POLICY

A. Purpose

This policy defines the requirements for parking at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Parking is a limited resource, and Berkeley Lab issues valid parking permits only to eligible individuals.

B. Persons Affected

This policy applies to all Laboratory employees, affiliates, contractors, and visitors.

C. Exceptions

The Operations Directorate (Transportation & Parking) may make exceptions for extenuating circumstances that require a deviation from the policy (refer to Section D.2 of this policy). Submission of a formal request and justification are required.

D. Policy Statement

D.1 General

1. Limited on-site vehicle parking is provided for certain employees, affiliates, contractors, and visitors. Berkeley Lab issues valid parking permits to individuals who meet the established criteria. Maps indicating parking areas are available at the entry gates or at commute.lbl.gov/resource/parking. Eligible individuals are limited to one valid permit. A permit for a motorcycle and/or a bicycle can expedite gate entry. They are not required and are issued independent of or in addition to a car parking permit.
2. The Operations Directorate (Transportation & Parking) may make exceptions to the policy for extenuating circumstances that require a deviation from the policy. Requests shall be submitted in writing and must include a justification (refer to Section D.2 of this policy).

D.2 Parking Permits and Eligibility

1. Exceptions: The Berkeley Lab Deputy Director for Operations or his/her designee may make an exception to the above policies based on the following guidelines:
   1. A Request for Parking Permit Exception must be submitted to the Transportation & Parking staff by a Division Director justifying the request on the basis of at least one of the following:
      1. Working hours outside of the Lab shuttle operating hours.
      2. A temporary assignment not to exceed 90 days.
      3. A major impact on Berkeley Lab operations and/or scientific research if the requested exception is not granted
2. A request shall not be made on the premise of convenience, unavailability of alternate commute options, financial hardship, or employee performance/retention.

D.3 Additional Parking Considerations

1. Temporary Parking Permit. A paper pass (to be displayed on the dashboard) issued to short-term visitors. The pass designates the applicable parking permit level (General, Blue Triangle, or Orange Circle), which shall be adhered to by the visitor.
2. Official Vehicles: Vehicles with license plates issued by the federal government or the state of California are authorized to park in Government Vehicle parking spaces, and Blue Triangle and General parking spaces unless otherwise reserved. Official vehicles must park in established parking areas. Vehicles with government plates (including low-speed EVs) may not park in EV charging spaces (see item 5 below).
3. Carpool Vehicle Parking: All vehicles parked in a designated carpool space must meet the requirements per the signage and/or pavement markings associated with the space. A vehicle parked in a designated carpool space must also meet one of the following requirements:
   1. Display a Temporary Parking Permit for carpool parking issued by LBNL Security at an entrance gate. For a Temporary Parking Permit with a Carpool designation to be issued, at least one individual in the vehicle must have a current LBNL parking permit and at least two individuals in the vehicle must have current LBNL badges.
   2. Display at least two current LBNL parking permits.
4. Stack Parking: Stack Parking spaces are reserved for vehicles that display a Stack Parking card. Movement of a vehicle in Stack Parking may be necessary to accommodate unforeseen circumstances and to allow for the exit (or entry) of other vehicles parked in Stack Parking.
   1. Berkeley Lab employees and affiliates who choose to park in Stack Parking spaces must observe the following regulations:
      1. Park as close as possible to the vehicle, stop line, or barrier in front and/or behind your vehicle (maintain a less-than-30-inch gap between vehicles).
      2. Not allow a vehicle to extend into a red zone or a pedestrian walkway.
      3. Display a valid Berkeley Lab parking permit.
      4. Display a Stack Parking card with your contact information. Stack Parking cards are available on request from the Site Access Office or at commute.lbl.gov/resource/parking.
   2. To maintain hospitable and accommodating Stack Parking, those who choose to park in Stack Parking are encouraged to:
      1. Be prepared to respond to requests to move your vehicle within 5 to 10 minutes of the request.
      2. Display the approximate time of day that you will need to move your car, to better inform those parking nearby.
5. EV Charging: Parking in a space marked for electric vehicle charging requires a reservation and display of a dashboard EV charging permit in addition to a valid parking permit. See ev-charging.lbl.gov for more information.

D.4 Parking Policy Enforcement

1. Security and Emergency Services (SES) enforces Berkeley Lab's parking policy by patrolling parking lots throughout the main Laboratory site and issuing administrative parking violation notices to vehicles that are parked in violation of various parking policies.
2. The University of California Police Department (UCPD) patrols the Laboratory site and issues citations for moving and parking violations of the California Vehicle Code. A vehicle may be issued citations by both SES and UCPD. UCPD citations include monetary penalties.
3. SES will leave one copy of the parking violation notice on the vehicle and retain a copy for its records. An email will be sent to the vehicle owner on record and his/her immediate supervisor and Division Director within 48 hours of the issuance of the notice, informing them about the type of violation, penalty, and other relevant information.
4. SES will review each parking violation notice for accuracy and enter information about the violation into a database that will track all parking violations.
5. A parking permit issued to an employee who receives a second violation notice during a 12-month period will be suspended for five working days.
6. Upon notification by SES of a permit suspension, the employee shall surrender the permit within two business days as instructed by SES. The employee may collect the permit after the five-day suspension is complete and the permit is valid again.
7. Repeat violators are subject to additional corrective action in accordance with the Laboratory's Corrective Action and Discipline policy or applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
8. Parking permit holders who believe they were issued a parking violation notice in error may submit a written appeal through SES (email [email protected]). As necessary, SES will forward the review request to the Transportation Advisory Committee for further review and recommendation.
9. Construction contractor permit holders receive a parking violation notice warning for the first violation. All violation notices will be reported to the chief of projects and construction or designee for follow-up. Repeat violations by a construction worker may result in permanent revocation of parking privileges.
10. Visitors shall observe all parking regulations while on Berkeley Lab premises. Both visitors and their hosts may be informed about the violation. Hosts are expected to take appropriate actions.

D.5 Parking Regulations

1. Forgotten Permit: Persons who forget their hanging permit may request a temporary one-day parking permit at the entry gate. The issuance of a Temporary Parking Permit will be reported to Site Access. Abuse of the temporary permit provisions is subject to suspension of parking permit and/or other disciplinary actions.
2. Replacement of Lost or Stolen Parking Permits: To replace a lost or stolen parking permit, contact the Site Access Office.
3. Return of the Parking Permit on Termination of Employment: Parking permits are the property of the Laboratory and must be returned to the employee's division office or the Site Access Office no later than the last day of employment. If the permit holder leaves after hours, parking permits can also be turned in to the security officer at the entry gates.

D.6 Long-Term or Extended Parking

1. Parking spaces are a limited resource at Berkeley Lab and must be made available at all times to employees, visitors, affiliates, contractors, and eligible students to meet their parking and business needs.
2. A vehicle may be parked on-site for up to 48 hours without moving. Extended parking (over 48 hours) is permitted only when traveling on official Laboratory business. A permit for extended parking, issued by SES, must be received and displayed on the vehicle prior to leaving for the business trip. Extended parking for any personal reason, including authorized leave or vacation, is not permitted. 
3. Unauthorized long-term parking of a vehicle is strictly prohibited. Any vehicle parked for over 48 hours without displaying the required permit may be removed by SES at the owner's expense.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

Managers, supervisors, and employees have the responsibility to adhere to the provisions of this policy.

F. Definitions/Acronyms

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

None

H. Implementing Documents

I. Related Policies

J. Contact Information

Operations Directorate, Transportation & Parking, [email protected]

K. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Source Requirements Documents

• California Vehicle Code (CVC)
• University of California Berkeley Traffic and Parking Code

Other Driving Requirements

• Vehicles, Use of Laboratory or Government, 09.05.005.000
• Site Access and Security, 08.02.001.000

Implementing Documents