License Plate Recognition (LPR)
Parking & Transportation Services has transitioned to License Plate Recognition (LPR). Plastic hangtags and paper permits are no longer issued. Your plate is your permit.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: The LPR system relies on a license plate for permit verification. Please ensure correct license plate information is provided in order to avoid a parking violation. You may update your vehicle information in the Parking Portal.
For additional information, please review the below LPR FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is License Plate Recognition (LPR)
LPR is a virtual permit system that uses license plates to validate parking. Your plate is your permit.
LPR identifies whether a license plate is associated with a valid permit. If a vehicle is not associated with a valid permit, the system will prompt a violation to be issued. If multiple vehicles associated with a permit are parked on campus, the system will recognize the first vehicle as being legally parked but will prompt a violation for additional vehicles associated with the permit.
Why LPR?
LPR eliminates the need to display a physical permit. LPR reduces waste and plastic permit production and the additional resources required to maintain permit dispensers.
What if I have temporary plates?
Temporary plates may be registered by entering the temporary plate number as the Vehicle License Plate. Select “Temporary Plate” as the Vehicle Plate Type and enter the full VIN.
If there is no temporary plate number, enter the last 7 digits of your VIN as the Vehicle License Plate. Select “VIN Number” as the Vehicle Plate Type and enter the full VIN
- Please note: VINs do not contain the letters O, I, and Q.
- Once a permanent plate has been obtained, it must be added to the "permit" through the Parking Portal.
What if I get a new license plate?
Your license plate and vehicle information must be current and correct in order to avoid a parking violation. Please visit your online parking account to update your information immediately after any changes in vehicle information. Residents and students must submit a Vehicle Change Request Form.
What if I have a specialized plate or special characters/symbols?
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<3TUFFY, you would enter as “ITUFFY” during the online registration process.
What if I do not have a front license plate?
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.
How does LPR work?
LPR uses a system of cameras and accompanying software placed in parking enforcement vehicles to validate license plates. When a license plate number is not associated with a valid "permit" or is being used incorrectly, the system prompts enforcement staff to investigate further and potentially issue a violation.
What information will be collected and how will it be used?
The LPR system will record the following:
- License plate image
- License plate number
- License plate state
- Date
- Time
- Location
Collected information and records will not be:
- Sold, published, exchanged, or disclosed for commercial purposes.
- Disclosed or published without authorization.
- Disseminated to persons not authorized to access or use the information.
Information collected will be stored for no longer than 30 days unless it involves:
- An open citation
- An open appeal case
- Court-ordered requirement
Scans are kept locally on the LPR device. Scans with associated violations may be transferred for ticket issuance.
- Any data stored for longer will be anonymized, aggregated and used for various analytics.
What if I need to drive a different car for the day?
Students who need to swap their vehicle for the day may request a daily exemption. Contact P&TS at 657-278-3082 and provide a CWID, make, model, and color of the vehicle, license plate number. After the information is verified, the vehicle will be issued a virtual permit.
Please note, only two requests will be honored each month. Need more than two daily exemptions? Contact 657-278-3082.
What if I need to drive a rental?
Rental vehicles may be registered online and linked to the permit on file. Once the rental vehicle is returned, please contact the Parking Office at 657-278-3082.
What if I have multiple vehicles?
You may be able to register multiple vehicles depending on your campus affiliation.
| Campus Affiliation | LPR Launch Date | # Of Vehicles That Can Be Added To Account |
| Residents | August 8, 2022 | One (1) Vehicle; Two Exemptions/month |
| Students | August 7, 2023 | One (1) Vehicle; Two Exemptions/month |
| OLLI | September 1, 2023 | One (1) Vehicle; Two Exemptions/month |
| Faculty/Staff (Payroll Deduction) | January 1, 2024 | Four (4) Vehicles |
| Faculty/Staff (Semester Permits) | January 8, 2024 | Four (4) Vehicles |
| University Guests (OPR) | January 1, 2024 | One (1) Vehicle; Two Exemptions/month |
| Emeriti | January 1, 2024 | Three (3) Vehicles |
| University Support | January 8, 2024 | Three (3) Vehicles |
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Please note: Only one vehicle is valid on campus per day; additional vehicles parked on campus associated with the virtual permit may be subject to a parking violation. |
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To request a daily exemption, contact 657-278-3082. Students- for a permanent vehicle change, please complete the Vehicle Change Request Form
I buy daily parking permits, will LPR still impact me?
Yes! CSUF has transitioned to fully paperless permitting. Permit dispenser machines have been removed from campus. Daily and hourly parking can be purchased through the ParkMobile app. Daily permits are also available in the Parking Portal. Vehicle information is required.
Daily permits remain valid in all student lots unless otherwise restricted.
Which "Plate Type" option should I select in the Parking Portal?
"Plate Type" is determined by the type of vehicle and the type of license plate assigned to the vehicle. Please review the below table for selecting the correct "Plate Type" in the Parking Portal.
| Type | Select As "Plate Type" |
| Cars (All vehicle types except for trucks) | Automobile |
| Trucks | Commercial |
| Personalized Plates (i.e. I<3 Tuffy) | Environmental |
| State Vehicles | Exempt |
| Motorcycles or Mopeds | Motorcycle |
| Temporary License Plates | Temporary License Plate |
| Trailers | Trailer |
| Last 7 digits of Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) | VIN |
Will LPR impact reciprocity parking permits?
Is CSUF your secondary campus?
Eligible employees (a represented employee employed at two or more campuses) will continue to submit reciprocity permit requests through the Online Permit Request System (OPR).
Is CSUF your home campus?
The application process is guided by the university where the reciprocity permit is being requested. CSUF Parking and Transportation Services will help facilitate this process as needed for eligible employees. Please complete the Concurrent Employment Application Form for assistance to confirm CSUF permit verification.
Additionally, contact information for nearby CSU parking departments is listed below:
| Campus | Phone Number | Website |
| CSU, Dominguez Hills | 310-243-3725 | csudh.edu/dhpd |
| CSU, Long Beach | 562-985-4146 | csulb.edu/parking-and-transportation-services |
| CSU, Los Angeles | 323-343-6118 | calstatela.edu/parking |
| CSU, Northridge | 818-677-2157 | csun.edu/parking |
| Cal Poly Pomona | 909-869-3061 | cpp.edu/parking |
| CSU, San Bernardino | 909-537-5912 | csusb.edu/parking |
| CSU, San Marcos | 760-750-7500 | csusm.edu/parking |
I have a payroll deduction permit. When do I need to add my vehicle information to my virtual permit?
All Payroll Deduction hangtag permits expired on December 31, 2023. A new virtual permit (beginning with 26PD) was issued to all Payroll Deduction permit holders in October with detailed instructions to add their vehicle information to their virtual permit. If you haven't already updated your vehicle information, please do so as soon as possible to avoid a parking violation.
What if two people have both purchased virtual permits, but also share the two vehicles?
Students: May only register one vehicle to their virtual permit. Please contact 657-278-3082 if you need to drive a different vehicle for the day.
Faculty/Staff: To avoid being cited in error, please only attach your primary vehicle to the virtual permit. If the vehicle is linked to a valid virtual permit, attaching the vehicle on another account is not necessary. To register a second vehicle to your virtual permit temporarily, please complete the following steps in the Parking Portal.
LPR Phases
Phase I - Fall 2022
| Phase | Campus Affiliation | LPR Launch Term | LPR Launch Date |
| Phase I | Resident Students | Fall 2022 | August 8, 2022 |
Phase II - Fall 2023
| Phase | Campus Affiliation | LPR Launch Term | LPR Launch Date |
| Phase II | Visitors (ParkMobile) | Summer 2023 | May 26, 2023 |
| Student Commuter | Fall 2023 | August 7, 2023 | |
| OLLI | Fall 2023 | September 1, 2023 |
Phase III - Intersession/ Spring 2024
| Phase | Campus Affiliation | LPR Launch Term | LPR Launch Date |
| Phase III | Faculty/Staff Payroll Deduction Holders | Intersession | January 1, 2024 |
| Emeriti | Intersession | January 1, 2024 | |
| University Guests (OPR) | Intersession | January 1, 2024 | |
| Faculty/Staff Semester Permit Holders | Spring 2024 | January 8, 2024 | |
| University Support | Spring 2024 | January 8, 2024 |
