During the summer, relaxed parking allows anyone with a valid University of Houston parking permit to park in any non-restricted and non-covered space in any ungated lot, regardless of the day or time.
Summer relaxed parking began at 3 p.m. on the last day of the spring regular session 1 (which was May 4) and runs through the day prior to the first day of fall classes (Aug. 20).
Not All Permits Are Eligible
Please keep in mind that relaxed parking does not apply to all UH parking permits. For example, if you have an evening-weekend permit, you cannot use it until 3 p.m., even during relaxed parking.
Also, if you have a Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday garage permit, you still have to park in your assigned garage if parking on campus. At no time can these permits be used to park in any ungated and uncovered parking lot.
And finally, UH at Katy permits can never be used on the main campus. This includes the summer and any other times of the year that relaxed parking is in effect, which includes:
Spring break (entire spring break week)
Thanksgiving break (3 p.m. Wednesday before Thanksgiving until 7 a.m. Monday).
Winter break (3 p.m. on the last day of fall regular session 1 class until 7 a.m. on the first day of spring semester)
On the following holidays: MLK Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, and Labor Day
By implementing these relaxed parking regulations, UH aims to make parking more accessible and stress-free during these specified periods.
Where You Cannot Park
Relaxed parking at no time lets anyone park in restricted spaces. These include:
20-minute unloading (unless it is for less than 20 minutes)
Text-to-pay visitor spaces (unless you pay for it)
Reserved spaces
Disabled spaces (unless you have the proper permit/credentials)
Fire lanes
There are nine ungated lots on campus that do not allow overnight parking. The relaxed parking rules DO NOT apply to these lots. If you park in these lots between 3 a.m. - 5 a.m., your vehicle will be towed.
Why Relaxed Parking is Offered
When school is in session, there are certain times of the week when campus is bustling. That is to be expected when there are 46,000 enrolled students and thousands more faculty and staff. During these times, it is imperative that everyone parks in their assigned locations.
There are times, though, when less people are on campus. This includes after 3 p.m., as well as Fridays and the weekend. Because there are less people there are more open parking spaces, which makes it easier to accommodate relaxed parking.
Despite our best efforts, parking enforcement still finds vehicles parking in spaces they are not supposed to park in. They find evening-weekend permit holders parking before 3 p.m. They find permit holders parking in text-to-pay visitor spaces. In these cases, people assumed they relaxed parking meant that all parking restrictions are lifted.
If at any time you are unsure about what relaxed parking allows and does not allow, just reach out to Parking and Transportation for clarification. That applies not only to relaxed parking, but any other parking-related situation.
