Ohio Stadium Parking Guide

Ohio Stadium holds more than 100,000 people and the parking around it is run by CampusParc, not the athletic department, which is why the pricing works on a three-tier proximity system rather than a per-lot rate card. The tier you buy decides your walk, and the $30 Non-Proximity option comes with a free shuttle that most visitors never learn about. Here is what each tier actually costs, where the shuttle runs, and the two rules that ruin game days.

How much does it cost to park at Ohio Stadium?

CampusParc prices day-of-game parking in three proximity tiers. The tier, not the individual lot, sets the price.

Everything is cashless. Game day surface lots and garages take credit card or smartphone payment only. No cash is accepted at any entrance.

Original research: what the proximity tiers cost across a full season

Method: we took CampusParc's three published day-of-game tiers and multiplied each across a seven-game home slate. No ranking page for Ohio Stadium parking publishes the season figure; every one we checked stops at the per-game price.

The gap between the cheapest and dearest tier is $30 a car. Across a seven-game home slate that is $210 — the difference between $210 in Non-Proximity and $420 in Premiere for the same seven games.

What the $210 premium buys is walking distance, not time saved end to end. The Non-Proximity shuttle picks up in front of Mount Hall and drops at the Herrick Drive Transit Hub just south of Ohio Stadium. On a normal Saturday that is a shorter total journey than it sounds, because West Campus empties faster after the game than the lots pressed up against the stadium.

Two rules that cost people real money

Re-entry is not permitted. Once you exit a lot or garage, your pass is finished. If half your group arrives separately, get everyone together before you pull in.

You must be out by 10 a.m. Sunday. Day-of-game customers have to clear the facility no later than 10 a.m. the morning after the game. If you are planning to leave the car and get a ride home, that is the deadline.

If you already hold a CampusParc permit, you park free

Any current annual CampusParc permit — A, B, C and so on — is honoured in day-of-game surface lots and garages at no charge. From 5 a.m. on game days you must have the access keycard or QR code scanned by an attendant to get in.

Two exceptions worth knowing. Daily and monthly permits (30, 60, 90 and 120-day) do not grant free event parking. And annual permit holders cannot use Prepaid lots without buying the corresponding Athletics pass.

Buying in advance versus turning up

Season football parking passes are sold through the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office on 1-800-GOBUCKS or [email protected]. Season parking is tied to Buckeye Club giving levels and priority points, and a full parking selection only happens every four years — the next one is scheduled before the 2027 season.

For a single game, prepaid passes are sold through the Ohio State Buckeyes account and appear digitally on your phone. Day-of-game parking is first come, first served within each tier. All permits are digital, so download the Buckeyes app before you travel rather than at the gate.

Accessible parking and the Gate 22 shuttle

Disability parking sits in the surface lots north of St. John Arena and in the Lane Avenue Garage, both reached from Lane Avenue. It costs $30, and a free accessible shuttle runs to Gate 22 near the stadium starting six hours before kickoff.

When the lots open and how traffic control works

All football parking lots and garages open at 5 a.m. Traffic control officers route you by the colour of your permit, so have a passenger hold the digital pass up where an officer can see it. Getting waved the wrong way at a closed turn costs more time than arriving twenty minutes later would have.

Ohio Stadium: the entity behind the parking problem

Ohio Stadium opened on October 7, 1922 against Ohio Wesleyan, built for $1.3 million to a design by architect Howard Dwight Smith. Its original capacity was 66,210; today it seats 102,780, the fourth-largest on-campus facility in the country. The largest crowd it has held is 110,045, against Michigan in 2016.

The 1999–2001 renovation cost slightly more than $194 million and made the once-portable South Stands permanent. That matters for parking because the horseshoe sits on 14.5 acres on the banks of the Olentangy River, hemmed in by the river on one side and the campus core on the other. There is no room to add lots near the stadium, which is why CampusParc prices by proximity tier rather than by lot, and why the cheap tier is on the far side of SR-315.

Not driving: transit, rideshare and the alternatives

Parking is not the only way in, and on a 100,000-seat Saturday it is not always the fastest. Columbus is served by COTA, the Central Ohio Transit Authority, which runs routes through the campus area, and Ohio State operates its own Campus Area Bus Service (CABS). Check both for game-day service changes, because routes are frequently detoured around road closures near the stadium.

Uber and Lyft both operate in Columbus and both surge hard around kickoff and the final whistle. Weigh a round trip against the $30 Non-Proximity tier before assuming rideshare is cheaper: for a group of four, $30 of parking is almost always the lower number. For a solo traveller staying in the Short North or downtown, rideshare in and out can compete, particularly if you would otherwise pay $60 for a Premiere spot.

The honest comparison is not price alone. Rideshare removes the re-entry restriction and the 10 a.m. Sunday deadline entirely, which are the two rules on this page most likely to cost you money.

Frequently asked questions

How much is parking at Ohio Stadium?
Day-of-game parking is $60 for Premiere locations, $40 for Proximity locations and $30 for Non-Proximity locations. All payment is cashless.

What time do the parking lots open?
All football parking lots and garages open at 5 a.m. on game days. Day-of-game parking is first come, first served.

Can I leave and come back?
No. Re-entry is not permitted at any lot or garage once you have exited.

Is there free parking at Ohio Stadium?
Only for holders of a current annual CampusParc permit, who park free in day-of-game lots by scanning a keycard or QR code. Daily and monthly permits do not qualify.

What is the cheapest parking at Ohio Stadium?
Non-Proximity lots on West Campus at $30 per vehicle, which include a free shuttle from Mount Hall to the Herrick Drive Transit Hub south of the stadium.

Is there accessible parking?
Yes, north of St. John Arena and in the Lane Avenue Garage, accessed via Lane Avenue, at $30. A free accessible shuttle runs to Gate 22 from six hours before kickoff.

Can I park an RV or party bus?
Only with an oversized vehicle permit at $150 per game, bought in advance for parking along John Herrick Drive. No day-of sales.

Official sources

• CampusParc: Ohio State Football parking — tier pricing, cashless policy, re-entry and permit rules
• Ohio State Athletics: Football ticket and parking information — season passes and priority

Prices verified against the sources above on August 31, 2026. CampusParc sets tier pricing by season; confirm before travelling.

Recommended spoke pages

• Paycor Stadium parking — Cincinnati, Bengals
• Cleveland Browns Stadium parking
• All stadium & event parking guides