Downtown campus parking: a guide

Whether you’re a Social Science and Humanities student, an Education student or a North Campus student coming downtown for an event, class, or even just to explore downtown, the article has got you covered on all the places to park near our downtown campuses. 

OTU Parking Passes

If you're an Ontario Tech student, here’s how school parking works:

• You can try to register for a Charles Hall parking pass, but they’re limited and first-come, first-served.

• All university parking is managed by third parties like IPASS, so the process depends on the lot.

For questions: email parking@dc-ot.ca

Monthly Passes (From City of Oshawa)

If you’re parking downtown every day, a monthly pass might save you some cash.

• Garage 1, 2, or 3: $87/month + tax

• Lot 16 or 19: $73/month + tax

You can grab one in person at Service Oshawa (50 Centre St. S.) during business hours.

Street Parking 

You can park on most of the streets downtown. However, there are parking meters, and you will have to pay. I would say if you are coming down for a lecture, then you should be ok to pay for three hours, especially if your class may finish early. 

The hourly rate for the street meters is $1.25/hr, and check the street signs on how long you can extend your parking in that spot. As some spots only allow you to stay there for 2, 5 and even 10 hours. So if you’re going to a lecture, make sure not to park in the 2-hour spots. Good news: Parking is free in the evenings after 6 p.m. and on weekends and holidays.

Below you can find some pictures showing street parking spots near our campus.

Bruce Street 

 King Street (Front of Regent Theatre) 

 Durham Regional Road (Front of Faculty of Education Building) 

Neighbourhood 

Some neighbourhoods may have spots for you to park in. However, most of them have no parking signs on the side of the roads. You have to be very cautious when parking in Neighbourhoods to look out for no parking signs and maybe even residents who don’t appreciate you parking there. Below are a couple of streets you can park on. 

Neither Bruce Street nor Gliddon Avenue has a no-parking sign on one side of the street. You can get here by turning left from Charles Street to Bruce Street and driving further down the street. 

Parking Lots 

There are plenty of parking lots in Downtown Oshawa where you can park, but I would usually advise against parking in them as they are a lot more expensive than street parking and not worth it if you’re not coming down every day or have valuables in your car. But if you would like to park there, there are a couple next to our downtown campus. 

King Street Parking Lot (next to Regent Theatre) 

Clinic Parking Lot (diagonally across from Charles ). Sometimes, if they have a lot of patients, this will be close to non-patients. 

Parking Garages & City Lots

The City of Oshawa has a bunch of other lots and garages. They’re still more expensive than street parking, but super convenient.

Learn more

Well, there’s your guide to downtown parking. There are many places to explore here, so if you’re from the north campus, come on down and check it out! 

Got questions?
📧 parking@dc-ot.ca
📞 City of Oshawa: 905-436-3311