About License Plate Recognition Technology

Parking & Transportation Services offers License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology at gated parking facilities on the Twin Cities campus.

LPR Benefits

Use of LPR technology at gated facilities can speed entry for contract parkers, and can speed exit for both contract and public parkers. All parkers benefit from reduced idle time at exit.

How LPR Works

Cameras mounted at the entrances and exits of gated parking facilities capture images of a vehicle’s front license plate as the vehicle pauses at the gate. The images are processed by optical character recognition (OCR) analytics to produce license plate characters for use by the parking system. Photographic images of a plate are stored by the LPR system. LPR images are deleted from the parking system after 24 hours.

LPR does not work if the vehicle lacks a front license plate or if the plate is obscured to the point that the OCR analytics cannot interpret the plate’s characters.

How Contract Parkers Can Use LPR

Eligible contract holders may opt in to use LPR as a parking contract credential to enter and exit gated parking facilities enabled by their contract. LPR provides an alternative to holding a card near the card reader on facility entry and exit machines.

The LPR system checks the characters produced by the OCR analytics against the PTS database of license plate numbers submitted voluntarily by contract holders. If the characters match a license plate in the database, the system checks for an associated contract. If the associated contract grants access to the facility, the LPR system raises the gate.

Eligible Contracts

Most contracts assigned to students, faculty, and staff are eligible to use LPR as a contract credential. Contract holders may link up to two license plate numbers to their contracts. Contracts shared by groups of people, such as Departmental Contracts, are not eligible to use LPR.

How to Link License Plates to Contracts

Link License Plates to Your Contract Here

If you have an individual contract and UMN Internet ID, sign in to Manage My Contract and click the My Vehicles link. Follow the instructions on the site to enter license plate numbers to be linked to your contract.

If you have an individual contract but lack a UMN Internet ID, complete and submit the Google form. You will be notified when your license plate numbers have been linked to your contract.

U Cards, PTS Parking Cards, and LPR

Card readers recognize U Cards and PTS Parking Cards.

Because LPR does not work under all conditions (if the front plate is obscured by snow, for instance), each contract is linked to either a U Card or a PTS Parking Card. The card is always considered the contract’s primary parking contract credential. Use of LPR is optional.

Parking contracts are automatically linked to the contract holder’s U Card or to the assigned PTS Parking Card to enable the card’s use as a parking contract credential at updated facilities. By linking a license plate number, the contract holder enables the plate’s use as an additional parking credential. U Cards, PTS Parking Cards, and LPR function interchangeably.

How Public Parkers Use LPR

LPR affects all public parkers at updated facilities. Upon entry, cameras outside the facility gate capture images of the vehicle’s front plate. The driver takes a ticket and the parking system links the characters produced by the OCR analytics to the ticket. When the driver approaches the facility exit gate, the cameras again capture images of the vehicle’s front plate. If the ticket has already been paid in full, such as by a validation or at a paystation, the gate rises to let the parker exit. If the ticket has not been paid in full, the gate remains lowered until the driver pays any outstanding charge at the in-lane exit station. LPR images are deleted from the parking system after 24 hours.

Privacy Statement

Why is PTS requesting your license plate number?

Individual parking contract holders at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus may opt in to use license plate recognition (LPR) technology to enter and exit gated parking facilities that are accessible to their contract. LPR provides an additional access method which can be used interchangeably with a parker’s U Card or PTS Parking Card. Provided license plate numbers are linked to the parker’s contract for use by the LPR system. The license plate numbers are stored in the PTS contract database and in the parking system.

Providing license plate numbers is voluntary and optional. Contract parkers may add up to two license plate numbers and can update and delete them at any time. Contract parkers have full use of their contracts without using LPR.

Who has access to your license plate number?

PTS employees can access a parker’s license plate numbers in the PTS contract database.
PTS and HUB Parking Technology employees can access a parker’s license plate numbers in the parking system.
The University will not share license plate numbers with any party unless required to do so by law.
LPR images are deleted from the parking system after 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Do I have to register my vehicles and license plate numbers?

No. Linking license plate numbers to your parking contract is voluntary.

I have an individual contract and I want to use LPR. What do I do?

If you have a UMN Internet ID, sign in to Manage My Contract and click the My Vehicles link. Follow the instructions on the site to link up to two license plate numbers to your contract. Use the same site to edit and delete plates.

If you have an individual contract but lack a UMN Internet ID, complete and submit the Google form. You will be notified when your license plate numbers have been linked to your contract.

Contracts shared by groups of people, such as Departmental Contracts, are not eligible to use LPR.

I use a departmental contract on campus. Can I use LPR?

No. Contracts shared by groups of people, such as Departmental Contracts, are not eligible to use LPR.

What if my plate has special characters or shapes, such as a hyphen or a heart?

Optical character recognition (OCR) analytics ignore spaces and special characters such as hyphens and hearts. Enter only the alphanumeric characters of your plate in My Vehicles.

What if I share a car? Can one license plate be linked to two contracts?

No. The system does not allow a license plate to be linked to more than one contract. If you need an extra parking contract credential, consider buying a PTS Parking Card for $20. A PTS Parking Card functions like a U Card at parking facilities. PTS provides one PTS Parking Card at no cost to contract holders without a U Card. Any contract holder may purchase up to two PTS Parking Cards for $20 each.

What is a PTS Parking Card?

A PTS Parking Card functions like a U Card at parking facilities. PTS provides one PTS Parking Card at no cost to contract holders without a U Card. Any contract holder may purchase up to two PTS Parking Cards for $20 each.

What if I get a new license plate or vehicle?

Sign in to Manage My Contract with your Internet ID and click the My Vehicles link. Follow the instructions on the site to add, edit and delete plates. If you don’t have an Internet ID, use the Google form to request changes.

What if I drive a rental vehicle to campus?

To use LPR with a rental vehicle: Sign in to Manage My Contract with your Internet ID and click the My Vehicles link. Follow the instructions on the site to add the rental vehicle’s plate. Delete it when you no longer need it. If you don’t have an Internet ID, use the Google form to request changes. Remember that you can always use your U Card or PTS Parking Card instead of LPR.

How soon after I link a plate to my contract in My Vehicles will the system recognize it?

Allow 30 minutes for changes made using My Vehicles to be recognized at your parking facility.

Can I use my license plate to enter a facility and then use my card to exit?

Yes. U Cards, PTS Parking Cards, and LPR function interchangeably.

Do I have to stop at the gate arm when I exit?

When your plate is recognized, the gate will open. You will likely need to stop your vehicle until the system recognizes your license plate. If the gate does not open, use your U Card or PTS Parking Card at the reader to activate the gate. Always have your U Card or PTS Parking Card available as your primary parking contract credential.

How many parking contract credentials can I link to my contract?

A maximum of five credentials can be linked to an individual parking contract: three cards (one U Card and two PTS Parking Cards or three PTS Parking Cards) and two license plate numbers.

What if I carpool?

The University of Minnesota supports carpooling to decrease air pollution and traffic congestion. Up to two license plates can be linked to a parking contract. Remember that only one vehicle per contract can use the parking contract at a time. If a second vehicle tries to park at the same time, the driver must pull a ticket and pay the public parking rate.

What if I drive a motorcycle to campus?

Motorcycles lack front plates and cannot use LPR.

About License Plate Recognition Technology