permit. The vehicle associated with your current permit will automatically associate with your Fall 2023 permit. You may add up to three vehicles to a payroll deduction permit.

New faculty/staff participants in the payroll deduction program may associate up to three vehicles when signing up for a new permit. 

Payroll deduction parking permits may be returned at any time to stop future deductions.

To add, exchange, or return a payroll deduction permit, complete the Payroll Deduction Permit Application form.

Virtual Permits Begin August 1:
You must associate your license plate with your parking permit by August 1 or when you purchase a new semester permit.

For guidance on how to associate vehicles to a permit, follow the step-by-step instructions on the Parking and Transportation website. To remove vehicles that you no longer use, own, or possess, complete the Vehicle Deactivation Request form to remove the vehicles from your parking portal.

Permit Options and Rates:

Use the link below to view parking permit rates for each employee classification:

• Faculty and Staff Parking Rates (Fairfax and SciTech) (PDF)
• Mason Square Parking Rates (PDF)

To Purchase a Permit: 

• Go to parking.gmu.edu and click on “Purchase Your Permit.”
• Log in with your Mason ID and password and then click “Purchase Your Permit.”
• Verify and/or edit your mailing address.
• Select the parking permit you would like to purchase.
• Please read all the rules and regulations associated with the parking permit you intend to purchase, and if you agree, click the Accept button. You are responsible for adhering to the posted rules, so please make sure you understand and agree before making a purchase.
• Verify permit type and information listed prior to inputting payment information.

Review the locations where your chosen parking permit is valid, as well as the rules and regulations on the Parking and Transportation website.

Reserved Parking Deck/Garage Permits: 

Reserved Parking Deck/Garage parking permits (except Shenandoah Deck) require an access device to enter/exit the reserved area of the parking deck/garage. Also, parking deck permit holders will be issued a QR code as an alternate mode of access, which can be printed out or used directly from a mobile phone.

If you are purchasing the same reserved Parking Deck/Garage parking permit for the Fall 2023 semester that you had for the Spring 2023 semester, your current access device will be reactivated. To obtain or exchange an access device, visit the Parking Services Office on your campus. (Access devices are not required at the SciTech Campus.)

Fairfax Campus Parking Office
Located next to the Shenandoah Parking Deck
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.)

Mason Square Parking Office
Van Metre Hall, Room 219
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Note: Please allow two business days to obtain an access device after permit purchase.

Short Term Parking:
Students, faculty, and staff who do not require parking on campus on a regular basis may consider daily, weekly, and monthly options available online. Hourly visitor parking is available in all parking garages with a $19 daily maximum.

Daily parking options are available for Lots L/K for $11.50/day, Lots M, O, and P at the Field House for $7.50/day, and at the West Campus lot for $5.50/day. Daily permits for these options are available online at parking.gmu.edu, requiring one to register with the license plate attached to the permit. All of these locations also have mobile payment options through the ParkMobile app. A pay-by-license-plate pay station is located in Lot O at the Field House as an additional payment option for Lots M, O, and P.

Daily parking permits are also available for the SciTech Campus for $8.50/day, with hourly options available via the ParkMobile app.

Weekly and monthly permits are also available online for Lots L/K and West Campus lot.

Reserved Parking Permit Rules and Regulations:
Reserved parking permits are sold in limited quantities to ensure space availability to permit holders under normal conditions. Reserved areas may be used as overflow parking on occasion, but reserved parking permit holders will still be assured a parking space.

The only exceptions to these rules are Mason Pond and Shenandoah evening parking permits, which are valid in the General permit areas at all times.

SciTech Campus
Fairfax/SciTech General, Mason Square, or any Fairfax reserved lot (I, J, R) or parking deck permit is valid in the SciTech Campus General lots (Occoquan, Discovery, King, and Tower). The Hylton Lot will be completely or partially closed at times as construction begins on a new academic building. Mason parking permits are not allowed in the Freedom Center parking lot.

Mason Square
In order to purchase a Mason Square parking permit, you must be working or taking a class there. Each parking permit type at Mason Square is valid in Fairfax and SciTech Campus General parking areas.

Free parking and alternative transportation options are also available (Mason Shuttles, biking, or public transportation). Visit transportation.gmu.edu for more information. 

• Free Mason Shuttles run regularly between the Fairfax Campus and Vienna Metro, SciTech Campus, Mason Square, and area shopping centers (Gunston Go Bus). Many routes have schedule changes from this past spring, including reduced service levels on Fridays. Check shuttle.gmu.edu for details. Fall shuttle schedules will be posted by the first week in August.
• CUE Bus is free with Mason ID. Travel through City of Fairfax and to/from Vienna Metro. Check cuebus.org for details.

Motorcycles, Mopeds, and Motorized Scooters:
All motorcycles, mopeds, and motorized scooters are required to have a parking permit when parking on any of Mason’s campuses. Parking will only be permitted in dedicated motorcycle parking areas with a motorcycle permit, or in a regular vehicle space with a valid parking permit. A dedicated motorcycle/moped/scooter parking permit can be purchased individually or added as an additional license plate when purchased with a regular vehicle parking permit. Motorcycle parking permits are sold in the Parking Services Office.

Please note that personally owned e-scooters similar to the rental ones available around campus may be parked at bike racks.

Contact Us:
For questions or concerns, contact parking@gmu.edu. Follow Mason Parking and Transportation on Twitter and Facebook.

We want to share information about changes to parking permits. Starting with the fall semester of 2023, Mason will transition to a program where your license plate serves as your parking credential. Hangtag permits will no longer be issued, with very few exceptions.

Virtual parking permits will be sold online only at parking.gmu.edu. The same permit options as previously offered will be available for purchase.

Fall semester permits will go on sale in late July. Parking permit rates and sales dates are expected to be announced early this summer and will be posted at parking.gmu.edu, along with more information on virtual permits.

For those with a DMV-issued ADA accessible permit, the permit process will not change.

This virtual parking permit system will have a positive environmental impact, as the university will no longer need to print and mail 50,000 permits each year. This reduces waste, plastic production, and emissions required for delivery.

Mason employees who are enrolled in the Payroll Deduction Program to pay for parking permits will receive an email with specific instructions and dates to register with the system, how to associate the appropriate vehicles with their permit, or add a vehicle to their profile. Virtual permits will be renewed automatically on September 1 for Payroll Deduction participants.

Faculty and staff who are not enrolled the Payroll Deduction Program will need to purchase permits each semester. Single-semester permits will go on sale in late July. Be on the lookout for subsequent communications. You will need to associate the desired vehicle(s) with your permit or add a vehicle to be subsequently associated with your permit.

Vehicle limits: Up to three vehicles will be allowed to be associated with an employee’s virtual permit. Note: Only one vehicle associated with a permit may be parked in the appropriate location at any given time.

Households with multiple Mason employees and vehicles should plan for each vehicle to have a permit (or use visitor parking) when parked at the permitted lot or location at the same time. If more than one vehicle associated with a permit is parked in the permitted area at a time, the second vehicle will be issued a citation.

You may see vehicles from past years in your account. If you have vehicles no longer in use that you wish to have removed, please send the vehicle information to parking@gmu.edu.

Visit virtual permit FAQs for more information about this new virtual permit program.

FAQs will be updated as needed. Contact Parking Services at parking@gmu.edu or 703-993-2710 for additional guidance.

We want to share information about changes to parking permits. Starting with the fall semester of 2023, Mason will transition to a program where your license plate serves as your parking credential. Hangtag permits will no longer be issued (with very few exceptions).

Virtual parking permits will be sold online only at parking.gmu.edu. The same permit options as previously offered will be available for purchase.

Fall semester permits for students will go on sale in late July. Parking permit rates and sales dates are expected to be announced early this summer and will be posted at parking.gmu.edu, along with more information on virtual permits.

For those with a DMV-issued ADA accessible permit, the permit process will not change.

This virtual parking permit system will have a positive environmental impact, as the university will no longer need to print and mail 50,000 permits each year. This reduces waste, plastic production, and emissions required for delivery.

Vehicle limits:
1) Resident students will be allowed one vehicle to be registered per virtual permit.

2) Off-campus students will be allowed up to two vehicles to be associated with each virtual permit, but only one vehicle associated with a permit may be parked in the appropriate location at any given time. Households with multiple vehicles and Mason drivers should plan for each vehicle to have a permit (or use visitor parking) when parked on campus at the same time. If two or more vehicles associated with a permit are parked in the permitted area at the same time, the second vehicle will be issued a citation.

Visit virtual permit FAQs for more information about this new virtual permit program.

FAQs will be updated as needed. Contact Parking Services at parking@gmu.edu or 703-993-2710 for additional guidance.