The following lots or portions of lots are designated for student vehicle parking (parking is limited to the delineated spaces):

• Merrill Lot (the majority of the lot entering from Russell St); Note that areas closest to Underhill Arena are set up for EV charging and Visitor parking; the area closest to Merrill Gymnasium is Employee parking.
• Merrill Back Lot (side rear, behind Cutten Maintenance Center, and nearer the baseball field and exit to Campus St); central area of lot and most of the line facing Merrill Gymnasium. Note that the tree line side and side facing Cutten Maintenance Center are Employee parking.
• John Bertram Lot – No parking in the fire lanes or off the pavement – parking is permitted only in delineated spaces. The central lot spaces are only between the cement barriers. The area outside the barriers, including the sides of the pavement, is a Fire Lane service loop. City on street parking is available 24/7 (with exception of emergency parking ban or closure) on Campus Ave section adjacent to JB.
• Chu Lot, except for a section of (3) spaces on the back line near Bardwell St, reserved for RD use and Bates EMS.
• Wood St Lot (across from Wood St House 142 Wood St)
• Personnel/HR Lot (adjacent to Wood St House – front portion closest to Wood St); the back line (back row immediately behind HR) is Employee parking.
• Wood/Vale Lot – parking is permitted only in delineated spaces (perpendicular on each side). There are only 2 spaces on one side of the median, and no spaces abutting 8 Vale St where there is fencing in order to maintain the Fire Lane service loop.
• City on street parking is available 24/7 (with exception of emergency parking ban or closure) on Wood St and Nichols St in the block between Campus Ave and Vale St, and on Frye St. All other city streets in the vicinity of the campus prohibit overnight parking of vehicles during the academic year.
• Village Lot (by Mays Center, Rzasa, and Hopkins) – Note that the separate, smaller lot between Moody and N. Bardwell St in campus is the Olin Lot which is 24 hour Visitor parking and Employee parking during weekday campus business hours; Olin Lot is not Student parking.
• For additional information, please refer to the FAQ below “Where can students park on evenings and weekends? Can students park in Employee spaces during nighttime or weekend hours?

The following lots on campus are designated for Employee vehicle parking (parking is limited to the delineated spaces):

• Merrill Lot – section closest to Merrill Gymnasium lot side entrance
• Facilities Services (Cutten Maintenance Center) – paved sections between Cutten and Merrill, and behind Cutten
• Merrill Back Lot (near exit road leading out past athletic fields to Campus Ave); edge row facing Cutten Maintenance Center and back row facing tree line (toward 96 Campus Ave)
• 96 Campus Ave
• Alumni Gym Lot (Central Ave side)
• Kalperis Lot
• Bonney Science Lot
• Admissions Lot, except for the row adjacent and facing Wood St, which is Visitor parking
• Personnel/HR Lot – back row immediately behind HR
• Lane Lot
• Olin Lot
• N. Bardwell St on campus (angled parking) – No overnight parking
• Smith/Adams Lot – the entire lot, between Wentworth Adams Hall and Smith Hall, and behind Smith

• Olin Lot (across North Bardwell St from Olin Arts; alongside Moody House) – This is for visitor parking 24/7. *Overnight parking requires a temporary permit issued at the Campus Safety dispatch office at 245 College St.
• Admissions Lot – line of spaces facing out on Wood St side
• Muskie Archives (Franklin St extension into campus) – a few spaces at the side of the building
• Merrill Lot (nearest to Underhill Arena)
• North Bardwell St (Day and evening) Overnight parking is prohibited throughout the year
• Bonney Science Lot (a few designated spaces)
• Lane Lot (a few designated spaces)

Visitors are welcome, and we understand that it may be difficult navigating to find the designated spaces on campus. Please be sure to park only in the delineated spaces where parking is intended.

Should a visitor vehicle be issued a ticket, there are instructions to follow on the reverse side of the ticket to answer to the ticket. Fill out the contact information on the ticket and return it to Campus Safety for processing. Towing may occur when there are (5) tickets issued to a vehicle which has no recorded contact information having been communicated and received.

Getting a Bates issued parking permit does not guarantee a parking spot outside a specific residence hall or office building. Students or employees may need to park on city streets or in a designated lot on campus that is farther away from their residence or office building to find a parking space for the day.

All Bates students and employees have reasons why they may need a car on campus. This ranges from traveling to work, to familial obligations that students must return home for, to medical appointments, and to having no other convenient modality of transportation to get to Bates. We also know that on any given day, many Bates community members with permits do not bring their cars to campus – whether it is an employee who is on vacation for a day or a student who leaves their car home after break, there is a constant fluctuation with the number of vehicles on campus.

Keeping this in mind, Bates does not limit the number of parking permits because we hope to provide campus parking to as many community members as possible on any given day. In addition, when combined with street parking, there is enough available parking for Bates community members on most days of the year.

Providing on-campus parking provides Bates community members an additional convenience and supplement to the city street parking. It is important to know that a permit simply serves as permission to park in one of the college lots and a permit does not guarantee parking space on campus.

For information on how to set-up the app to use an EV charging station on campus, please view this webpage.

Faculty/staff: Faculty/staff may charge electric vehicles at EV charging stations. Parking in these spots is only permitted while charging. For more information on EV charging at Bates, please contact Sustainability Manager Tom Twist at ttwist@bates.edu.

Students having EVs may also use the charging stations on campus, but are asked to mainly do so during the overnight and weekend hours when Student vehicles are given shared use of those which are in Employee designated lot spaces. Student vehicles using these spaces in conflict with the time which is designated for Employee use are liable to receive a parking ticket.

EV Charging Stations are identified situated in the following listed locations:

• Kalperis Lot: Designated for Employee/Visitor use during weekdays when the campus is open doing business. Student vehicle may use these during overnight and weekend times when Student vehicles are allowed to share use of these spaces.
• Lane Lot: Designated for Employee/Visitor use during weekdays when the campus is open doing business. Student vehicle may use these during overnight and weekend times when Student vehicles are allowed to share use of these spaces.
• N. Bardwell St in campus: Designated for Employee/Visitor use during weekdays when the campus is open doing business. Student vehicle may use these during evenings (5:00 p.m. – Midnight), and weekends (6:00 a.m. – Midnight). There is NO PARKING on N.Bardwell St in campus spaces between the hours of Midnight – 6:00 a.m.
• Admissions Lot: Reserved exclusively for Bobcat Express EVs
• Merrill Lot (near Underhill Arena): Pay to use and available for all to use
• Bonney Science Lot: Designated for Employee/Visitor use during weekdays when the campus is open doing business. Student vehicle may use these during overnight and weekend times when Student vehicles are allowed to share use of these spaces.

• Parking is always prohibited in driveways, walkways, building exits, fire lanes, on grass or any place that would inhibit access of emergency vehicles. In such cases, the vehicle may be towed with or without notice and stored at the owner’s expense.
• There is no overnight parking on North Bardwell Street from midnight to 6 a.m.*This is essential Employee parking needed at the start of each and every day.* A $100 fine is incurred for overnight parking here.
• Vehicles that are not parked in appropriately designated spaces or in the properly designated location (i.e. Employee parking, Student parking, etc.) may receive a parking ticket and/or may be towed without warning or notice.

Vehicles may be parked temporarily in driveways for up to 15 minutes for loading or unloading; this is provided that the emergency flashers are activated, AND the driver is readily available to move the vehicle. Vehicles parked for more than 15 minutes may be ticketed and/or towed without warning or notice.

Parking signs primarily designate where community members are allowed to park, rather than where you may not park. Parking spaces are defined with painted delineations on pavement where practical, and vehicles are expected to be properly aligned within those spaces. Vehicles which inappropriately park to exceed the space or infringe upon other spaces risk enforcement action being taken. The signposts for signs which have an arrow designating parking in only one direction are what represents the end of the line of parking. Vehicles which are parked to exceed beyond that parking line are liable to receive a citation.

Bates Campus Safety cannot write parking tickets on Lewiston city streets.

Vehicles which are improperly parked alongside city streets to extend beyond the prepared roadbed and onto the campus maintained turf may receive a ticket for being parked or driven on grass (i.e. on Central Ave which is designed for parallel parking, not perpendicular or at an angle extending off the roadbed).

• Weekdays: Parking in most employee designated areas is open to student vehicles with permits between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. during weekdays, unless otherwise indicated by signs or official communication.
• Weekends: Parking in most employee designated areas is open to student vehicles with permits between 5 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday, unless otherwise indicated by signs or official communication.
• Tickets or Towing: If a student vehicle remains in an Employee designated space past 7 a.m. on weekdays, the vehicle may receive a ticket or be towed without additional warning.

Why is there shared use of parking spaces on campus? The City of Lewiston has imposed overnight parking restrictions on most streets surrounding the campus. Shared use of the Employee designated spaces provide available overnight parking accommodation for permitted student vehicles which need to be moved off the public street. Student vehicles which are sharing the use of these Employee designated spaces under this provision (not parked in student specifically designated spaces) will be required to either move back out to park on the street, or be moved to an available student parking space. Student vehicles parking overnight and weekends in Employee spaces must be moved by 7 a.m. on weekdays whenever the campus is open doing business, whether or not there are classes scheduled (i.e. Martin Luther King commemorative holiday, and the transition periods at the start and ending of semesters).

• Parking is always prohibited on North Bardwell Street between the hours of Midnight and 6:00 a.m. This includes weekends. Olin Lot is 24hr Visitor Parking including evenings and weekends. No student vehicles may remain parked in Olin Lot.

• Summer Break: No vehicle shall be left unattended on campus during Summer Break.

• Winter Recess Between Semesters (December and January): Students who wish to leave their vehicle on campus over any break between fall and winter semesters must contact Campus Safety at security-requests@bates.edu to make arrangements, and follow any directives communicated by email.

Merrill Lot is generally the preferred location so that Facilities and Grounds crews can perform maintenance in other lots if necessary. A particular section of Merrill Lot may be directed to for parking and leaving the vehicle while the contact person is away from campus for that break period.

What if I am living on campus over break?

Students who are on campus during break and able to be contacted to move the vehicles if necessary may continue to park in the designated Student spaces on campus, unless notified otherwise. Vehicles left n any other lots on campus after these times may be ticketed and/or towed without further warning or notice. The same provisions apply when parking on campus during breaks as with any other time when campus is open for business during weekdays; administrative and employee activities continue during breaks in the academic class schedule.

Minor maintenance (such as replacing a tire or battery, or other wear and tear components designed for easy swap out replacement) are allowed to occur. Vehicles shall not be raised suspended on jacks or stands for the purpose of working underneath the vehicle, and no vehicle shall be left jacked up unattended. This provision is subject to review by campus mechanical staff and the OSHA Safety Officer.