Are you a student looking for parking options around Athens? As a UGA student myself, I understand how frustrating it may be trying to find parking in Athens. While there are a variety of options to choose from, this doesn’t necessarily make the process easy.
Whether you need short-term parking or a monthly parking contract, you can expect to compete with many others who are also looking for the best spot to park.
At Rambler, we have helped hundreds of students find housing, and understand that it is important to understand your options for parking near UGA.
For this reason, we’ve compiled this guide to on-campus and off-campus parking in Athens, GA. In this article, we’re covering everything from location to pricing to help you fully understand your UGA parking options.
UGA Parking Options in Athens, GA
Parking Options: On-Campus
Photo Courtesy of UGA Parking Services
If you’re living on-campus or need to be on campus frequently, you might be considering a parking spot on the University of Georgia campus. We will discuss street and garage parking options, as well as pricing, on UGA campus.
Street Parking
Throughout UGA campus, there are side streets that you can park your car on for free, so long as there isn’t a sign that says “permit only.” If there is a “permit only” sign, parking is enforced Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Garage Parking
Photo Courtesy of Smallwood
Visitor Garage Parking
Living on-campus? If you’re looking for UGA parking on-campus for an extended time period, the University of Georgia has a variety of parking decks located throughout campus.
In most decks, you must have a permit in order to park there Monday through Friday, or you will risk getting a ticket. Permit parking is not enforced on the weekends, so you can park in any lot Saturday and Sunday for free.
If you don’t have a permit and still wish to park on campus, there are a number of visitor decks that allow you to park for a fee. Visitors can pay to park in these decks by using the Park Mobile app or the kiosks stationed at each deck.
There are six visitor decks on campus:
- N06 – North Campus Deck
- S11 – South Campus Deck
- N11 – Tate Center Deck
- E20 – Performing Arts Center Deck
- S15 – Carlton St Deck
- E04 – East Campus Deck
Permit Garage Parking
Every year towards the end of the spring semester, students can apply for a parking permit in a specific on-campus garage for the upcoming academic year. Parking permits are granted based on the Priority System.
The Priority System is the algorithm that assigns parking spots to students at UGA. The system ranks students by their relationship to UGA.
According to the Priority System, on-campus garage permits are awarded based on the priority of your “user group.” The groups include administration, senior administration, faculty and staff, as well as graduate and undergraduate commuters and residents.
It is important to note that different parking garages/decks have different priorities based on their location. For example, on-campus residents have priority in a “housing lot,” but administration and faculty will have priority in an “administration lot.”
Remember to take into consideration where you fall within the Priority System of the lot you are wishing to park in. If you’re in a lower priority group, it’s probably a good idea to consider a backup parking option!
Pricing
Visitor garage parking at UGA starts at $1 for half an hour, $3 for an hour, $5 for one to two hours, and $1 for each additional hour after. The maximum daily parking fee for visitor garage parking decks is $10, so you won’t be charged more than that regardless of how long you are parked.
Daily parking is a good option if you just occasionally need to bring your car to campus. If you’re hoping to keep your car on campus all year or use it to commute to campus on a daily basis, it is best to look into getting a parking permit.
At the date of publication in January 2024, student parking permits range from $50 to $200 per semester depending on the zone. Motorcycle and scooter parking permits are around $10 per month. You can view the Priority Parking Areas Map to determine the monthly rate for your desired parking garage.
Parking Options: Off-Campus
Aside from on-campus UGA parking, the downtown Athens, Milledge and Five Points areas offer a variety of parking options.
Downtown
On the edge of North Campus is downtown Athens. Downtown Athens has hundreds of metered parking spots where you can park for an hourly fee.
Downtown Athens Garages
If you need a short-term parking option near campus, there are numerous garages around downtown Athens.
In the Washington Street deck and the College Avenue deck, the first 30 minutes are free, after which it’s just $1 an hour. Since North Campus is on the edge of downtown, parking garages located downtown could be great options for you to park for class.
Downtown Athens Street Parking
Downtown Athens street parking is $1.50 an hour, enforced 24/7 Monday through Saturday, with free parking all day on Sundays.
Milledge and Five Points
The Greek houses on Milledge have just enough parking spots for the students that live in the house each calendar year. If you live in one of these houses or any other residence on Milledge, you can park here and walk to campus or catch a ride from the UGA bus system.
There are also side streets off of Milledge in the Five Points area where you can park for free as long as there isn’t a sign that says “permit only”. These side streets are a great option for parking as they are only a walk away from campus.
For an easy-to-read list of parking options, download our list of parking options near UGA!
Read Next: Ultimate Guide to Living Off-Campus for UGA Students
We hope that this guide has helped you understand your parking options on the University of Georgia campus.
If you are interested in living at Rambler, please contact our leasing staff, who are happy to answer any questions you may have about our parking options.
Originally published 6/16/2023. Last updated 1/4/2024.
