Lake Forest College is predominantly a residential campus with limited parking capacity. Since there simply are not enough spaces to accommodate everyone who would like to have a car, student parking and eligibility to obtain an academic year permit to park on campus is limited.
Vehicles belonging to faculty, staff, and eligible students must display a valid permit when parked on any campus, at any time, and student parking on City of Lake Forest streets surrounding the College (Deerpath, College, Rosemary, Illinois, Sheridan, and Washington Roads) is prohibited.
Eligibility
Student parking and academic year permit eligibility is limited to all commuting students and any junior or senior level residential students who wish to obtain one.
First-year and sophomore residential students are not eligible to obtain an academic year permit and are not permitted to park on campus. First-year and sophomore residential students who wish to have access to a car can purchase permits and park in a City of Lake Forest “Central Business District” parking lot. Information regarding this option can be found on the City of Lake Forest’s Parking Information website or by calling the City’s Finance Department at (847) 810-3622. The City has informed us that students will be charged the less-expensive “Resident” permit fee at the time of purchase.
Medical Mobility Accommodation Requests
Since First-year and sophomore residential students are not eligible to obtain an academic year permit, those who have documented medical mobility needs can seek permission to purchase an academic year permit by completing a Verification of Need for Accessibility Services form and sending it to disabilityservices@lakeforest.edu. Students will be notified by email of the outcome of their request. Since vehicles that do not display proper permits are subject to being ticketed, students seeking a medical accommodation are strongly encouraged to obtain permission to park before bringing the car to campus.
Payment Options
Eligible students can purchase their academic year permit online (recommended), at the Public Safety Center (which is open 24 hours a day and is located on South Campus, west of Buchanan Hall), or in the Business Office.
Academic Year Permit Fee
Permits purchased at the beginning of the fall semester cost $250 for the academic year. Permits purchased after the semester has started (beginning approximately late September) will be charged a prorated amount. Permits purchased at the beginning of the spring semester cost $125 for the remainder of the academic year. Permits purchased after the semester has started (beginning approximately early February) will be charged a pro-rated amount.
Temporary Parking Permits
First-year and sophomore residential students are permitted the ability to purchase no more than seven (7) daily temporary permits each semester.
Student Vehicle Registration
Students must come to the Public Safety Center and register their vehicle to obtain any type of permit (unless otherwise directed and given special instructions such as for “move-in” days) and must bring
- a copy of their receipt if purchased on-line (recommended) or in the Business Office, and
- an original or copy of the vehicle’s current year license registration card (which is used to verify the license plate number and registered ownership).
It is important to note that registration will only be permitted if the license registration card bears the name of the student or the name of a member of their immediate family. Any discrepancy or dispute will require approval by the Director of Public Safety, and under no circumstances will a student be permitted to register a car belonging to another student who is not eligible to obtain a permit. Any violation, whether willful or unintentional, will result in immediate revocation of parking privileges, the loss of any fee(s) paid, and notification to the Office of Student Affairs to report the deceptive conduct.
Vehicle Immobilization
Any vehicle that is found in violation of campus parking policies may, at the discretion of the College, be immobilized or towed at the owners’ expense.
Unregistered vehicles will be immobilized after receiving multiple citations and/or towed at the discretion of the College, at the owner‘s expense.
Guest Registration for Parking
The Office of Residence Life administers and manages the guest registration process, which includes registration of the guest’s vehicle, through their on-line Visitor Registration Portal.
Guests should be informed that their vehicle must be registered through this portal before bringing the car to campus and that they are allowed to park in any marked, non-reserved space on any campus.
Questions or concerns with the registration process should be sent to the Office of Residence Life by email ( reslife@lakeforest.edu) or by calling 847-735-6232.
2023-2024 Campus Parking Policy and Map
We encourage everyone to review our entire parking rules and regulations policy, which will also be distributed with issued permits.