Parking and Citations FAQs

Questions

Questions about Vehicle Registration

Questions about Citations

Questions about Vehicle Registration

Regardless of your housing situation, if your vehicle will be used as transportation to or from campus or as transportation on campus, you must register your vehicle and get a parking permit.

No, at this time we do not offer online vehicle registration.  Paper registration forms and copies of the Linfield College Traffic and Parking Regulations are available at the LCS office.  Additionally, the regulations are available on the Linfield Campus Safety web page.

All students need to register their vehicles every year.  This allows us to keep our records as up-to-date as possible.

A parking permit for the entire academic year costs $85.00.  This cost is charged directly to your student account, and is payable at the Cashier’s office in Melrose Hall.  The LCS office will accept no payments.  Any questions about your student account should be directed to the Business Office.

Parking permits are issued for the entire academic year.  We do not issue any semester-only permits.  Extenuating circumstances may be considered on an individual, case-by-case basis.

No, you do not need to provide your DMV vehicle registration when registering with LCS. 

If you are going to be bringing a different vehicle back to campus for the remainder of the year, bring the old permit back to campus with you and return it to the LCS office when you come to register your new vehicle.  If you are simply trading vehicles, you just need to register the new vehicle and get a new permit.  In this case, you will not be charged for the replacement permit.

If you are using a different vehicle temporarily (for example, your regular vehicle is at the repair shop for a week or two and you’ve got your mom’s car in the meantime), you’ll need to temporarily register the different vehicle at the LCS office.

You need to notify LCS as soon as possible about your situation.  Come in to the LCS office and make sure you bring the license plate number, make, model, and color of the temporary vehicle.  You’ll also need to let us know when you expect your regular car back on campus (and if this information changes— for example, if the repair shop needs to back-order parts, be sure to let us know).

You should register your vehicle with LCS as soon as possible.  You don’t need to wait until your “real” plates arrive.  Just make sure you let us know that it’s a temporary permit or license number, and be sure to get the updated license to us as soon as the new plates come.

If your parking permit gets stolen, let the LCS office know as soon as possible.  We can then issue you a new permit sticker (at no cost to you), and we will mark the old permit as stolen.  If anyone is found to be in possession of or using your old permit, they will be in possession of stolen property.

Student parking permits must be displayed on the EXTERIOR of your vehicle, on either the diver’s side rear window or the driver’s side rear bumper, and readily visible.  No other location is acceptable; parking permits may not be affixed with tape or by any other temporary means.  If your parking permit is observed incorrectly displayed, you will receive a “Failure to Display” citation.

We recommend that permits be affixed to the driver’s side rear window (rather than the bumper) to make the sticker easier to remove.  Heating the sticker with a hair dryer (or attempting removal on a hot summer day) makes the process easier; any remaining sticky residue can be removed with a commercial “goo remover,” such as Goo Gone® or Goof Off®.  Be sure to read and properly follow all instructions prior to “goo remover” use; some products may damage vehicle paint.

As stated in the Linfield College Traffic and Parking Regulations, the College requires ANY motor vehicles that will be used as transportation to or from campus, or on campus, be registered with the Campus Safety Department.

Furthermore, the regulations define the words “motor vehicle” and “vehicle” as any motor powered conveyance including, but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and motor scooters.  Since the golf cart in question falls under the definition of a motor powered conveyance, YES, you need to register your golf cart.  You also need to operate the golf cart in a manner that follows all Oregon motor vehicle laws and Linfield Traffic and Parking Regulations.

LCS currently does not issue visitor parking permits, however it is best if you notify us of your visitor’s vehicle.  Come to the LCS office or call 503.883.SAFE (7233) with your name and ID number, as well as your visitor’s vehicle’s license plate number, vehicle make and model, and when they will be on campus. 

As long as your visitor is parked in accordance with Oregon state law and the Linfield College Traffic and Parking Regulations, there should be no problem.  Your visitor may park in any regular parking space.  If the visiting vehicle is issued a “Failure to Display” citation, an email confirming cancellation of the citation will be sent to you. 

You are still responsible for your vehicle while it is parked on campus, even if for an extended period of time.  Linfield College and LCS will not be responsible for your vehicle while you are gone.  If you wish to park your vehicle for an extended period, we recommend that you take the following steps:

Make sure your vehicle is registered with LCS.
Notify LCS that you wish to leave your vehicle on campus while you are abroad for Jan Term, and let us know when you expect to be back on campus.
Clean out the passenger area(s) of your vehicle.  Remove anything (CDs, the stereo face or other electronics, paperwork, sports equipment, etc.) that may tempt a thief to break into your vehicle.
Park your vehicle in the South Keck parking lot (near the Facilities Services building), under a street light, if possible.

If you are going to be away from campus for longer than a January Term (if you are studying abroad for an entire semester, for example), we recommend that you do NOT leave your vehicle on campus while you are gone.

Questions about Citations

When you receive a parking or traffic citation from Campus Safety, you have two options.  You can either:
Go to the Cashier’s office in Melrose Hall to pay the fine specified for the particular violation for which the citation was issued, or

Come in to the LCS office and fill out a parking citation appeal.  Make sure you bring your copy of the citation with you; you will need the citation number and date to file the appeal. 

Either of these options must be completed WITHIN SEVEN (7) DAYS of the citation being issued.  If you do not pay the fine or appeal within seven days, the fine will double and you will no longer be able to file an appeal.  The doubled fine amount will be charged directly to your student account.

ALL DECISIONS REGARDING THE RESULTS OF PARKING CITATION APPEALS ARE FINAL.  WHEN FILING YOUR APPEAL, BE SURE THAT YOU INCLUDE ALL THE INFORMATION YOU WISH TO HAVE CONSIDERED.

No, you may not appeal your parking or traffic citation by email or telephone.  We accept citation appeals IN WRITING ONLY on the Citation Appeal Form available only in the LCS office.

ALL DECISIONS REGARDING THE RESULTS OF PARKING CITATION APPEALS ARE FINAL. 

If your citation appeal was granted/upheld, you don’t need to do anything.

If your citation appeal was denied, your citation fines will be forwarded to your student account and are payable at the Cashier’s office in Melrose.

From time to time, LCS may respond to citation appeals with a “Fix it” solution.  If you are notified that you need to complete some other process (registering your vehicle, re-positioning your parking permit, etc.) in order for your appeal to be granted, follow the instructions you are given in your notification email. 

Quoting directly from the Linfield College Traffic and Parking Regulations:

“No parking is allowed at any time in areas marked by yellow or red curbs, fire lanes, loading zones, crosswalks, landscaped areas, sidewalks, areas needed for truck access to trash dumpsters, or areas marked by ‘No Parking’ signs.  Neither shall these areas be used as loading zones or waiting areas, for any length of time.  You may NOT stop or park your vehicle in a no-parking area for any reason, even if it is ‘just for a minute.’”

In short, NO, you cannot park in the dumpster driveway area, even if it’s “just for a minute,” even if “everyone else does it.” Please also note that putting your hazard lights on never makes illegal/improper parking okay.

You are responsible for the vehicle you register with Linfield Campus Safety.  Any and all violations, citations, etc., issued to your vehicle are your responsibility, no matter who was operating the vehicle at the time.

Linfield community members may not park in visitor parking spaces at any time.
Students, staff, and faculty members may use the 15-minute parking spaces in front of Melrose Hall (on Founders Way), but only for a maximum of 15-minutes.

Overnight Parking is prohibited in the following areas:
Founder's Way
Ford Drive
Library Court
Pioneer Way
Cook Hall driveway
All loading zones
All 10- and 15-minute parking areas
All visitor parking spaces
Marked spaces on the north end of Renshaw Avenue
Bull Music Center lot (except for in marked spaces)

Overnight citations are issued to vehicles parked in these areas between 2 AM and 5 AM.


I’m just running in to the AD office in Mahaffey for a few moments.  I can’t find close parking—I can just put my flashers on and park in this striped space NEXT to the handicapped parking space, right?  It isn’t a handicapped space, is it?

Actually, that striped area adjacent to the handicapped parking space is the handicapped loading zone.  Parking in this space for ANY length of time will result in a handicapped parking violation citation.  Flashers/hazard lights to do NOT make parking illegally okay.
Handicapped parking spaces are to be used ONLY by vehicles displaying appropriate identification as described in ORS 811.602.  Vehicles with handicapped permits are also required to display a Linfield parking permit.
Please note that the McMinnville Police Department patrols the Linfield Campus with regard to handicapped parking areas.  The city’s fine for illegally parking in a handicapped zone IS applicable on campus and can range upwards of $400.00 per violation.

Responsibility for locating a legal parking space rests with the operator of the motor vehicle.  Lack of nearby space will not be considered a valid reason for violating any Linfield parking regulation.

If at any time, and for any reason, you feel unsafe walking from your vehicle to your residence, you can call LCS at 503.883.SAFE (7233) for an escort.

All Traffic and Parking Regulations are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Linfield College Safety Department
Emergency Number - Linfield Extension SAFE (7233)
Outside Emergency Number - (503) 435-SAFE (7233)

McMinnville Police Department
Emergency Number (From Campus) - 9-911
Non-Emergency Number - (503) 434-7307

E-mail to Campus Safety Department: security@linfield.edu