Fines and Appeals

You are responsible for all fines related to parking, driving on campus, and towing and immobilization.

List of Fines

The vehicle’s permit holder (named individual on College vehicle registration), whether faculty, staff, or student, is responsible for the payment of any parking fees and fines regardless of the vehicles operator. The College has assessed parking fines as follows:

* A $5/day charge is applied for boots on vehicles that are not resolved for more than 7 days.

Note: Warnings may not issued before ticketing, immobilizing and/or towing a vehicle. Full enforcement will be in effect when a student first arrives on campus for an early arrival date or at 7 a.m. on the first class day of semester. 

Towing and Immobilization Policy

Towing or relocation of a vehicle may happen with no warning, even if the owner has no previous violations. If you suspect your vehicle has been towed or relocated, contact the Department of Public Safety. Vehicles are subject to being towed for reasons including but not limited to:

• Parking in a handicapped space
• Loading zone
• Off pavement or on the lawn
• Unregistered or parked in the wrong permit area.
• Parking in areas which create a danger to safety and welfare of persons and property (i.e., fire lanes, service areas, traffic lanes, blocking driveway, parked on sidewalks, etc.)
• Repeated violations of the parking rules and regulations
• Abandoned on campus
• Winter Parking Ban Violation
• Overnight Parking Violation
• Emergency situations.
• Parking in Faculty/Staff lots between midnight and 5:00 p.m.

A vehicle may be immobilized (booted) for serious violations and/or for repeatedly parking on campus without being registered. The most most common reason is due to a vehicle being parked on campus that is unregistered with Middlebury College. The Department of Public Safety works to identify the owner in an effort to have the vehicle properly registered and permitted to remain on campus before booting a vehicle, however a vehicle may be booted without prior notice. Refer to the list of fines for boot fee information.

When an immobilization device (Boot) is placed on the vehicle, do not attempt to move the vehicle. Contact the Department of Public Safety. Middlebury College accepts no responsibility for damage caused if the vehicle is moved while the Boot is in place.

Repeat Violators - Loss of Parking Privileges

• Students incurring four or more parking violations will receive an official Warning Letter that includes clear information regarding the consequences of additional violations.
• Students who continue to incur parking violations will receive an official Loss of Parking Privilege Letter, effectively banning the student from operating and/or parking any vehicle on Middlebury College property.
• Students whose parking privileges have been revoked, will have their vehicle towed and/or booted if it is found parked on campus after a specified deadline.
• The student who’s parking privileges have been revoked will be referred to the Office of Community Standards to face possible disciplinary action.
• The vehicle will remain banned/towed/booted until the student meets with a Public Safety Administrator and/or The Office of Community Standards and will be required to comply with any and all requirements set forth.
• In the event that a student continues to violate parking regulations after moving through the aforementioned process, they will receive a permanent revocation of parking privileges for the rest of their enrollment at Middlebury College and may be subject to additional disciplinary action.

Please note: Payment of parking fines does not result in reinstatement of parking privileges.

Appeal Process Information

If you want to appeal a parking violation, you must submit an appeal within 10 days. No appeal will be accepted after 10 days from the day of the violation.

To appeal a violation will need to use the parking portal. Contact parking@middlebury.edu if you have difficulties with the portal.

All appeals are submitted to the Parking Appeals Committee for adjudication. The Parking Appeals Committee consists of three members selected from those nominated by Staff Council and the Student Government Association.

The following common appeals are not accepted for dismissal of a fine:

• Short errands: No errand, no matter how short or how important to the driver in a non-medical emergency, is an acceptable excuse for illegal parking.
• I was late: Being late for a business or personal appointment or class does not permit driver the privilege of parking illegally.
• I didn’t see/understand the sign: Drivers are required to look for signs when parking. This may mean checking an entire lot from corner to corner.
• Only part of my car was illegally parked: A violation is not based on a certain percentage of the vehicle being illegally parked. If part of the vehicle extends into a restricted area, the violation is the same as if the entire vehicle was in violation.
• I left someone in the car/my lights on or blinking/a note in the car: Many drivers seem to think that evidence of a short stay mitigates the violation. It does not. The presence of a passenger, a sign, or blinking lights is not a good reason for the violation to be dismissed.
• Someone else had my car: The registered owner has joint responsibly with whoever was driving his or her car. The registered owner is responsible for the parking violation.

The Appeals Committee is aware there may be times when a vehicle is illegally parked and isn’t ticketed or towed. These circumstances do not change the fact that the vehicle is in violation of parking regulations. Therefore, the fact that a vehicle had parked in an area in the past without action being taken does not constitute a reasonable appeal.