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General Information:
The TAPS Office is located on the northern end of campus in Facilities Building A.
The TAPS Office hours are Monday-Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm, closed from 12:00pm-1:00pm for lunch.
You can reach TAPS at 209-228-8277 or taps@ucmerced.edu.
You can also visit us on Facebook and Twitter!
It is strongly recommended that your bicycle be registered through UC Merced's Bicycle Registration Program. Please visit the Public Safety website for more information on registration.
For personal use, UC Merced has partnered with Zipcar to bring self-service, on-demand car sharing to Merced and the surrounding community. Cars are conveniently located in the LeGrand Lot and the Half Dome parking off Ranchers Road and Library Lot 1. For UC business, contact TAPS to reserve a Fleet vehicle.
Parking permit enforcement varies by location. All specially marked spaces and zones are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Permit enforcement hours can be found here.
Hourly parking permits for visitors are available from the yellow kiosks in Bellevue Lot or at the TAPS Office with cash or check. Kiosk permits are available for temporary parking in any non-specially marked space in Bellevue Lot. These permits must be clearly displayed on the vehicle dash. Kiosks accept credit/debit cards, coins, and one dollar bills only. No change will be given. ADA Parking is available throughout campus if needed and a campus parking permit must be also be displayed.
Yes, charging stations are available on campus. We have two ChargePoint stations in the Library Lot. Charge Point registration and additional information is available here. There are also two electric vehicle charging stations in North Bowl Lot and two zero emissions charging stations in the Le Grand Lot. These spaces provide access for charging purposes only. A valid semester or annual parking permit is required when charging. When charging is complete, the vehicle must be moved to an alternate location, where a valid UC Merced permit will need to be displayed. Please do not unplug other vehicles without permission from the vehicle owner.
UC Merced honors all quarterly and annual faculty/staff parking permits from other University of California campuses. You may park in any of the non-specially marked "general" spaces in any lot. Such permits are not valid for parking in Reserved, Carpool, University Business or disabled parking spaces. Please contact our sister campuses for their permit reciprocity policies. Further information regarding reciprocity can be found here.
Pertinent information such as delays and special schedules will be posted on Twitter. Additional information can be found on our website and Facebook.
Parking Permits:
Faculty, staff, students and visitors must display a parking permit during parking enforcement hours while parking on campus. More information regarding parking regulations is available here.
Students, Faculty and Staff need a photo ID and Cat Card to obtain a parking permit. New faculty or staff members are also required to show their offer letter if they are not in the system. Visitors only need a photo ID.
Yes, information on the make, model, color and license plate number of your vehicle is required by TAPS Office.
To be eligible to purchase a campus parking permit (virtual, temporary or kiosk) students must be a sophomore, junior or senior status (30 or more units). Freshman commuters are not eligible to purchase on-campus parking permits, however, a petition may be filed for those that meet specific criteria. UC Merced Campus and UC Merced Heritage Residents are NOT eligible to purchase a student commuter permit.
UC Merced Heritage Residents are only eligible to purchase a Heritage Carpool Permit. Please see our website for eligibility.
If you would like to purchase a Housing Parking Permit you are required to fill out an application.
Please visit the TAPS website for the applications and more information.
Students, faculty and staff may purchase permits in the TAPS Office with cash or check or through the Parking Portal. More information is available on the TAPS website.
If a permit is purchased in person at the TAPS office, you will receive the permit at the time of purchase. If the permit is purchased online, you may typically pick it up at the TAPS office the same business day. Virtual permits do not need to be picked up, and go into effect immediately upon purchase from the Parking Portal.
Staff or faculty members can purchase a Gold, Slate, Blue or Green parking permit. Faculty and staff are placed on a payroll deduction. Parking permit purchases are on a first come, first served basis. More detailed information is available here.
Yes, Faculty and staff may return their permit at any time and cancel any further payroll deduction.
Yes, Faculty and staff may place a permit on hold and will not be charged during any leave longer than 30 days. Please contact the TAPS office for more information at 209-228-8277.
Student parking permits are good for approximately one semester, from August-December and January-May. Faculty and Staff parking permits are good for approximately one year, from September 1st (of the purchasing year) to August 31st (of the following year).
Yes, Undergraduate and Graduate Students may register up to 2 vehicles. Faculty/Staff may register up to 4 vehicles. Permit holders mayonly have one vehicle parked at a time on campus. Please note, the parking permit is only to be used by the person to whom the permit was issued. Please make sure all vehicles are listed on your permit account.
With a UC Merced Cat Card, faculty, staff and students may ride any of the CatTracks routes at no charge. For ridesharing options, both Zipcar and Zimride are available at UC Merced. Additional options include Uber and Lyft, as they have increased their presence on campus. Bicycle racks are available across campus and on our CatTracks buses if you’d like to ride your bike. Please see alternative transportation.
Parking Citations:
A vehicle may receive a parking citation for any violation of the UC Merced’s parking regulations, including but not limited to: parking without a permit, parking at an expired meter, overtime parking in a loading zone, parking in a reserved space or parking in a restricted area.
Parking citations may be paid online, by mail or in person at the TAPS office. You may pay your citation at the TAPS office with cash, check, CatDollars or money orders. For your convenience, you may pay your citation in person or online with your credit or debit card.
Appeals may be submitted online . The Adjudication Department can be reached at 209-228-2483 or by email at citations@ucmerced.edu