Parking and Housing Resources

UNC School of Law Hardship Parking Application Process

Students with significant family or commute-related hardship may be eligible for a permit through the UNC School of Law Hardship Parking Application process. Even if individual circumstances warrant applying for a hardship permit, 2L and 3L students should register for the Transportation & Parking permit lottery first!

The Hardship Parking Application is made available prior to the start of the Fall semester. The priority deadline for Hardship Parking Applications is usually in late July. Hardship Parking spaces are limited, so students should apply by the priority deadline for the best chance of receiving accommodation. 

Hardship parking applications are due in August.

All applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed together by the Office of Student Development and decisions will be made based on student circumstance and need.

Hardship Parking decisions will go out via email. If granted hardship parking, please be prepared to pay for your parking pass at that time. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of your parking pass.

We encourage 2L and 3L students to apply for the general parking lottery PRIOR to applying for a hardship permit as there are limited hardship permits available and no guarantee of a permit. Therefore, 2L and 3L students may submit a Hardship Parking Application following the release of the Transportation & Parking Lottery allocations.

To request accommodation for hardships arising outside of the application window, please contact the Office of Student Development.

Please note: The UNC School of Law Hardship Parking Application process is separate from the Hardship Parking offered by UNC Transportation. See below for information about obtaining Hardship Parking through UNC Transportation.

In addition to the UNC School of Law Hardship Parking Application process, students have two options for obtaining Hardship Parking through UNC Transportation.

Apply for Hardship Parking through UNC Transportation & Parking

Hardship Parking through UNC Transportation & Parking is a student-managed application process that allocates parking to students whose schedule and transportation demands cannot be met through available commuting options or are significantly impacted by hardship circumstances. For more information, please visit UNC Transportation & Parking.

Medical Mobility Accommodations

Students who have mobility limitations that require transportation accommodations should apply for Medical Mobility Accommodations through UNC Transportation & Parking before applying for UNC School of Law Hardship Parking. Please note that this application requires documentation by a licensed health care professional. For more information, please visit Medical Mobility Accommodations.

Visitors to the School of Law may park in the Raleigh Road lot or the Rams Head parking deck. These pay lots are reserved specifically for campus visitors and are in close proximity to the law school. (Visitor Parking Map)

For official School of Law visitors, a limited number of visitor spaces are available along the front of the building marked with a visitor sign. These spaces must be reserved in advance through the law school receptionist, Johnnetta Brown. The School of Law reserves the right to limit spaces on an as-needed basis. We ask that student organizations or School of Law departments reserve spaces in advance.

Carolina Law provides an evening shuttle service from Van Hecke-Wettach Hall to the T-Lot, Raleigh Road Lot, and Rams Head lots Mondays through Thursdays throughout the school year. Shuttle service runs from 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and leaves the parking lot every 15 minutes or as close to the quarter hour as possible. Questions regarding shuttle service should be directed to Phillip Spangler, Carolina Law Facilities Maintenance Manager.

On game days for football, basketball, and baseball, the Navy Field Lot and Clinic Lot are often reserved by the athletic department and may not be used by faculty, staff, or students. Parking regulations are strictly enforced at all times unless otherwise announced. For more information concerning parking during athletic and other on-campus events, visit Events at UNC.

Most first-year law students commute to and from campus using a combination of the local Park and Ride and Chapel Hill Transit System.

A Park & Ride is a place where people can park to ride the bus, carpool, or vanpool. The Local Park & Ride is served by Chapel Hill Transit and requires a permit, helping to subsidize the cost of Chapel Hill’s FARE-FREE transit system. Regional Park & Rides are served by GoTriangle, PART, and Chatham Transit; Regional Park & Rides are free to park, while fees vary across transit systems.

UNC supports a plethora of commuting options outlined through the Commuter Alternatives Program (CAP) and is available to students without an on-campus parking permit. In addition to transit and Park & Ride options listed above, CAP supports:

• Park & Ride
• Chapel Hill Transit
• GoTriangle/PART (free GoPass)
• Chatham Transit (free bus pass)
• Vanpool ($20/month discount)
• Carpool
• Bike/Walk

CAP Registration begins in July.

If you have any additional questions or concerns about commuting, please contact the Transportation & Parking at 919.843.4414 or cap@unc.edu.

The lots with the most convenient bus service to the law school are the NC 54 lot and the Friday Center lot. These two lots are nearly adjacent to one another and are located off of NC 54, near the Friday Center.

If you commute from south of Chapel Hill via US 15-501, the Southern Village Park & Ride (Southern Village subdivision) and the Chatham Park & Ride (near Cole Park Plaza shopping center) are conveniently located south of town.

Map of UNC Park & Ride Lots

Bicycling is one the fastest, healthiest, most affordable, and most fun ways to get around campus and Chapel Hill. We recommend that you register your bike with the Department of Public Safety. It’s easy, free, and helps if your bike is ever missing or stolen. You will also receive a 50% off coupon towards a U-lock so you can secure your bike wherever you go.

You can also rent a Tar Heel Bike with stations across campus including the law school.

The law school offers covered bike racks, as well as showers and changing rooms. There is a free tire pump for public use located on the side of the Student Union, facing South Road, available 24 hours a day.

Learn about state bicycling laws.

Don’t forget your helmet!

Zipcar is a flexible and convenient car sharing service which allows employees, students and visitors to access a vehicle on campus at any time, so there is no need to bring a car to campus.

• Cars located conveniently throughout campus
• Reserve cars online or by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Gas, maintenance, insurance and 180 free miles per day included in hourly rate