Public Safety > Parking

Lake Forest College is a residential pedestrian campus with a limited number of parking spaces available. Therefore, the College restricts the availability of parking not only for philosophical reasons but also for purely practical ones – there simply are not enough spaces to provide parking for everyone who would like to have a car on campus.

Therefore, parking is limited to junior and senior residents and commuter students. First & Second-year residents may only obtain parking with special permission from the Department of Public Safety. Such permission will be granted only in cases where extreme need or hardship is demonstrated and will only last for as long as a demonstrable need continues.

Applications will be considered by a committee composed of; a member of the Office of Student Affairs staff, a member of the Public Safety staff, and a student representative.

NOTE:  Permission will not be granted to students seeking to keep cars on campus for the primary purpose of driving between their home and the College.

 If it is determined that a need for a vehicle is no longer valid, parking privileges may be rescinded. Students who abuse parking privileges may lose their permission to park on campus for the current year and possibly the following year.

Students with permission to park on campus must register their vehicle with the Department of Public Safety; Mon. – Fri. between 8:30am – 4:30pm, on the first business day after the vehicle has been brought on campus. To register a vehicle, student must fill out a vehicle registration form as well as show proof of insurance.

Parking rules and regulations can be found on the Department of Public Safety web page and will be distributed with all permits.

To accommodate the actual number of parking spaces available on campus, the Department of Public Safety will limit the number of permits issued to students. Any student who needs a permit after the designated number has been attained will be put on a waiting list prioritized by year.

How to Apply for Parking Permission - First and Second-Year Students

Application for parking

The student must provide to the Department of Public Safety a letter, on official letterhead, from a doctor, employer, teacher, etc. stating that the student has a need to drive off-campus on a regular basis to obtain medical treatment or to meet a standing obligation. The letter must include the phone number of the off-campus contact for purposes of confirmation.

  • The student must write a letter him/herself explaining why he/she needs a car on campus and showing that there is no reasonable alternative to transportation to the off-campus appointment. (Letters should be sent to the Department of Public Safety.)

  • Both the student and the off-campus contact must sign the permit application (available online).

  • The student will be notified of the decision made by the application committee.

Permission to park on campus must be obtained prior to bringing your car to campus. Vehicles on campus without prior permission will be ticketed.