Parking information
Where to obtain permits
- Online parking portal - for students and employees
- Kelowna campus parking map
- Kelowna employees parking map (Evangel Church lot)
- Vernon campus parking map
- Penticton campus parking map
Visitor parking
Visitors to Okanagan College campuses can park in all OC lots, provided that a permit has been purchased where applicable. Visitors may pay for parking either using the PayByPhone app or at one of the available pay stations.
Event parking
Parking rates are in effect seven days a week, all year. Event organizers should contact Parking Services for options for event parking.
Guest parking
Temporary or guest parking can be provided by College departments using a validation code assigned by Parking Services. Each department will be invoiced monthly for any parking provided.
Accessible parking
Students, employees or visitors who have a valid SPARC BC permit and who have paid to park may park in any of the parking stalls at OC that are designated as accessible parking. Employees who have a valid SPARC BC permit and who have registered for taxable benefit parking are also eligible to park in any designated accessible parking stall. SPARC BC permits are available in temporary (one month to 12 months) and ongoing (three years, renewable) formats. Individuals who have a short-term (less than one month) accessibility challenge should contact parking@okanagan.bc.ca.
Parking permits
Students can purchase and manage permits with our online system:
- Manage your parking account online including updating vehicle license plates, credit card details and view past transactions and active permits.
- Permits purchased for Kelowna campus are valid at all campuses. Permits purchased for Vernon or Penticton are only valid in Vernon and Penticton.
- Payment is online with credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or Visa-debit.
Account access for students
Note: OC students accessing the parking portal must use their OC email address to register. You can find this information in myOkanagan, by going to Personal Information > View Email Addresses. It will be in the format of: first.last@myokanagan.bc.ca.
Student housing parking
Students who reside in OC student housing and who keep a vehicle on campus must purchase a parking permit. On the Kelowna campus, student housing parking is located at Lot 18.
Accessible parking
Students, employees or visitors who have a valid SPARC BC permit and who have paid to park may park in any of the parking stalls at OC that are designated as accessible parking. SPARC BC permits are available in temporary (one month to 12 months) and ongoing (three years, renewable) formats. Individuals who have a short-term (less than one month) accessibility challenge should contact parking@okanagan.bc.ca.
Employee FAQs
Read a full list of questions and answers related to campus parking for employees.
Taxable benefit parking
Employees are eligible for taxable benefit parking, which means they can register to receive an annual parking permit at no up-front cost; however, they will pay taxes on its value when they file their income tax return. Once registered, employees can choose to opt out of taxable benefit parking at any time (it will not be possible to opt back in until the following March). Taxable benefit parking permits are terminated if/when an employee member's employment with OC ends.
Sign-up period: March each year, except for employees who are new or returning from an approved leave (excluding vacation). Taxable benefit permits will automatically renew every year in April.
How to sign up: sign up through OC's online parking portal (the system will prompt the user to "buy" the taxable benefit permit; however, no up-front cost is charged).
Paid parking permits
Alternatively, employees can choose to purchase a permit. This provides them access to park in any OC campus parking lot, including those in Kelowna designated for paid parking only. Employees can purchase parking permits online using a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or Visa-debit. It is also possible to manage your parking account online, including updating vehicle license plates and credit card details, as well as viewing past transactions and active permits.
Permits purchased for Kelowna campus lots are OC-wide permits and are valid at all campuses. Paid permits purchased for Vernon or Penticton are only valid in Vernon and Penticton. Employees with taxable benefit permits in Vernon or Penticton, and who come to Kelowna, may park in the Evangel Church Lot.
Payroll deduction
Kelowna campus employees can purchase an annual parking permit through payroll deduction before March 31 each year. Once the permit is obtained online, notification will be sent to Finance to arrange the payroll deduction. These paid permits are valid at all OC campuses and are valid in any Kelowna campus lot.
Choosing payroll deduction is a commitment to the full term of the pass. The annual rate will be pro-rated for new employees or those returning from an approved leave (excluding vacation).
Payroll deduction is only available to employees who are full-time permanent or have a term greater than one year.
Travelling faculty
A small number of parking stalls are designated for employees travelling between OC sites. A specific permit is required for eligible employees to use these stalls. For more information and to determine eligibility, contact parking@okanagan.bc.ca.
Accessible parking
Students, employees or visitors who have a valid SPARC BC permit and who have paid to park may park in any of the parking stalls at OC that are designated as accessible parking. Employees who have a valid SPARC BC permit and who have registered for taxable benefit parking are also eligible to park in any designated accessible parking stall. SPARC BC permits are available in temporary (one month to 12 months) and ongoing (three years, renewable) formats. Individuals who have a short-term (less than one month) accessibility challenge should contact parking@okanagan.bc.ca.
Kelowna
| Day pass (until 5pm) | $ 8.00 |
| 3 Hours | $ 6.00 |
| Evenings (5 to 12) | $ 4.00 |
| Weekends | $ 4.00 |
| FlexPass (Day) 10 | $ 50.00 |
| FlexPass (Evening) 10 | $ 25.00 |
| FlexPass (Day) 30 | $ 85.00 |
| FlexPass (Evening) 30 | $ 60.00 |
| FlexPass (Day) 50 | $ 115.00 |
| Monthly pass | $ 55.00 |
| Semester Pass | $ 180.00 |
| 2 Semester pass | $ 340.00 |
| Annual Pass | $ 515.00 |
| Carpool (semester) | N/A |
| Visitor 2 Hours (Max) | $ 4.00 |
Notes: FlexPass is valid for 1 year
Payroll deduction for taxable benefit will be $19.65
Vernon and Penticton
| Day pass (until 5pm) | $ 8.00 |
| 3 Hours | $ 4.00 |
| Evenings (5 to 12) | $ 3.00 |
| Weekends | $ 3.00 |
| FlexPass (Day) 10 | $ 45.00 |
| FlexPass (Evening) 10 | $ 20.00 |
| FlexPass (Day) 30 | $ 60.00 |
| FlexPass (Evening) 30 | $ 40.00 |
| FlexPass (Day) 50 | $ 90.00 |
| Monthly pass | $ 55.00 |
| Semester Pass | $ 120.00 |
| 2 Semester Pass | $ 230.00 |
| Annual Pass | $ 386.25 |
| Carpool (semester) | N/A |
| Visitor 2 Hours | $ 4.00 |
Parking rates are always in effect, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Pay a parking fine
Parking fines are $40 and can be paid online. Fees can be reduced to $20 if paid within five days. Failure to pay parking fines may result in loss of parking privileges and other administrative penalties.
Dispute a parking fine
If you believe you received a ticket in error, you can dispute the fine online and enter your violation notice details. Parking Services will review and respond within three business days.
Frequently asked questions about parking
You can pay for hourly parking using the PaybyPhone app, or at a Pay Station. No cash or coins are accepted.
The PaybyPhone Zones for Okanagan College are:
- Kelowna Campus 11434
- Penticton Campus 11432
- Vernon Campus 11433
FlexPasses, semester and annual permits are available for purchase online.
If you're parking on campus one or two days a week, a Flex Pass may be your best option. Flex Passes are available in packs of 10, 30 and 50, and days or evenings (day Flex Passes are valid day and evening; evening passes are only valid after 4 p.m.).
Flex Passes can be redeemed online on any day and are valid one year from the date of purchase. You can pre-select the dates you plan to use and make changes from your parking account.
There are no refunds on unused portions of a Flex Pass.
Parking permits can be purchased online using a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or Visa-debit. It is also possible to manage your parking account online, including updating vehicle license plates and credit card details, as well as viewing past transactions and active permits.
No. Every effort will be made to monitor parking demand and to make access available to as many people as possible, however spaces cannot be guaranteed. OC also reserves the right to limit the number of permits sold.
After Sept. 7, 2022, OC hang tags and paper permits will no longer be valid. Parking is all electronic using license plates.
There are no refunds on purchases through PaybyPhone or campus pay stations.
Semester permits are refunded on a monthly pro-rated basis:
- Returned within 30 days from the start of the semester: 75% of the fee
- Within 60 days: 50% of the fee
- Within 90 days: 25% of the fee
- Over 90 days: No refund issued.
Annual parking permits purchased by OC employees through payroll deduction cannot be refunded and either expire at the end of the fiscal year in which they were purchased (March 31), or are terminated if the employee is no longer working with OC.
No, you don't need multiple passes. Parking pass options, including Flex Passes, have been designed to give you students more choices and flexibility. You can buy a parking permit that reflects your use of parking at specific campuses, instead of requiring you to purchase semester passes at more than one campus. Kelowna permits are valid at all campuses, and Vernon and Penticton permits are valid at both the Vernon and the Penticton campuses.
OC students looking to log into the parking portal must use their OC email address to register. You can find this information in myOkanagan, by going to Personal Information > View Email Addresses. Note: make sure to use the address that follows this format: firstnamelastname@okanagan.bc.ca.
OC staff in Penticton or Vernon: register for and obtain a taxable benefit permit online.
OC staff in Kelowna: register for an obtain a permit online and receive taxable benefit parking in the Evangel Church lot at K.L.O. Road and Gordon Drive.
All employees need to either register for taxable benefit parking or purchase a permit to park at any OC campus. Taxable benefit and payroll deduction permits are annual permits and must be registered in March for the coming year.
New employees, or those returning from an approved leave (excluding vacation), may register at the time of their return.
Taxable benefit annual parking permits will automatically renew each year until you opt out or end your employment. Payroll deduction annual permits will automatically renew each year and can only be opted out of when the current permit term expires or employment ends.
OC staff in Kelowna: you can choose to purchase a parking permit to park in the lots designated for paid parking (open to students, staff and visitors to the Kelowna campus). Payroll deduction registration is only available in March, unless you are an employee who is new or returning from an approved leave (excluding vacation).
An Account Maintenance Request is needed to give access to new and returning employees.
Anyone experiencing technical issues with OC's online parking portal can submit an IT service request.
No, you can add up to four vehicles to a purchased permit. However, only one vehicle can be using the permit at any one time.
Alternative transportation
Electric vehicle (EV) car chargers are available to any OC student, staff or visitor for use. Cars must be plugged in and charging to be parked int he designated EV charging stalls. The cost to charge a vehicle or be plugged in is $1.50 per hour, which does not include parking.
A parking permit is required to use the charging stations, but vehicles must be plugged in.
Vehicles parked at a charging station and not plugged in will be ticketed and may be towed.
To use the charging stations, you needs to use your AddEnergie access card, which you can get at addenergietechnologies.com.
As a courtesy to others, please limited charging to four hours at a time.
The communities in the Okanagan valley promote alternative transportation and there are many accessible trails and paths for cycling.
Contact Parking Services about secure bicycle parking.
Three of the College’s campuses are also serviced by city transit with the following bus routes:
- Kelowna: #1 Lakeshore, #4 Pandosy/UBCO Express, #8 University, #12 McCulloch
- Penticton: #2 Westside/Penticton, #4 Westside/Duncan East, #15 Night Route
- Vernon: #6 College, #90 North Okanagan Connector
- Salmon Arm: #2 College Hillcrest
- Revelstoke Centre: Columbia Park, Big Eddy and Commuter
For further information on bus routes in your area, click below.
We encourage employees and students to carpool but because permits are license plate based, we’re unable to provide designated carpool parking. To find drivers or passengers follow this link. https://www.ridesharing.com/en-ca/ca/Kelowna
Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds do not require a parking permit, provided they are parked in stalls designated for that for those modes of transportation.