There are many places to park in State College and on Penn State’s campus, if you know where to look.
Check out the following information and tips for a smooth parking experience:
Downtown meters
More than 420 metered parking spots are available on downtown streets, and you can use nickels, dimes, quarters or cash keys to pay the $1-an-hour cost. Cash keys let you park by inserting the key, rather than cash, into the meter. Buy a key at the parking office, 243 S. Allen St.
Street meters are enforced from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Parking at borough street meters is free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays.
Watch the color of the meters. Gold means 90-minute or two-hour parking is allowed, red is for 30-minute parking, and silver is for five-hour parking.
Meters in borough-owned parking lots cost 75 cents per hour and are enforced from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Lot spaces are free after 6 p.m. on Thursdays.
The lots in the 100 block of South Fraser Street and 100 block of West Beaver Avenue have three-hour meters. The lot in the 200 block of South Allen Street has five-hour meters.
A parking deck in the 100 block of McAllister Street has three- and five-hour meters. Its second level is reserved for monthly renters from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.
Parking isn’t allowed on many borough streets from 2 to 6 a.m. and violators can be ticketed. The police department can grant temporary exceptions from the rule if you place a request by calling the non-emergency number, 234-7150.
New meter technology is expected to be installed by the end of the year. The municipal parking lots on Beaver, South Allen and the first level of the McAllister deck will offer a system that allows payment by credit card or smartphone app, as well as cash.
Downtown garages
Three parking garages are in the 100 blocks of South Pugh and South Fraser streets and the 200 block of West Beaver Avenue.
They are open 24 hours a day and the rate is 75 cents per hour. Overnight parking is 50 cents per hour from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Event rates may apply.
Free parking is available Sundays in the garages and all municipal lots, except for weekends with football games or special events.
Drivers can use EZ Cards to avoid paying with cash for garage parking. For information, see the Beaver Avenue garage parking attendant or call 278-4769.
Downtown violations
Fines range from $6 to $25 and are higher for parking illegally in handicapped spaces or in fire lanes. After 72 hours, the cost of an unpaid ticket increases.
You can pay parking tickets online at www.statecollegepa.us, mail ticket payments or drop them off at the State College Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801.
For additional parking information, including details about renting spaces from the borough, call 234-7150.
The parking office also can provide information on permits, which often are necessary if you want to park on a residential street for more than two hours. Keep in mind: Towing costs easily can run about $80 or more. All rates listed here are subject to change.
Downtown parking tips
• Pay tickets quickly. Extra fees are added to those not paid after three and 30 days. If you pay a meter violation ticket within 30 minutes, it costs just $3. After 15 days a notice is sent to the vehicle owner’s address, often the students’ parents. If you forget to pay multiple tickets, your vehicle may be booted.
• “No parking” signs mean no parking. Putting on your flashers does not allow parking in a “no parking” zone.
• Don’t forget the state laws you learned when taking your driving test. Not all laws require signs and laws differ between states. If you are from outside Pennsylvania or need a refresher, free copies of the state drivers manual are available at the borough police department, in the municipal building, 243 S. Allen St.
• Parking permissions for overnight guests must be made during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling 234-7150. The borough no longer accepts permissions after hours or on weekends. Have the make, model and license plate number ready when you call. Three permissions are allowed per month, per address.
Campus parking
Sophomores, juniors and seniors living on campus are eligible to buy a campus parking permit. Prices range from $10 or $20 per week to $280 or $640 for two semesters. Parking is limited and is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Any student who plans on parking a car on campus at any time, for any reason, must purchase the appropriate permit.
Permits also are available for students who live off campus. A limited number of special, long-term storage permits are available. They allow students to park in their assigned campus lot 24/7. Rates for those permits range from $16 per week to $320 for fall and spring semester. Prices for commuter permits are $55 per semester or $90 for fall and spring.
Parking is prohibited in all commuter lots from 2 to 4 a.m. daily.
Student, faculty and staff permits are available at the parking office in the Eisenhower Deck. They’re color coded for different sections of campus, and costs vary.
All campus parking lots are reserved and drivers should check the signs posted at each lot for specific reservation hours and additional restrictions.
When you purchase a permit, you may only park in the lots corresponding to the color and number of your assigned permit. However, on evenings and weekends, most faculty/staff lots are open to vehicles displaying a valid student permit. Check signs for details.
Visiting campus
There are three parking garages on campus — the East, Nittany and HUB Decks. Short-term parking costs $1 per hour.
The Nittany Deck is beside the Nittany Lion Inn and accessible from the campus’ Park Avenue entrance, the HUB Deck is on Shortlidge Road and the East Deck is on Bigler Road, next to the Creamery.
Student permits are only valid in the East, HUB and Nittany decks after 4 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. To park in the decks on weekdays, students must take a stub from the machine to lift the gate, and present the stub to the attendant upon exiting, making sure the attendant sees the permit.
For all-day parking in certain lots, visitors can buy a special $4 cash daily permit. Those permits are available at the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau and in the parking office in the Eisenhower Deck. The parking office is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Permits can also be purchased from the information booths across campus from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Metered spaces, which cost a quarter for each 15 minutes, are also open to visitors. The meters accept U.S. quarters only and have varied maximum time allowed. There are 30-minute maximum meters, one- and two-hour maximum meters and eight-hour maximum meters. Check the meter heads for details.  
Campus violations
For those with unregistered vehicles, parking fines range from $11 for a meter violation, to $50 for improperly parking in a handicapped space.
For registered vehicles, parking fines range from $7 for not properly displaying a permit, to $50 for a handicapped violation or parking on campus when privileges have been revoked.
Tickets on unregistered vehicles must be paid within 30 days or they are filed in district court. If an unregistered vehicle receives an abundance of tickets, it may be towed at the owner’s expense.
For registered vehicles, owners will receive a $3 late fee after 30 days. If you pay a ticket within three business days, you’ll get a $2 fee reduction. Penn State may revoke your permit if you acquire too many tickets.