Parking Office

The Parking Office is responsible for managing parking resources and maintaining safe access for emergency vehicles and campus deliveries at Mount Holyoke College.

All vehicles parked on the campus must be registered with the Parking Office. If you plan to reside, work or visit on campus, please visit us, call us at 413 538-2514 or email us at parking@mtholyoke.edu so we may assist you with your parking needs.

Full Parking Rules and Regulations

View the current parking Parking Rules and Regulations online. View the current student parking map quick guide.

Photo of a faculty/staff parking decal

Parking Registration and Decals

Students, faculty, and staff may register their vehicles online at my.mtholyoke:

  • Sign in to my.mtholyoke, » Other administrative functions, » Register for a parking decal.

  • Enter the state, license plate number, make and model of the vehicle you wish to register, and click submit.

  • Fill out the form that comes up, click on submit, submit again and then OK.

  • You will then be brought back to the main screen of my.mtholyoke and can enter a second vehicle.

  • Once the decal is processed you will get an email to let you know the decal has been processed and it will be sent to you in an interoffice envelope.

You may also stop by the Parking Office, located inside the Public Service and Safety station, Monday–Friday, 8:30 am–4 pm to register your vehicle.

All vehicles must be actively registered and insured with your home state. Expired vehicles may be towed at your expense. All vehicles must be registered for the following academic year by August or they will be removed.

Parking placement graphic - Decal goes on the top left corner of the passenger window on the driver's side of the car.

  • Decals are not transferable. They must be displayed on the vehicle/plate number on file with the Parking Office.

  • Decals go on the top left corner of the passenger window on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

  • Decals must be displayed outside of the vehicle with their own adhesive.

  • Vehicles must be parked 24/7 in spaces corresponding to the particular decal (student in student parking, staff in staff, etc. — this does not change at any point during the year).

Where to park

Mount Holyoke students: In marked student spaces 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Mount Holyoke employees: In marked faculty/staff spaces 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Five College students: In the Equestrian Center lot, with a decal issued by the Parking Office.

Visitors:

  • Monday–Friday, 7 am–5 pm: Obtain a parking pass from the department you are visiting. If you are visiting a student, you may park in the Gorse or Equestrian Center lots if your host obtains a parking permit for you.
  • Monday–Friday, 5 pm–7 am, Saturday and Sunday: Park in faculty/staff spaces except during the winter. Contact the Parking Office if you are staying overnight to avoid towing.
  • State handicap placard/plate holders: Park in any available accessible parking space on campus. If no accessible spots are available, any other type of open parking space may be used. Do not park in tow zones, service vehicle parking areas, no parking zones or other prohibited areas.

No parking areas

Handicap spaces, unless you have a Mount Holyoke- or state-issued placard or plate. Note: all handicap spaces are considered tow zones.

Any marked tow zone, no parking zone or unmarked spaces.

Behind the Blanchard Community Center, between the Blanchard loading dock and Ciruti.

Roadway spaces on the core of campus between 2 am and 5 am.

Break parking

If you will be leaving your registered vehicle on campus during holiday periods (November recess, December recess and/or January term), please park ONLY in the student spaces in the Gorse Parking Lot. Vehicles that are left on campus in lots other than the Gorse lot during holiday periods will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Students who remain on campus during the summer and whose vehicles are registered with the Parking Office may park in student lots from June 1 until August 31 without cost. There is no parking available for students who do not remain on campus. Vehicles may not be stored on campus at any time. Vehicles displaying evidence of non-use will be ticketed and towed. The Parking Office will make reasonable attempts to contact the owner prior to towing.

All student vehicles must be parked in student lots at all times. Additionally, during the snow season (November 1–April 1), vehicles left on campus must be moved to the Gorse lot prior to a predicted snowstorm to avoid interfering with snow removal operations.

If you have any questions, please call the Parking Office at 413-538-2514.

Winter parking regulations

Due to the unpredictability of winter weather and the need to keep campus roadways clear of snow and ice, MHC has a ban on parking in faculty/staff spaces from December 1 through March 15 between the hours of 2 am and 5 am. Visitors, faculty and staff cars on campus between these hours must move to the Gorse parking lot.

Students and guests with handicap parking placards and license plates are allowed to remain in designated accessible parking spaces or faculty/staff parking spaces that may be on a roadway. In instances where there is an actual weather advisory, we ask employees, students and guests with handicap parking needs to follow the parking ban and move their vehicles to a parking lot off the roadway. Public Safety and Service is available to provide transport to students with handicap parking placards, plates and decals should you move your car off a campus roadway. If your disability prevents you or your guest from moving your vehicle, please call the Office of Public Safety and Service at 413-538-2304 to alert the dispatcher. Your vehicle can remain in place and your vehicle will NOT be towed. Please know the snow removal will occur around your vehicle.

The following lots have been designated as off roadway locations for employees, students and guests with accessible parking needs:

  • Porter Hall Lot

  • Wilder Hall (rear of the building)

  • Mead Hall (rear of the building)

  • Buckland Hall (rear of the building only)

Once the roads and faculty/staff parking areas have been cleared of snow, student parking lots may be plowed. Any vehicle found in the lots at these times will be towed at the owner’s expense, with a noted exception for individuals with a disability that prevents them from moving their vehicle.

The Department of Facilities Management will designate a portion of the Gorse lot for students during vacations. Vehicles may be left in this area during snowstorms. Vehicles left in other campus lots during vacations may be towed in order to remove snow or in anticipation of a forecasted snowstorm. Vehicle owners are responsible for all towing and storage charges.

Accessible parking for students, faculty and staff

Mount Holyoke students:

  • For a visual representation of this information, please see this parking flowchart.

  • Please be aware that you will be responsible for any parking citation fees incurred when vehicles are parked outside designated student parking areas. If you receive an approved parking accommodation from Health Services or Disability Services, we cannot guarantee that citations issued before that approval will be waived.

  • If you have a state placard for accessible parking, you can park in any labeled accessible spots on campus. If no accessible parking is available, any designated faculty/staff or visitor spaces may be used.

  • Vehicles with valid handicap license plates, permits and decals are not valid in tow zones, service vehicle parking areas, no parking zones or other prohibited areas.

  • If you do not have a state placard and are in need of accessible parking, please do the following best fitting your situation:

    • For acute injuries (broken bones, recent surgery, etc.), reach out to Health Services.

    • For chronic or permanent medical conditions or physical disability-related concerns, please follow the process for requesting a disability plate or placard of the state in which your vehicle is registered.

    • For students with disabilities who do not qualify for a state placard, please contact Disability Services.

Mount Holyoke employees:

If you have a state handicap placard, use any labeled accessible spots on campus or any other available parking spot. If no accessible parking is available, any designated faculty/staff or visitor spaces may be used. Vehicles with valid handicap license plates, permits and decals are not valid in tow zones, service vehicle parking areas, no parking zones or other prohibited areas.

Employees in need of temporary accessible parking need to fill out the state placard application to receive temporary accessible parking. If you are not eligible for the state placard, please contact the Department of Human Resources at extension 2503. Human Resources will send approval to the Parking Office if short term accommodations are warranted. The parking office will assign appropriate parking when approved.