Free 15-minute parking zones and lot redesignations are among the changes in NIU’s parking regulations for this year.

Helen Nodurft, manager of NIU’s Parking Division of Public Safety, said loading and unloading zones are scattered throughout the campus and have been marked to allow parking for 15 minutes with no special identification other than emergency flashers. Previously, persons wishing to use these spots were required to obtain a permit, a requirement which inconvenienced students and created excess paperwork, she said.

Nodurft said other parking changes include the opening of Lot A, north of Anderson Hall to faculty and student parking. In addition, Lot 15, south of Founders Memorial Library, has been opened to graduate assistants. Lot 37, near Watson Hall, has been re-opened to motorcycle parking.

Other parking regulations remain unchanged. Any vehicle parked on university property must display a current NIU parking permit. Permits may be purchased at the parking division office behind the University Health Service building on Lucinda Avenue

Permits are color-coded and are issued according to the needs of individuals purchasing them. Blue permits are for faculty and staff, green for graduate assistants, yellow for commuters, orange for residents and brown for off-campus students living within bus routes or walking distance. In addition, red permits are available for certain full-time employees and handicapped persons. Motorcycle permits are also available.

Prices for student permits are $30 for permanent stickers and $32 for transferable permits, the same as last year. Free one-day permits are available at the parking division, or if the parking division is closed, the department of public safety, located next door. Meters are also available in some parking lots.

Nodurft said the parking division has sold about 7,580 permits, not including temporary or motorcycle permits. She predicted another 3,500 would be sold by the end of the school year.

There is no limit on the number of permits that will be sold because permits, while allowing parking, do not guarantee spaces. Nodurft said limiting the number of permits to available spaces would be unfair because there is no way to determine who needs them the most.

Last year, the parking division collected about $42,000 from permit fees and $28,000 from parking citations. Nodurft said the money pays for salaries, general operating expenses, and parking lot maintenance.

Three full-time parking agents and two part-time student employees enforce the permit regulations, which are in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Nodurft said the most common violation is parking in no-parking zones.

Although lots are color-coded to correspond with permits, students are cautioned to read the signs before parking. For example, although lots V and D are orange, special permits are required which can only be obtained by residents of Neptune and Gilbert Halls, said Nodurft.