ORS > DATS > Parking > Parking Permit Types & Areas

The NIH Campus has multiple parking areas for employees, contractors, and visitors.

Employees are eligible to apply for a parking permit. Multi-level garages/lots are within a short walking distance of buildings. Shuttle services are provided from most garages/lots for those who would rather not walk.

Listed below are the different permit types. Permits are renewed in different intervals; refer to the renewal instructions for more information.

There is limited visitor parking on the NIH Campus. Public transit, taxi, and carpooling are highly encouraged.

Types of Permits

General Permits

Permits are valid in areas marked for "Permit Holders."

Permit holders may park in Carpool Areas after 11:00 am and valid in RED parking areas after 3:30 pm M-F. Permits are issued for two years based on the first letter of the employee's last name.

Contractor Permits

Contractor permits are valid in areas marked for "Permit Holders."

Permits are issued to Contractors and Tenants. Must be authorized in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) by the Administrative Officer (AO), and duty location must be at the NIH campus. Permits are issued for a one year period based on the first letter of the employee's last name.

Off-Campus Permits

Effective March 31, 2025, off-campus permits will no longer be valid and cannot be used at Rockledge or the NIH Bethesda Campus.

Executive (Red) Permits

Red permits are valid in areas designated for "RED Permit Holders Only" or "Permit Holders," if Red spaces are full.

Permits are issued to individuals at the executive level (GS-15, CO-6 and above, and equivalent grade-level employees). Red Permits are not valid in Carpool Spaces before 11:00 am. Red spaces are reserved until 3:30 pm. Authorization for Red Parking must be approved by ICs Administrative Officer in NED.

Carpool Permits

Carpool permits are valid in areas with "CP Spaces reserved until 11:00 a.m." or "Permit Holders."

Permits are issued to two or more employees possessing a valid NIH ID, each of whom is eligible to obtain individual General, Contractor, or Red permits; i.e., each person must be present at the time of enrollment, registered owner of the vehicles, and have a valid driver's license. Carpool parking permits are valid in RED areas after 3:30 p.m.

Vanpool Permits

Vanpool permits are valid in areas designated for "Van Pool Parking".

Permits are issued to registered NIH vanpool coordinators. All vanpool parking spaces are designated for vans and are reserved 24 hours.

Red Reserved/SE Permits

Candy-stripe Red permits are issued to Senior Executive staff.

A pool of 16 reserved spaces is located throughout the campus for their restricted use. Permit holders must meet eligibility requirements. Detailed information is available here.

These permits are available for the top five IC Directors with worksites located off-campus.

Blue (F/V/G) Permits

Blue (Fellow/Volunteer/Guest) Permits are valid in areas marked for "Permit Holders."

Permits are issued to Fellows and volunteers authorized in NED by the Administrative Officer. Permits are issued for one year based on the first letter of the employee's last name.

Gold (Disability) Permits

Gold permits are valid in spaces marked "Gold Permit Holders" or "Red Permit Holders" if Gold spaces are full.

Permits are issued to NIH employees ONLY. Employee must provide a valid state-issued disability registration card in their name, this is the only authorized item that will be accepted to verify eligibility. Gold permits are not valid in Carpool Spaces before 11:00 am.

Permit Type	Last Initial	Expiration Month	Permit Length
General	A - B	January	2 Years
General	C - D	February	2 Years
General	E - G	March	2 Years
General	H - J	May	2 Years
General	K - L	June	2 Years
General	M - N	July	2 Years
General	O - R	August	2 Years
General	S - T	September	2 Years
General	U - Z	November	2 Years
Gold Disability	Not Applicable	May	2 Years
Rockledge Gold Disability	Not Applicable	May	2 Years
Rockledge General	A - M	July	2 Years
Rockledge General	N - Z	October	2 Years
Carpool	Not Applicable	October	1 Year
Vanpool	Not Applicable	November	2 Years
Red	A - M	February	2 Years
Red	N - Z	April	2 Years
Rockledge Red	A - M	February	2 Years
Rockledge Red	N - Z	April	2 Years
Red/SE-RES	Not Applicable	April	2 Years
Contractor	A - M	September	1 Year
Contractor	N - Z	December	1 Year
FVG	Not Applicable	August	1 Year

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Applying for a Parking Hanger (Join Parking)

To obtain a permanent parking permit for the NIH Bethesda Campus and Rockledge I/II Campus, all vehicles must be registered through the Employee Transportation Services Office (ETSO). ETSO issues parking permits in the form of a rear-view mirror hanger to eligible employees. You may request a permit through one of the following methods:

Applying online through CAPS.

Email parking permit request to nihparkingoffice@nih.gov. Include the NIH ID number, local home address, and a copy of a valid vehicle registration with the employee's name. Additionally, the contractor or tenant must be authorized to park by an Administrative Officer in the NED system.
Contractors without NIH computer access should submit a completed and signed NIH Bethesda Campus Contractor Parking Application via email.

*If you are unable to apply for a permit online, please email nihparkingoffice@nih.gov or call 301-496-5050.

Disclaimer

It is the responsibility of the permit holder to adhere to all applicable policies, regulations, and laws while using the NIH Parking Permit. The ETSO attempts to inform the NIH staff of parking policy changes using global email. In specific cases, the use of website alerts, fliers, signs, and news articles may be utilized. ETSO is not involved with or responsible for any parking citations or law enforcement actions taken on the NIH Campus. Those enforcement matters should be addressed to the NIH Division of Police. The use of NIH parking permits is the sole responsibility of the user to ensure they are up-to-date and compliant with all parking policies and regulations.

Acknowledgment

By accepting an NIH parking permit you acknowledge and accept the following terms and conditions:

Any person who knowingly makes a false representation on this application may be subject to a criminal prosecution potentially resulting in a fine or imprisonment, or both, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1001 and to disciplinary actions, including the revocation of parking privileges, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Chapter 75 and 5 C.F.R. Part 752.
The parking permit (hanger) is the property of NIH and must be returned to the NIH Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS) upon separation from the Government or when the holder is no longer eligible for the permit.
The permit cannot be transferred.
The permit must be properly displayed while parked on the NIH Campus – Bethesda, Maryland, and is valid through the last day of the month and year displayed.
Anyone using this permit inappropriately is subject to possible administrative and/or criminal penalties, including ticketing and towing of the vehicle.
If you are renewing, please destroy or discard your old parking permit in the trash.
You have read and understand the NIH Parking Policy, Manual Chapter 1410, and will adhere to all rules and regulations within the policy and abide by policy applications administered by the program managers.

🚫 Parking Violations & Penalties

NIH enforces strict parking regulations. Common violations and their associated penalties include:

Displaying a fraudulent or invalid parking permit
- 1st offense: Warning to 3-month suspension
- 2nd offense: 3 to 6-month suspension and vehicle towing
- 3rd offense: 6-month to 1-year suspension and vehicle towing
Illegally parking in unauthorized areas (e.g., reserved spaces, handicap spots, fire lanes)
- 1st offense: Warning to 3-month suspension and vehicle towing
- 2nd offense: 3 to 6-month suspension and vehicle towing
- 3rd offense: 6-month to 1-year suspension and vehicle towing
Altering or forging an NIH parking permit
- 1st offense: 3 to 6-month suspension and vehicle towing
- 2nd offense: 6-month to 1-year suspension and vehicle towing
- 3rd offense: 2-year suspension and vehicle towing
Double parking or misusing a parking space
- 1st offense: Warning to 1-week suspension
- 2nd offense: 1-week to 3-month suspension
- 3rd offense: 3 to 6-month suspension

These penalties are outlined in the NIH Parking Policy, Manual Chapter 1410.

Report Lost/Stolen Parking Permit

If your NIH permit is lost or missing, submit a “Report Lost/Stolen Hanger" through the CAPS system. A replacement permit will be mailed to your home address, and a temporary 2-week permit will be emailed to you for immediate use. To apply, visit the NIH Commuting and Parking Services Member Portal.

If the permit was stolen, you will need to provide a police report number with your request.

If you do not have access to the CAPS system, please email the Lost/Stolen Form (NIH-2574) to nihparkingoffice@nih.gov.

Parking Areas

The following examples highlight what is typically found throughout the NIH Campus for certain levels of parking. Please be aware of the parking areas where you are parked, and only park in those areas where your permit is valid.

MLP-9 and ACRF B10 Garages - Sticker Requirement

Parking in the MLP-9 and ACRF garages is reserved Monday-Friday for those persons who work in Building 10 & Building 82.

To qualify for a B10 sticker, your NED record must identify your duty station as Building 10 or 82. A sticker will be issued for your parking hanger. Once placed on your parking permit as shown above, it authorizes you to park in the MLP-9 and the ACRF garages.

Please be aware that you will need your NIH Parking Hanger (all designations), with the sticker, to park in these two areas and avoid possible enforcement actions. Signage of the entrance of both the ACRF and MLP-9 garages has been placed detailing this new special permit requirement.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? Construction projects in and near the northwest portion of the NIH campus will limit parking and the ability to traverse around this portion of the campus. To allow Building 10 and 82 staff to park near their workplace, it has been determined that restricting parking and the ACRF and MLP-9 garages to Building 10 staff only will assist with this effort.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER CHANGES? These construction projects will require the closure of the P-1 entrance to the ACRF garage and eliminate up to 50 parking spaces on each of the P-1, P-2, and P-3 levels, as well as suspend stacked parking, causing over 150 parking spaces to be eliminated. The closure of the P-1 entrance will also put an additional strain on the P-3 entrance for entry, exit, and security inspections.

In addition to the reserved parking in the ACRF garage and MLP-9 garages, to offset the loss of these parking spaces and to assist in reducing the pressure at the P-3 entrance, the ORS, ORF, and the CC are implementing some additional changes to assist staff in determining where to park:

Implement stack parking in Lot 10H.
Instituting a Building 10 Express Shuttle circulating between lots 41 and 42 directly to the Building 10 South entrance at peak times.

To request a B10 sticker, email nihparkingoffice@nih.gov.