How to Purchase a Permit

NEW!  Fall 2026 Student Permit Sale Dates and Information is now available! (posted July 1)

 

 

We've gone paperless; your license plate linked to an active permit or daily pass is your permission to park on campus.

We’ve gone paperless; your license plate linked to an active permit or daily pass is your permission to park on campus.

 

USC Transportation has been paperless since July 2025! We no longer issue physical objects like parking permit stickers or hang tags – the license plate of your vehicle will be your permission to park on campus.

Our software system, AIMS (https://usc.aimsparking.com) requires you to associate a vehicle to your permit purchase. If you do not yet have a vehicle, but would like to purchase a permit online, please use the following information:

  • Plate #: enter your ten digit USCID (this creates a unique license plate record in AIMS)
  • State/Prov.: select the word “Pending” from the drop-down list (this tells us this is not a real vehicle record)
  • Year/Make/Model/Color: enter anything (these are mandatory fields, but the information entered does not matter for a fake vehicle record)

Since our Enforcement team uses license plate recognition, be sure to log back into your account and make a permanent vehicle change in AIMS once you have acquired a vehicle.

 

How to Purchase a Parking Permit – Video Tutorials!

The following video tutorials are currently available:

NEW! How to purchase a Fall 2026 student permit using AIMS

(5:11 long)

 

Employee Value Permits

The following is a step-by-step guide to walk you through the purchasing/redemption process:

  1. Visit https://usc.aimsparking.com
  2. Select the “Login” button on the top right, and log in using your shibboleth credentials
  3. From the main page, select the “Order Permits” box at the bottom
  4. On the following page, select the “Employee 2x/ and 3x/week Value Permits”
  5. On the following page, select the specific product you want
  6. On the following page, either choose from your list of vehicles in your account, OR select the “Add Vehicle” button to associate vehicle(s) to this permit. NOTE: Every vehicle in AIMS must be associated to a permit, so you may have to add vehicles back into your account in this new system if they did not import over. Select the “Confirm” button to continue.
  7. On the following page, read the terms of service, check the box to agree to them, and select the “Add Permit to Cart” button
  8. Verify your email, and select the “Checkout” button. Your purchase will automatically be charged to your next payroll cycle (indicated under the dollar amount on this final page) on a prorated basis. NOTE: USC payroll or credit card (for the full amount) are the only options for online purchases – if you need to pay using a different means, please visit our office in the McCarthy Structure (UPC) or KAM-120 (HSC) during normal business hours.

Value permits no longer require registration of your visit to campus – all you have to do is pull in and park! Campus visits are tracked through LPR (License Plate Recognition) technology, so all you have to do is keep within your allotted number of visits per month and you are good to go, with no further action required. You DO need to ensure that the vehicle you are bringing to campus is linked to your permit (visit https://usc.aimsparking.com and select the “Vehicles” tab).

You also need to track monthly usage on your own; 2x/week value permits are allowed up to ten (10) campus visits in a given calendar month, and 3x/week value permits are allowed up to fifteen (15) campus visits in a calendar month. You must pay the daily rate of parking for every campus visit beyond those limits (e.g., starting with your eleventh and sixteenth visit to campus, respectively). There is not an easy way to track usage through your portal; please use an option such as your outlook calendar, a piece of paper in your vehicle, the notes app on your phone, etc. to keep track of your own usage.

 

How to Cancel a Parking Permit

The only way to cancel a permit you no longer want or need is to complete our online permit cancellation form. IMPORTANT NOTE: Submitted cancellation forms are typically processed within one business day – please complete this form WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WANT YOUR PERMIT CANCELLED. We do not accept requests for future dates – if you need the cancellation processed at a later date, please submit the form on that later date.

In all cases, prorated refunds for cancelled permits will be based on the date on which it is cancelled (exception: prorated refunds are not available during the final month of a given semester). Permits returned after a permit start date has passed are not eligible for a full refund.