During its Thursday session at the University of Iowa’s Levitt Center for University Advancement , the Iowa Board of Regents approved proposed changes in parking rates and violations at all three of Iowa’s public universities.
In the proposal, the regents suggested increasing permit and citation rates in fiscal year 2027.
According to the proposal, the University of Iowa currently has 18,739 parking spaces across its campus, made up of 70 percent surface lots and 30 percent structured and ramp spaces. This parking serves many departments on campus, such as the University of Iowa Health Care.
The Board of Regents did not specifically discuss the proposal during their session, but approved it alongside several other agenda items.
The university will raise rates for all permits it offers, such as student storage permits and commuter permits. The storage permit specifically will increase by 10 percent, raising it from $594 per year to $612.
Temporary permits, which are used by visiting students and families, are expected to increase by an average of $3.50. Ramp reserved parking specifically will increase from $15 per day to $20.
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Rates of parking tickets will also be increasing for students. The biggest increase will be for the improper display of a hanging permit, which is proposed to rise by 300 percent, from $5 to $20.
Expired parking session fines, which are among the most common citations, will be increasing, from $15 to $35.
According to regent documents, the UI will put the revenue generated from the increased rates back into the school, including toward the development of new parking facilities and annual parking lot maintenance.
Any additional revenue generated will be utilized to replace or modify facilities affected by the University of Iowa’s 10-Year Facilities Master Plan, ensure repayment of loans used for parking development, upgrade parking gates and pay stations, and increase parking capacity.
The proposal also outlines a long-term plan for the university’s parking system. The UI plans to complete multiple projects on the West Side to account for growth of health sciences and patient care.
This includes completing a second 1,200-space ramp, replacing the Plaza Ramp, and adding another surface lot by the University of Iowa Health Care’s downtown campus. They also plan to upgrade parking gates and pay stations on campus.
According to the proposal, the university has made several upgrades to its parking system in fiscal year 2025. They began construction on and opened multiple new parking locations in 2025, along with maintaining existing locations.
The proposal also said that the University of Iowa implemented a Patient Parking Ambassador service in August 2025 to reduce patient stress caused by parking challenges. These ambassadors monitor ramps, guide patient vehicles, and redirect non-patient drivers elsewhere.