Montclair State UniversityParking Summary

Written by Catherine Winters

Catherine Winters

Hometown

Branchburg, NJ

Major

English

View all previous student authors

There is a lot of parking at MSU but it’s not enough. The majority of the 18,000 students here are commuters, and traffic and parking availability are constant problems at Montclair. Freshmen and sophomores who live on campus cannot bring a car, but commuters of any year can get a permit, although the deck that freshman and sophomore commuters must park in is a bit far from main campus. Upperclassmen have more choices of where to park, though availability isn't always guaranteed. Permits are fairly expensive, and resident permits are the costliest. It is important to pay attention to when permits are going on sale because sometimes they will sell out, especially resident permits. There are a lot of commuter permits, but don’t tempt fate by procrastinating.

Enforcement of the parking policies is pretty strong. You will probably get a ticket if you are parked in the wrong lot or are not displaying your hangtag. At a certain point, Parking Services will put a boot on your car, so don’t try to get away with not paying your tickets. There is a process to repeal tickets though, so if you are given one wrongfully, you won't have to pay it. Parking off campus isn't really a good idea. Most of the streets in Montclair are permit-only or two-hour parking. It’s probably easier to get a campus permit or take public transportation. Actually, it's probably easiest to take public transportation—there is a bus stop on campus and two train stations a short walk away.