Virtual Parking Permits and License Plate Recognition (LPR) - Information

License Plate Recognition or Virtual Permit is a system of cameras and software that are placed on parking vehicles for the purpose of scanning license plates to ascertain whether vehicles parked on campus have appropriate parking privileges.​​​​​

Individuals will register their license plate, vehicle, make, and model into the online parking system when purchasing their virtual permits. The LPR software then combines this information with the individual’s payment and generates a virtual permit linked to that vehicle’s license plate number.

Parking enforcement officers patrol the campus capturing the license plate information, this information is then transmitted to the parking portal to verify if the license plate captured has a valid virtual permit associated with it. If the vehicle license plate is not associated with a valid permit, the system will prompt a review/investigation of the vehicle’s parking privileges and potentially a citation may be issued. If multiple vehicles associated with a permit are parked on campus at the same time, the system will recognize this fact, and all the vehicles parked will be subject to a citation.

• Log into the CSUSB Parking portal: https://www.csusb.edu/virtual-permits 
• Choose your active permit
• Select from an existing vehicle or add a new one
• Enter your vehicle's license plate information.
• Confirm your registration.

No, the virtual permit system uses your license plate as the identifier, no permit needs to be displayed on your car.

• Eliminates the need to display physical decals, flyers, paper permits and the need to move permits from vehicle to vehicle.
• Eliminates lost or stolen permit scenarios. Eliminates the need to file police or lost in the mail reports.
• No forgetting permits at home or in another car and no more issues with permits falling from the rearview mirror or off the dashboard.
• Ease of purchase and authorization of vehicle.
• Contributes to CSUSB’s sustainability goals – reduce plastics, paper, fuel and emissions for delivery.

• Staff/Faculty may register more than one vehicle, up to a maximum of 4 through your parking account.
• Students can only register one vehicle per permit.

Please complete the Student License Plate - Update/Change Request Form that is available on the Parking and Transportation Services website.

No, per CSUSB Parking Policy permits are non-transferable and can only be used by the individual who purchased it. The virtual permit can only be associated with the vehicle under your personal account.

Temporary plates may be registered by entering the temporary plate number as the Vehicle License Plate. As soon as you receive your permanent plate from the California Department of Moter Vehicles (DMV) please contact the Parking Services to update your vehicle license information. It is important that your license plate and vehicle information is current and correct in order to avoid an unnecessary citation. 

If you have a personalized plate with less than 7 characters, or if you have a special character within your plate (heart, star, etc.), please skip the special character when entering the number into the system and simply include the remaining characters on the plate.

• For example: If your plate is I<3CODY, you would enter as “ICODY” during the online registration process

All vehicles registered in the State of California are required to display two plates, one in the front and one in the rear of the vehicle (California Vehicle Code 5200). Vehicles must pull forward into a parking space and may not back in so that they may be properly verified.

Please complete the refund request form on our website. As soon as we have received and processed this request your permit will be deactivated and any vehicles associated with the permit found parked on campus may be subject to a citation.

Always double-check your details when registering. Incorrect information may result in citations. If you notice an error, correct it immediately through the portal or contact Parking Services.

Yes! CSUSB has transitioned to fully paperless permitting. Daily and hourly parking permits for students and visitors can be purchased through the ParkMobile App. Faculty/Staff purchasing a daily pass will need to stop at the Information Centers to obtain the F/S Code. Please note you will need to enter your vehicle license plate number in order to obtain the virtual FS Daily permit.

The LPR system will read motorcycle license plates in the same manner as vehicle license plates. Once you purchase a motorcycle permit, please ensure you enter your motorcycle information correctly.

Enforcement is done using license plate recognition cameras or handheld scanners that check your license plate against the parking database to verify valid parking privileges.

No, virtual permits are assigned to specific parking lots or zones. Ensure you're parking in the designated areas allowed by your permit.

• Housing permits - Allowed to park in Resident and General Spaces
• General permits - Allowed to park in any General unmarked spaces
• Faculty/Staff permits - Allowed to parking General and Faculty/Staff Spaces

Retiree permits will remain as physical permits through June 30, 2025. Virtual permits will be issued beginning July 1st, 2025.

First report the incident to the University Police Department they will issue you with a case number. Contact the DMV in order to obtain replacement plates. Reach out to the Parking Office and provide them with the details of the incident and case number. You will be provided with a solution that will allow you to continue parking your vehicle on campus without your plate.

The California State University (CSU) system allows state employees (CSUEU 2,5,7,9, CFA 3, and APC 4) employed at two or more CSU campuses to purchase one permit for use at each of these campuses. If you are employed at more than one campus and have purchased an employee permit at a CSU campus other than CSUSB you will need to complete the “Multiple Campus Employee Parking Form” available on our website. Parking Services will verify the parking payment made to the other campus and provide the appropriate parking privileges valid at the CSUSB campus

• Prior to arriving on campus Students will need to complete the Student License Plate-Update/Change Request Form. A parking services representative will update the vehicle information providing the appropriate parking privileges. Requests may take up to 4 hours to process and must be received prior to 2pm for same-day processing.
• Prior to arriving on campus Faculty/Staff will need to add this loaner vehicle onto their account and link it to the existing permit.

Yes. No personal information is captured by the LPR System. The specific data captured includes: vehicle image, vehicle license plate number, time, date, and the location where the vehicle was parked. This information is solely utilized for parking management purposes as outlined in the CSUSB LPR Policy.