The Office of Campus Safety is charged with all campus parking and traffic control. Traffic regulations apply to all persons using Hartwick College facilities. All vehicles must be registered with the campus safety office and have a current valid state registration decal always displayed properly. Decals are available at the Office of Campus Safety.

The campus parking regulations are outlined on the pages of this website for your information and future reference. Each member of the Hartwick community should be aware of the regulations, as they are enforced to keep the campus safe and accessible to students, visitors, faculty, and staff.

Hartwick College first-year students are eligible to bring their motor vehicles to campus during their first academic year on campus. This includes students who have enough credits to be considered sophomores at any time during their first academic year.

First-year students parking on campus will be restricted. First-year students may only park in the Upper Binder parking lot or Miller Court parking lot. First-year students may not park in any other parking lots, this includes not parking in resident parking lots. First-year students who receive three parking tickets in a semester for parking illegally, will lose their privilege for having a vehicle on campus.

Alternative Transportation

Several options exist for students without cars on campus. Hartwick College’s location is ideal for walking, bike riding, and the use of Oneonta Public Transportation (OPT).
Buses – Oneonta Public Transportation (OPT) buses travel throughout the City of Oneonta, including the stores, restaurants, bowling alley, and movie theater on Oneonta’s Southside. Hartwick students can use OPT within the City of Oneonta free of charge at any time by showing their WickIt Card (College ID). The bus stop is just off campus on Center Street and Church Street. In addition, there are six locations on campus where OPT will pick up and drop off students every half-hour starting at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 12:00 midnight on weekdays and 2:45 a.m. on weekends.

Taxis – There are several options for taxi services in the City of Oneonta. Taxis cost a flat rate of $5 to $7 depending on location.

To ensure accessibility and safety, there is a zero-tolerance policy concerning illegally parked or operated vehicles. This means that all such vehicles will be ticketed.

Fire Lanes – parking in fire lanes is strictly prohibited to ensure the safety of our community. If a vehicle is found to be parked in a fire lane (the second time), it will be ticketed and it will be towed at the owner’s expense, in accordance with the towing policy detailed below.

Handicapped Parking Areas – parking in handicapped designated parking spots is prohibited. Vehicles found to be parked in handicapped designated areas will be ticketed. After the second ticket for parking in handicapped designated areas during an academic year, the vehicle will be towed at the owner’s expense, in accordance with the towing policy detailed below.

Safety Hazards – Any vehicle found to be illegally parked on the campus and deemed to be a hazard to the Hartwick community, will be ticketed and towed in accordance with the towing policy detailed below.

Anyone receiving six tickets in an academic year, whether paid or unpaid, will lose their on-campus driving and parking privileges for the remainder of that academic year.

Owners of vehicles who have lost their parking privileges and who illegally bring a vehicle onto campus will be ticketed and the vehicle towed.

Students may register a vehicle on campus and obtain a parking decal. There is no fee for a student parking decal. Parking decals are available for returning Hartwick students and transfer students who have obtained sufficient credits by personal attendance at a College or University. Parking decals will be placed in your college mailbox in approximately 5 to 7 business days.

Parking decals must be placed on the driver’s side rear upper window (if needed, ask Campus Safety for assistance). Parking decals must be affixed to the window properly and cannot be taped onto the window.

Students, faculty, and staff vehicles must have a current parking decal properly displayed on the vehicle to legally park on campus. Student decals are dated 2023-2024, Faculty/Staff (including Aramark) decals are dated 2022-2024.

Parking decals may be obtained during business hours at the Office of Campus Safety after completion of the proper Camps Vehicle Registration Form and presentation of proper ID and vehicle registration card.

The parking spaces behind Bresee and Clark are designated Visitor & Admissions Parking. These spaces are intended for visitors to our campus or the Admissions Office. Members of the College community (faculty/staff/students) are not permitted to park in these spaces from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Faculty and staff who park in these lots will be issued a ticket and referred to their supervisor for disciplinary action.

Hartwick College has an appeal process to contest parking violations. An appeal must be submitted to Campus Safety via an online Vehicle Violation Appeal Form. Requests must be submitted within five business days from the violation date to be deemed valid for review. Appeals will only be considered if a vehicle violation appeal form has been submitted. Do not send email to campus safety directly regarding appeal.

Students may park properly registered vehicles:

Residential students (those who live in on-campus housing) may park in any lot designated for residential students. These lots will be color-coded with a red sign. First-year students may not park in residential parking lots.

Commuter/off-campus students may park in Lower Yager and in the General Lot between the Johnstone Greenhouse and New residence Hall. Commuter students may not park in lots designated for residential students.

Visitors may park in the visitor’s lot behind Bresee/Clark Halls, the Miller Court Lot (across from Elmore Field), or Upper Binder Lot. Visitor vehicles must be properly registered with Campus Safety.

Employees may park in all lots designated Faculty/Staff or General Parking.

Operators wishing to register a vehicle must present a valid license, current registration, and college ID to Campus Safety.

All motor vehicle operators must possess a valid state license. The operator of a motor vehicle on the Hartwick College campus must always possess her or his license when operating any motor vehicle. Failure to present a valid state license to any safety officer upon request may result in issuance of a summons for unlicensed operation.

All vehicles must be registered in the state of the license issuance. The individual in whose name the vehicle has been registered will be responsible for all violations of said vehicle.

No unregistered motor vehicles are permitted on Hartwick College property, including, but not limited to, snowmobiles, ATVs, etc.

In emergency or other special situations, the Director of Campus Safety shall have the right to implement different regulations depending on the circumstances. Information will be disseminated via email or other means of communications. In the event that the City of Oneonta declares a snow emergency, individuals who have lost their parking privileges may park on campus, but only in the lower Yager or Upper Binder lots. They must remove their vehicles when the emergency is over.

All students, employees, and visitors shall adhere to all signs on the campus and comply with the directives of campus safety officers at all times. At the request of the campus safety officer, a student or employee shall present her or his College identification card, driver’s license, vehicle registration, and vehicle insurance identification card. The campus safety officer may, at her or his discretion, retain the identification and submit the same to the Office of Campus Safety.

Only authorized College-owned vehicles are permitted on the Table Rock/Strawberry Field areas. All others will be ticketed and towed away at the owner’s expense.

The Director of Campus Safety or his/her designee shall have the authority at all times and particularly in situations involving unusual crowds, snow removal, building construction, or emergencies on the campus, to park and route traffic as seems best to meet the situation. In these circumstances, the Director of Campus Safety or designee shall have the authority to decide and publicize by appropriate notices, signs for directions and regulations as deemed necessary to regulate traffic control.
No persons shall alter, deface, move, obstruct, or interfere with any traffic or control sign on the campus.

All guests of Hartwick College students shall conform to these regulations. It is the responsibility of any person with a guest to have them register their vehicle with the Office of Campus Safety, or dispatch desk after normal business hours, and display a guest pass on their vehicle. Hosts are responsible for any parking violations of their guests.

Under the College’s Vehicle Use Policy, all employees, students, and volunteers are required to complete a driver authorization form prior to driving a college vehicle OR a personally owned or rental vehicle on college business or for a college related activity. Once driver authorization is granted, drivers must sign the Vehicle Use Policy and return it to the Dispatch Desk Dewar Union.

All vehicles shall be operated in compliance with the New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law, and ordinances of the City of Oneonta in addition to Hartwick regulations.
All vehicles will be operated at a speed reasonable and prudent under existing conditions. MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT OF 15 MPH WILL NOT BE EXCEEDED ANYWHERE ON CAMPUS.
At all times, operators of vehicles on the campus will yield the right of way to pedestrian traffic.

All accidents involving a motor vehicle on campus must be reported to Campus Safety immediately at 607-431-4111.
Hartwick College will not be held liable for any theft or damage to cars parked or being driven on the campus, unless the damage resulted from the negligence of a College employee operating College-owned equipment, moving College-owned property, or operating a College-owned vehicle, or an accident involving a College employee operating a College-owned vehicle. In the instance of damage resulting from an action of a College employee as noted, an incident report should be filed by either the employee or vehicle owner immediately with the Office of Campus Safety.

The College reserves the right to remove by towing, at the owner’s expense, any vehicle that is not registered or that is parked in violation of campus parking regulations. This includes vehicles parked on campus lawns or grass areas, as well as any vehicle parked in fire lane areas or blocking exits. This also includes all vehicles that have received a total of six traffic violations during the full academic year. This applies to the total number of paid and unpaid violations received per vehicle and/or operator. All persons shall be prohibited from leaving unattended vehicles on any campus roadway or drive at any time. These vehicles will be towed.

When a tow truck is called, regardless of whether it is present or not, the vehicle operator will be held responsible for compensating the tow truck driver. When a tow truck is called, regardless of whether it completes the tow or not, the registered vehicle owner will be held responsible for the towing charge.