If you’re an OSU student or visitor, you’ve likely faced the frustration of finding convenient and affordable parking. The variety of options can be overwhelming, and the competition for prime spots is fierce. As an OSU student myself, I’ve faced this challenge firsthand.
At Rambler Columbus, we’ve assisted numerous students in finding housing and understanding their parking options both near and on Ohio State campus.
Read Next: How Much Does it Cost to Live Near OSU?
In this guide, we’ll break down the parking options available both on and off-campus at OSU. We’ll provide detailed information on pricing and availability, ensuring you’re fully informed and can choose the best parking solution for your needs.
We’ll cover everything from short-term parking to long-term permits, surface lots to garages, and free street parking to paid options. By the end of this article, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of your parking choices at Ohio State University.
Parking Near The Ohio State University
Parking Options: OSU Campus
For those living on-campus or need to be on-campus frequently, you might be considering a parking spot on Ohio State’s campus. We will discuss surface lot and garage parking options, as well as pricing, on the OSU campus.
Surface Lots and Loading Zones
Looking to park on campus or drop your friend off? If you are looking for short-term parking options on campus, OSU has options such as metered surface lots and loading zones for drop-offs. These parking spots are designed for those who are looking to park for just a few minutes up to 72 hours. Are you a commuter student looking to park on campus every day? Ohio State also has long-term parking permits available in their surface lots.
Metered surface lot parking is available in five locations near OSU’s main campus. For contactless parking, the ParkMobile app allows you to find and pay for parking on your phone without having to use the meter. You can also pay at the single space meters and the pay-by-plate machines.
Loading zone parking spaces are also located throughout the OSU campus. In these spots, you may park with your hazard lights flashing while you do a drop-off or pick-up. These spaces have signs that indicate they are loading zones. They do not require a permit. However, they are tow-away zones so they should only be used for immediate drop-off or pick-up.
Long-term parking permits are available in the surface lots depending on eligibility. You can log into your parking account on the CampusParc Website and use the permit comparison tool to view what permits you are eligible for. You can purchase these permits in 30, 60, 90 or 120-day increments.
Garage Parking
OSU Ninth Avenue parking garage. Photo courtesy of Desman Design Management.
OSU Ninth Avenue parking garage. Photo courtesy of Desman Design Management.For more extended stays, The Ohio State University has 16 parking garages located throughout campus and the off-campus area. OSU offers both parking permits for and daily parking options in their garages for OSU staff, students, and visitors.
On-campus garages:
- Ohio Union North Garage
- Ohio Union South Garage
- 11th Avenue Garage
- Neil Avenue Garage
- Tuttle Garage
- Northwest Garage
- Arps Garage
- Lane Avenue Garage
Read more about OSU owned off-campus parking garage options below!
The CampusParc Parking Map for The Ohio State University, provides a detailed map of all campus garages, along with specific restrictions.
If you’d like more information on which permits are available for purchase, and which permits you to qualify for, OSU students, staff, and visitors can go to the CampusParc Website for all of the specific details.
Pricing
Garage and surface lot parking at Ohio State has daily parking rates ranging from, upon publication, $10.75 to $17.25, depending on if you are parking during peak or off-peak times. Off-peak parking includes weeknights from 6:00 pm to midnight and all day on weekends. You can also pay by the hour, these rates upon publication range from $2.75 for 30 minutes to a maximum of $16.00 for four hours.
Be sure to hold onto your ticket, because the lost ticket fee will run you up to $44.50.
Daily parking is a good option if you just occasionally need to bring your car to campus. If you’re hoping to keep your car on campus all year or use it to commute to campus on a daily basis, you’ll want to look into getting a parking permit.
For 2024-2025, available student parking permits range from $13.77 to $124 per month, depending on permit class, eligibility, and location.
Read Next: 9 Additional Costs to Consider When Looking for Housing Near OSU
Parking Options Off-Campus
Living off-campus has numerous advantages, including more independence, the possibility of having your own room, and greater privacy compared to living in the residence halls. However, finding parking off-campus can be difficult due to limited space and a limited range of choices.
Read Next: What Types of Housing are Available for Students near OSU?
For those living off-campus, parking options include street and surface lot options, with varying degrees of availability and cost.
Read above about on-campus parking options available to students, staff and visitors!
Free Street Parking
The most economical choice is free street parking, yet locating legal parking spaces can be difficult.
For those who live in the north off-campus area, unmanaged street parking is offered on parts of East Lane, East Woodruff and parts of Adams Avenues
If you live in the central campus neighborhood, unmanaged street parking is available on Waldeck, Luka, East 16th and parts of East 15th Avenues.
In the south campus area, free parking is located on Highland, Worthington, Chittenden, Hunter, East 11th, West Ninth, and East and West Eighth Avenues.
Paid Street Parking
- Photo courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch
Photo courtesy of The Columbus DispatchSimilar to on-campus parking, many streets off-campus require payment through the ParkMobile app. Payment is set up in 15-minute increments, costing 75 cents per every 15 minutes you park on managed streets. The maximum amount of time you are allowed to park is eight hours and 45 minutes. This would cost you a premium of $24.25. You must have a parking permit from the City of Columbus to park overnight.
Surface Lots
Surface lots are another population option off-campus that students will utilize if their housing doesn’t have ample parking spaces.
There is an AirGarage located on 16th Avenue next to the United Methodist Church. An AirGarage is similar to a surface lot you would find on campus. They offer an hourly rate of $3.00 per hour, a daily maximum fee of $10.00, or a monthly rate of $100.00. Students have the convenience of online payment through the AirGarage website or app. Parking requires just an email, license plate details, start and end dates, and a secure payment method.
You can find more details on the AirGarage website
Those living on north campus have the option to park in the parking lot of Indianola Presbyterian Church, situated close to Waldeck and Iuka Avenues, at a cost of approximately $250 per semester. Permits can be acquired directly from the church; however, it’s important to note that vehicles are not permitted in the lot on football game days.
Garage Parking
In addition to on-campus garages, Ohio State has multiple parking garages available to students, faculty and visitors that are a short bus ride away from campus.
Below are a list of OSU owned garages off-campus:
- Gateway Garage
- West Lane Avenue Garage
- SAFEAUTO Garage
- 12th Avenue Garage
- 9th Avenue East Garage
- 9th Avenue West Garage
- North Cannon Garage
- South Cannon Garage
OSU owned off-campus parking garage pricing will run you the same rates as on-campus OSU garages.
Many student apartments, such as Rambler, have garage parking options off-campus that are within walking distance to campus. Some popular apartments that offer above or below-ground garage parking include:
- The Wellington
- Uncommon Columbus
- The View on High
- Highline at Nine
- Verve Columbus
- Lumen on Ninth
- Doric on Lane
Read Next: Where to Live Near OSU if You Don’t Want to Live on Campus
We hope that this guide has helped you understand your parking options on The Ohio State University Campus and in the off-campus neighborhoods.
If you are interested in living at Rambler Columbus, please contact our leasing staff, who are happy to answer any questions you may have about our parking options.
