License Plate Recognition is a virtual permit system that allows you to use your license plate as your parking permit. No more worrying about properly displaying your parking permit, or transferring your permit between vehicles. With LPR, your plate is your permit!

How Does It Work?

LPR is a system of cameras and accompanying software, which are placed on Transportation & Parking Department vehicles to scan license plates. Once a plate is scanned and read by the software the information is sent to the secured parking database for validation. This happens instantaneously, allowing the enforcement officers to cover the entire campus multiple times per day. When a scanned license plate number is not associated with a valid permit or is not used correctly, enforcement is prompted to investigate further and potentially issue a citation.

Customer Service Benefits

  • Simplify/streamline the permit renewal process - no extra trips to pick up permit, no concerns with lost/stolen mail, no waiting in line, and no extended processing time
  • No plastic permit to lose, forget, or move from vehicle to vehicle
  • No $23 replacement fee if permit lost
  • Account updates are user driven and less susceptible to data entry error

Environmental Impact/Sustainability

  • Eliminate plastic permits production - manufacturing impacts such as fossil fuels, carbon footprint of factory/facilities.
  • Eliminate disposal of expired and unused plastic permits.
  • Eliminate delivery (fossil fuel, emissions, vehicle/road wear and tear).

plate-is-permit

To ensure you have your vehicle information readily available prior to registration, TPS recommends taking a picture of your license plate to use as a personal reference material.

Directions to Link your Vehicle(s) to your Parking Permit:

Students, faculty and staff can access the online ODU Parking Portal to add vehicles from their account by following the steps listed below. Any updates to existing vehicles must be emailed to Transportation & Parking Services (parking@odu.edu). All vehicles parked on campus must be linked to a valid permit to avoid receiving a citation.

  1. Visit the online and login with ODU Midas ID and Password.
  2. Click "View Your Permits" and click on your "Active" permit.
  3. Review the "Associated Vehicles" and verify those listed are the vehicles you want on your permit. Delete any vehicles you no longer drive to campus.
  4. Click "Add Vehicles to Permit" to link a vehicle license plate to your permit.
  5. After you have added your vehicle, view your permit to ensure all vehicles are linked.

What's different?

A valid ODU parking permit will still be required to park on campus, and permit holders will still be assigned to specific locations to park. Rather than displaying a physical permit, a "virtual permit" will be associated with license plate(s) on the customer's account.

An important change to our system is the need for permit holders to keep accounts, particularly license plates numbers, accurate and up to date. See below for steps to update your vehicle information.

Multiple Vehicles Only one vehicle may be parked on campus at a time to avoid receiving a citation. Faculty/Staff and Commuter Students can have a maximum of three vehicles linked to their current parking permit. Resident Students (Those living in an on-campus dorm) can have a maximum of one vehicle linked to their current parking permit. If you have more than three vehicles, please contact our office for assistance.
Enforcement and Parking The license plate is associated with the virtual permit and anyone who parks on campus must have a valid ODU parking permit and link their vehicle(s) to their permit through their ODU Parking Portal account. The purchaser is responsible for the accuracy of the license plate and vehicle information in the parking portal. Citations will be issued to the vehicle owner if inaccurate license plate information is self-reported in the parking portal or parking enforcement staff are unable to scan a license plate when the vehicle is parked. License plates must face the drive lane to be scanned for compliance. Vehicles from states that don't require a front license plate must be parked allowing the rear plate to be scanned from the drive aisle (don't back in). Parking Rules and Regulations can be found here: ODU Parking and Traffic Procedures
Temporary Plates Temporary, paper license plates on new vehicles need to be registered online and linked to an individual's permit to avoid receiving a citation. Once permanent plate have been obtained, they should be added to the permit online. The temporary plate should be removed from both the permit and the parking profile.
Rental Vehicles As is the case with any other vehicle, rental vehicles need to be registered online and linked to an individual's permit. When the rental vehicle has been returned and is no longer in use, the information for the rental should be removed from both the permit and the parking profile as it may be rented and parked on campus by a different driver in the future.
Hourly Parking Hourly parking requires payment at a pay station (Visitor Lot 7 ONLY) or MobilePay as it has been fully transitioned to "Pay by Plate" and LPR enforcement.