Parking Information for Move-Out from Residence Halls
The College of Charleston’s offices of Residence Life, Public Safety, New Student Programs, and Parking Services have partnered together so that we can provide convenient parking for the families of students moving out of residence halls for the summer.
Be advised that any street parking other than metered spaces will be ticketed by The College of Charleston and/or the City of Charleston. Parking on streets in areas that are not designated as parking areas restricts traffic flow and creates safety concerns for both pedestrians and other vehicles. Leaving someone to stand guard at a vehicle that is parked on the street will not prevent that vehicle from being ticketed.
Tip: Don’t forget to bring hand trucks or dollies for move out. Each residence hall will have a limited number in the lobby so it may be a good idea to bring your own to assist in the moving process.
*Please scroll to the end of this document for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
SURFACE LOT AVAILABILITY
Selected surface lots that will be available for move-out on the dates and times provided below the following list:
- G Lot (close to Buist-Rivers; please note that you cannot park in a space that is marked as “handicap accessible” or “Residence Hall Director”)
- BS Lot (close to Bull Street historic houses please note that you cannot park in the space that is marked as “Residence Hall Director”)
- I Lot (close to McConnell; CofC marked spaces only)
- P Lot (close to McConnell and Wentworth Street historic and fraternity houses)
- W Lot (at 298-300 Meeting Street)
- WP Lot (close to Warren Place and Kelley House; also fairly close to Berry and McAlister; excludes the service space and the Residence Hall Director space)
We will not be ticketing the selected surface lots listed above during the following timeframes ONLY:
Friday 4/28/2017 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Saturday 4/29/2017 from 12:00 PM until 5:00 PM
Sunday 4/30/2017 from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM
Monday 5/1/2017 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Tuesday 5/2/2017 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Wednesday 5/3/2017 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Thursday 5/4/2017 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Friday 5/5/2017 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Saturday 5/6/2017 from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM
For exact locations of these surface parking lots, please consult the College of Charleston parking map. Printed copies of the map are available at Parking Services or Public Safety.
These are the only surface lots that will be available, and they will only be available during the timeframes provided above. Exams do not officially end until 5/5/2017, and students and employees with permits for these lots will still need access to their spaces while other students are moving out. Even if a lot appears to have several available spaces, it will be ticketed; the only exceptions are in the lots listed above during the designated timeframes.
GARAGE PARKING
For students who are moving out at times when there will not be surface lot availability, or for students whose residence halls are close to the PG, GG, or WG garages, we will offer complimentary two-hour garage parking for one vehicle per student. Please read the following information very carefully:
- Upon request students will be provided with one 2-hour parking voucher for one of the following garages: PG Garage, GG Garage, or WG Garage. For exact locations of these garages, please consult the College of Charleston parking map. PG Garage is convenient to Berry and McAlister, and is reasonably close to Warren Place, Kelly House, and College Lodge. GG Garage is convenient to Craig Hall, George Street Apartments, and Liberty Street Residence Hall, and is reasonably close to Buist-Rivers. WG Garage is convenient to the Wentworth Street historic houses and the fraternity houses, and is reasonably close to McConnell and Craig.
- Garage parking vouchers will be available at the Parking Services office beginning on Thursday, 4/27/2017, and must be picked up during business hours (Monday through Friday; 9 AM – 4:30 PM). A valid Cougar Card must be presented in order to receive your garage parking voucher. (Public Safety will have a limited supply of garage parking vouchers if you need to pick one up after 4:30 PM.)
- Garage vouchers may be redeemed at any time of day that a cashier is on duty (see below for details) between 4/28/2017 and 5/5/2017. Additionally, garage vouchers may be redeemed at any time prior to 4 PM on Saturday, 5/6/2017 (the $5 flat-rate parking fee for A Charleston Affair will apply after 4 PM on Saturday, 5/6/2017).
- Garage vouchers will represent the only parking option to students who plan on moving out on a weekday prior to 5 PM.
- There is a strict two-hour time limit on the parking garage vouchers, so please have all belongings packed and ready to go before you begin moving them out. If time parked exceeds two hours, patrons will be responsible for paying the additional fees.
- You must retain the ticket that you pulled upon entering the garage in order to be eligible for the two hours of free parking. You must surrender both the ticket and the voucher to the cashier in order to be eligible for the two hours of free parking.
- Garages are not always staffed 24/7, but there will always be a cashier on duty at the following times: weekdays from 7 AM until 7 PM and weekends from 9 AM to 5 PM at PG; any day between the hours of 7 AM and 10 PM at GG and WG. Unfortunately, vouchers cannot be presented when there is not a cashier on duty. Since the total ticket fee will be charged at the autopay machines at times when the cashier is not on duty, we recommend that you park at a metered space if you will be leaving campus after the posted cashier hours.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q: Why can’t you close the streets for move-out like you do for move-in?
A: Because the College of Charleston is in an urban area, it is very difficult to coordinate street closures with the City of Charleston. We are able to do this for move-in because we are only doing it during off-peak traffic times and only for a few days, and because we are able to assign strict move-in timeframes to each student. We cannot enforce strict timeframes for move-out because exams stretch out over an entire week, and students are free to leave after their last exam at a time that is convenient for them and their families.
Q: Can I pull up on the street right in front of my student’s dorm just for loading purposes?
A: No. Not only do vehicles parked in the street create a hazard for pedestrians and passing vehicles, but parking in a designated “no parking” zone is a ticketable offense. You cannot stop your vehicle on the street for any reason, even if your hazard lights are on. We provide garage parking vouchers to students for the purpose of moving out in order to discourage street parking for any length of time. If your student neglected to pick up a garage parking voucher from the Parking Services office, the Public Safety officers should have some on hand, or they can be requested at the front desk at Public Safety.
Q: Why don’t you have designated move-out times like you do for move-in?
A: We cannot enforce strict timeframes for move-out because exams stretch out over an entire week, and students are free to leave after their last exam at a time that is convenient for them and their families. We know that students are anxious to move out and proceed with their summer plans (internships, travel, spending time with family, etc.), and we do not want to make them stay in their residence halls waiting to leave because their designated move-out time is several days later.
Q: Why can’t we park in any CofC lot (such as the lots near Warren, Buist, or the historic houses) in order to move out?
A: Even though your own student may be finished with his or her exams and is ready to move out, the College of Charleston is still in session and other students are still taking exams. We must ensure that the permit-only lots are available to the permit holders during regular business hours when faculty/staff are still on campus and when exams are still in session. Some of these lots ARE available (see the list of surface lots near the beginning of this document), as long as you park there at off-peak times as outlined above. If these times are inconvenient for you and you must move out at a time when these lots are being ticketed, you may take advantage of the two-hour garage voucher and park in one of the garages on campus, or you may pay to park in a metered space on the street.
