USC Parking Center

If you get a ticket at USC, feel free to tear it up. USC’s enforcement of its parking rules (not laws — they’re a private institution) is absurd. Students, faculty and staff pay out the nose for permits (and then pay a «parking tax» on top of the permit fee) and regularly come back to their cars to find expensive «tickets» for infractions like having a tire on a dividing line, parking an SUV (which fit) into a space marked «No SUVs (of which there are far too many) or for parking in a lot other than the lot listed on their permit (even when there are ample spaces available in one and none in the other). In 2011, State Attorney General Kamala Harris ruled that «private property owners may not acquire, by means of issuing a written warning or posting signage, the right to issue parking citations imposing monetary sanctions to the owners of vehicles parked on their property.»
They can turn it over to a collection agency (and they have) but if you get a call, simply (and politely) ask that the agency prove that it has a legal right to collect the fine and you’ll be happy to pay it. They can’t, and they won’t.
And if they report the unpaid «fines» to any of the credit bureaus? You can, and should, sue them.
You’re welcome.

Go the roof. Please. The view is truly gorgeous — in my opinion, the best you can get in the USC area. I watched the sunset here on my last morning in Los Angeles, and it was one of those experiences you don’t forget, you can’t forget.
The light reflecting off the downtown skyscrapers, the whoosh of the highway, the brick of the Galen Center and the USC campus, the cold concrete of the structure. what an amazing combination.

As a student, this is the cheapest parking permit you will be able to purchase. It’s $ 300/​semester while closer parking structures cost $ 440/​semester. There’s a free shuttle that runs between the Parking Center and campus, but the walk is not that bad at all. It takes me about 10 minutes which is a lot faster than waiting for the shuttle to come.
There’s usually one security office that patrols this area at night. I’ve walked to the parking center several times at night and have always felt safe. There’s a blue tower under the 110 freeway if you’re ever in trouble and need to call for help. There is a harmless transient gentleman that sleeps near the Parking Center. I’ve tried to give him food before but he didn’t respond. Let me know if you’ve had more successful in interacting with him.
I usually arrive at 8:30am and there’s plenty of parking on P3 still left. P2 is reserved for people with daily permits and vanpool riders. I’ve never had to park higher than P4.
There is a mini-​gas station near the entrance of this parking structure. but the gas prices are very high!

This would be two stars, but I appreciate that it’s at least cheaper than all the other parking structure choices, and the fact that there’s a shuttle service at all (even though it’s as inefficient as can be).
The layout of this structure though is horrible. Whoever thought placing three spaces between every two massive pillars was horrendously mistaken. It’s just an invitation for car scratching and wasted parking space.

If you have the misfortune of parking here for a USC game, here are a few warning tips.
First, the shuttles are almost worthless. Going to the game, you’re transported along what’s roughly a 10-​minute walk. The problem is that the snail’s-pace traffic, along with an awkward left-​turn light that you wait multiple cycles to get through, makes the whole shuttle system lousy. They were frequent and easy to board, but the transit was annoying.
The shuttles back are worse. There’s a queue of literally hundreds of people. Might as well walk back, too.
As for the garage itself, there are first-​floor restroom and copious vending machines.
There were three elevators, but only one was operating, and it wasn’t working properly, so we were stuck taking stairs.
But the real problem is getting out. It’s a 6-​story parking structure. We arrived fairly late, so we were on the 6^th floor. After the game, we got in our car at 9 pm. We drove about 30 feet and stopped in a line to get out. I turned off the engine and left the car in park for 50 minutes. We didn’t budge an inch. It took us a full 75 minutes to get out of that parking garage – basically, pedestrian traffic made exiting slow at first, and then all 5 floors below us had to empty before we could start moving. It was an excruciating experience. This is not a well-​operated facility.
For $ 25, I would have liked something more. Like, operating elevators, efficient service, and a smart shuttle route. None of that was here.

USC Parking Office/​Management as a whole is worthless.
The person running this department is incompetent and so are his employees.
Always nice to know that you pay for a permit only to find out that USC has sold parking to the general public for an event leaving you out in the cold with no space.
Thanks for nothing.
Department Motto: «Just cash those USC checks and be a warm body!»

So my parking ticket was successfully appealed and i didn’t have to spend a ton of time working on it. Obviously they are reasonable when it comes to patients using the usc dental center and their appointment goes beyond the allotted time. But then i’ve dropped 10x more money with the dental school versus the parking ticket

3 Stars
Came by to check out the campus and since I had made prior arrangements, they gave me a free visitor’s permit to park in the structure. I found parking pretty easliy, even though it was all the way at the top. Compared to what I’m used to, that’s pretty impressive, but maybe it’s because it was friday.

USC parking stinks. That is all there is to it. So many students trying for so few permits. Being primarily a commuter school there just isn’t any more room so the parking center is always overwhelmed with breakins, problems, requests, upset students and parking issues. Plus, they give A LOT of tickets so everyone is overheated and looking for a confrontation.
You have a broken system that can’t be solved by any means or any plans to make it better. And it will only get worse as the years go by, I wouldn’t want to work there for any amount of money.

The University Parking Center permit isn’t as impacted as the campus permits are, however you do have to cross the 110, so it’s not the most fun trek if you drive frequently.
Nice electronic bulletins updating you on transportation issues, and security’s pretty decent.