• Home
  • License Plate Recognition

License Plate Recognition

Don't be shy – show us your license plate

License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology will move into phase two of implementation at Bloomington.The LPR technology we are using has been reviewed and approved by the Indiana University Security Office.

Please be sure that you park your vehicle with the license plate facing the driving lane.

If you wish to continue backing into parking spaces or pulling through them and your state does not issue a front license plate, you must purchase an IU LPR plate and display it on the front bumper of your vehicle. IU LPR plates must be purchased in person at our office.

Parking hang tags are still required and must be used to access most parking garages. All vehicles registered with the university must continue to display a hang tag during this transition period away from them.

How LPR worksWhy LPR technology?About LPR testingAnswers to your LPR questions

How LPR works

License Plate Recognition (LPR) 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 license plate is your virtual permit! LPR works much like a supermarket scanner but it uses your vehicle's plate in place of a barcode. The license plate is captured by cameras mounted on enforcement vehicles or inside parking garages. When read, the numbers of your plate are automatically referenced against the parking database to verify proper parking privileges for the parking location.

back to top

Why LPR technology?

The bottom line is that this technology is designed to improve our efficiency and your experience with us.

  • Simplify/Streamline the permit renewal process – no extra trips to pick up permit, no waiting in line and no waiting for your permit to arrive in the mail
  • Once LPR is fully implemented, there will be no need to:
    • Visit our office if you forget your permit
    • Worry about your permit falling from rearview mirror or being improperly displayed
    • Pay a fee for lost permits
    • Remember to switch your permit to another vehicle
    • Scan or swipe a permit when entering or exiting a garage. With LPR, it is automatic!

back to top

About the LPR testing on this campus

The impact to your day-to-day parking experience will be minimal. You will continue to display your valid parking permit in your vehicle during the evaluation period and park in the same areas as allowed by that permit.

To ensure we collect enough results during the evaluation period we are asking all permit holders to do the following:

  1. Navigate to the IU Parking Portal to review and update your current vehicle information and license plate.
  2. Log in with your IU credentials.
  3. Click on Vehicles in the navigation at the top of the page.
  4. Delete old vehicles, edit vehicle information, or add vehicles you drive.
  5. If you have a personalized plate with a special character (heart, star, etc.) skip the special character and enter only the numbers or letters. Do not include any spaces.
  6. Always park your vehicle so that your license plate faces the drive lane and the LPR cameras can read it.

Secondary permits such as the service vehicle (SV) and reserved (R) should be displayed as usual. Current parking rules for use of secondary permits will not change. Protocol for visitors displaying a visitor permit or parking in designated visitor locations will not change.

back to top

Answers to your LPR questions

About license plates

Is there a fee to obtain an IU LPR plate?

Yes, you will need to purchase the plate at our office.

Can I return an IU LPR plate?

IU LPR plates are valid for as long as you are using them on your vehicle, when you have a valid IU Permit and unlike a permit, do not require renewing. Therefore, the rate for the plate is neither pro-rated, nor available to be refunded.

What do I need to know when I drive a rental vehicle to campus?

You will need to update your parking portal account to include any vehicle plate that you drive. You may remove the vehicle from your account as needed. This includes IU Fleet vehicles.

What happens if I have a specialty plate with special characters?

Permissions may only be associated with a state issued standard, specialty, or vanity license plate or the IU LPR plate. Other specialty plates displayed on the front of a vehicle will not enable back in or pull through parking.

Can I continue to use a specialty or vanity plate on the front of my vehicle?

As Indiana is a rear plate only state, there are no restrictions on what types of plate you use on the front of your vehicle. However, if choosing to back in or pull through a space, only an IU LPR plate will permitted for being validly parked.

What happens if I have a temporary issued license plate?

You may enter your temporary plate number in the parking portal and update it once your new plate is affixed to your vehicle.

What happens if my license plate expires?

To be validly parked, all vehicle registrations must be current. This includes your state issued license plate. However, we do not require license plate expiration dates on your account to be updated. If you license plate number changes, you must update it on your account through the Parking Portal.

About the IU LPR plate

Is there a fee to obtain an IU LPR plate?

IU LPR plates are provided to customers who have a valid IU permit, at the University’s cost of $14.50. Plates are only available for purchase in the Parking Operations office.

Am I required to purchase an IU LPR plate if I have a valid IU permit?

No. The IU LPR plate is made available as an optional item to permit holders so that they may have the flexibility of the orientation they park. The IU LPR plate is not required, however, parking with either the state issued license plate or IU LPR plate facing the drive lane is required.

Will my vehicle be equipped to install a plate on the front?

Parking Operations cannot provide guidance on how an IU LPR plate will mount on every vehicle type. We recommend contacting your vehicle’s local brand dealership for guidance. Please ensure you are familiar with the mounting options before purchasing the IU LPR plate, as they are non-refundable.

Can I display the IU LPR plate in my windshield?

IU LPR plates must be mounted to the front of your vehicle, like your state issued rear plate. The IU LPR plate will be scanned by a vehicle mounted LPR camera calibrated to scan only in this area of the vehicle. The LPR cameras are not able to scan images such as the IU LPR plate in other locations of the vehicle.

About LPR Technology and Parking Locations

Can I park a vehicle from Fleet Services in an IU lot?

Just as other rentals, rental vehicles from IU Fleet Services must be registered to your account.

Do I need to register the plate of my guests?

Protocol for visitors displaying a visitor permit or parking in designated visitor locations will not change.

Does the LPR stipulation to not back in or pull through a parking space apply to electric charging stations and ADA parking spots?

Exceptions to the parking stipulations will be made for vehicles actively charging at a charging station and for vehicles that must back into ADA spaces for adequate access to the accessible aisles.

How will this affect the supplemental permit like SV, RPS, CHU, EVC that I use?

Secondary permits should be associated to your plate when possible. To check, sign into your Parking Portal and select Permits. They select "View Your Permits" from the top menu. Please contact our staff if you need assistance adding a supplemental permit to your plate.

How does LPR work with parking garages?

Currently, most garages on campus operate with gate equipment. LPR will be used to enforce designated parking zone locations in garages. At the Poplars garage, LPR is used to ensure a permit is valid or payment via ParkMobile has been made.

What happens if I am in a carpool?

Carpool permits will be associated to all carpool members at the time of purchase. Vehicles can be registered to multiple people, in their own Parking Portal.

What happens if I drive a motorcycle to campus?

Motorcycles that are parked in designated motorcycle parking locations will be exempt from the no backing in policy. Motorcycles that are parked in a space also designated for vehicles, will need to park with the plate facing the drive lane.

What happens when I visit another IU campus?

Permit display requirements on other campuses will continue to be required.

What will happen if my license plate becomes snow covered and unreadable?

Your plate should be kept clear of all snow or debris as possible.

When you do away with parking hang tags will my plate be assigned to specific parking lots or garages?

There are no plans to change the permission structure of parking permits.

Will a cover over my plate affect the camera's ability to read it?

Yes, this may cause your plate not to be able to be read.

Why do I have to display a parking permit and park with my license plate visible to the drive?

Parking enforcement will consist of both Enforcement Officers and LPR technology. Until IU completely moves away from a physical hangtag, both the hangtag and the plate must be displayed.

About your account

How can I remove a plate number from my account?

You may remove vehicle records through Parking Portal if it is not associated with open, paid, or dismissed citations. If you need assistance removing a plate that is no longer registered to you, please contact our office.

How many licenses plate numbers can I register on my account?

At this time, you may register up to 5 license plates on your account.

back to top

Privacy

The only information captured is a picture of your license plate. This information will be used for purposes of parking enforcement and enhancing the security and safety of the IU community. All license plate photos are deleted after 60 days of capture unless they were taken as a result of your vehicle receiving a citation. Open parking space counts from the LPR system can be communicated via an App or other technology for a better parking experience and used to maximize space in surface lots and garages to better serve the campus community.