How to Cancel/Purchase a Permit

NOTE: Online sales for Spring 2025 semester permits begins December 9 at noon. MOST student permits are valid for the full academic year and renew automatically from Fall to Spring – no action is required. If your Fall permit is listed as FALL ONLY, then it expires Dec. 31, and you do need to buy a new permit for Spring to continue parking.

How to Cancel a Permit

The only way to cancel a permit you no longer want or need is to request the cancellation in writing (or in the case of physical permits, like stickers or hanging permits, by returning it to us).

IF YOU HAVE A PHYSICAL PERMIT (sticker or hanging permit):

Please remove your permit from your vehicle and bring it into one of our customer service centers during normal business hours, in the McCarthy Structure (for UPC; 8:30-5:00, M-F) or KAM 120 (for HSC; 7:30-4:00, M-F), or mail it to:.

ATTN: PERMIT CANCELLATION

USC Transportation

620 USC McCarthy Way, PSX-100

Los Angeles, CA 90089

IF YOUR PERMIT IS VIRTUAL (linked to your vehicle license plate):

Email us at auxtrans@usc.edu and explicitly request your permit be cancelled. NOTE: We do not pre-schedule cancellations for a future date – cancellation requests will be processed within 1-2 business days of the request being received. Please only email us when you want it actually cancelled.

In all cases, prorated refunds for cancelled permits will be based on the date on which it is cancelled (or the physical permit is returned). Permits returned after a permit start date are not eligible for a full refund.

How to Purchase a Parking Permit

Permits purchased through our parking portal can be paid for using all major credit cards, USC pre-tax payroll deduction (for faculty/staff), or by transferring charges to the USC fee bill system (for students). Most Fall semester parking permits will be available via online sales beginning May 15^th at noon.  Some high-demand areas still require the lottery-waitlist process, for which online registration begins May 1^st. NOTE: winning the lottery for a high-demand area does NOT mean that the space is free, it means you have won a coveted purchase opportunity.  Please read below for important dates and permit information.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Unless you purchase a product listed explicitly as “FALL ONLY,” it will renew automatically in the subsequent Spring semester. The dates listed on the permit itself are for the entire academic year (you don’t need a different permit in Spring), but the date listed online in the portal, and the related billing charges, are provided on a per-semester basis for financial aid reasons. If you purchase a normal permit and do NOT need it the following Spring semester for any reason (no longer have a vehicle, studying abroad, December graduation, etc.), YOU MUST CANCEL THE PERMIT (see processes above).

Parking permits can be purchased online through two different processes:

1. Online direct sale where spaces are readily available
2. Waitlist/Lottery system for areas where demand exceeds supply

If the location where you want to purchase a permit has spaces currently available (see table below), you can purchase the permit online starting May 15^th at noon.

You can purchase any permit available for direct sale by clicking here.  Once there, log into (or create) your USC Transportation account, then click on the grey ‘Get Permit’ button.

If the location where you want to purchase a permit is a high-demand area where demand exceeds supply (see table below), then assignments will be made through the waitlist/lottery process. You must enter your name on a waitlist for each desired location during the waitlist entry period (May 1-May 15); once that period ends, entrants will be picked at random and given an opportunity to purchase the permit.

To enter your name onto a parking waitlist for these limited structures, begin by clicking here.

Once there, log into (or create) your USC Transportation account, then:

Lost your permit or never received it?  Please fill out our Lost Permit Form.  Once completed, visit our office to obtain your new permit.