Ohio State runs its own parking through CampusParc, and on a football Saturday every campus lot and garage becomes a paid day-of-game lot at one of three prices: $60 closest, $40 mid, $30 furthest out. All of them open at 5 a.m., all of them are first come first served, and none of them take cash. The part that catches visitors is the surrounding neighborhood, because Columbus enforces its University District permit zone on Saturdays until 10 p.m. with plate-reading cameras, so the free street spot you find on a map is usually a ticket. Kickoff times are set about a week out by television, which moves everything else, and prices below are the 2025 season rates, the most recent Ohio State had posted when we checked in July 2026.
The short answer
Cheapest: $30 for a West Campus lot with a free shuttle to the stadium. Closest: $60 premiere lots, if you value the walk over the money. Best with kids: COTA at $2.00 a ride, or $4.50 for a day pass, with kids 5 to 12 at half that. Best for tailgating: any day-of-game lot at 5 a.m., since the rules are the same everywhere and the good spots go early. Worst plan: hunting for free street parking in the University District, because there is no reliable free parking near Ohio Stadium and the city reads plates on Saturdays.
At $30, 8 of the 18 College stadiums we have priced cost less and 6 cost more. See every College Sports stadium ranked.
Compare every option
| Option | Cost | Walk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood yard and school lotsCommunity lot | Reported at $15 to $20 in the 2025 season | Under 1 mi from the lots fans describe on Kinnear Rd | Paying the least without a shuttle line |
| West Campus lots plus the free shuttleStadium lot | $30, credit card or phone only | Shuttle to the Herrick Drive Transit Hub, then a short walk | The cheapest campus option, and the easiest drive in and out |
| Non-proximity day-of-game lotsStadium lot | $30 per vehicle, credit card or phone only | Varies by lot, the furthest tier from the stadium | Parking on campus for the lowest posted price |
| Proximity day-of-game lotsStadium lot | $40 per vehicle, credit card or phone only | Middle tier, closer than West Campus and not at the stadium | Splitting the difference between price and walk |
| Premiere day-of-game lotsStadium lot | $60 per vehicle, credit card or phone only | The closest lots to Ohio Stadium | Getting as close as money can get you on gameday |
| Chemical Abstracts lot on Olentangy River RoadOffsite lot | Reported around $40, cash only, in the 2025 season | About 1 mi | Skipping the postgame traffic knot entirely |
| ARC Industries lot, 250 W. Dodridge St.Offsite lot | Not published on the pages we checked | About 1.5 mi, roughly 30 min along the Olentangy Trail | A long walk that funds Special Olympics |
| Accessible parking north of St. John ArenaStadium lot | Not published as a separate rate | Shuttle to the east side of the stadium | Drivers with a state-issued disability placard |
| RV parkingStadium lot | Not published, sold in advance only | Depends on the lot assigned | Anyone bringing an RV, who has to plan weeks ahead |
Every option, in detail
Community lot
Neighborhood yard and school lots
Reported at $15 to $20 in the 2025 seasonUnder 1 mi from the lots fans describe on Kinnear Rd /// Whenever the owner sets up, typically the morning of
Columbus residents and schools near campus sell spots on gameday and undercut the campus rate. Fans describe a yard on Kinnear Road across from the auto research center at $15 to $20 when the university lots on that same block were $30, under a mile out with a lit walking path, and separately a school lot near Kenny and Kennard around $20 with the money going to school activities. We are naming the pattern and not the operators, because these are private arrangements we cannot stand behind and a lot that ran last year may not run this year.
Heads up: We could not confirm which of these run in the 2026 season, and none of them are advertised anywhere official. Treat this as a thing to look for on the drive in rather than a plan to build your morning around, and have a $30 lot as your backup.
Reported by fans, with no official page confirming it. Two independent fans in the same thread, posted September 30 2025, describing different lots at the same price range. Prices are theirs, not ours, and were not verified against any operator.
Stadium lot
West Campus lots plus the free shuttle
$30, credit card or phone onlyShuttle to the Herrick Drive Transit Hub, then a short walk /// 5 a.m., shuttle starts 6 hours before kickoff
West Campus sits across State Route 315 from the stadium and prices as a non-proximity lot, which is the $30 tier. The university runs a free football shuttle from the Mount Hall loop near Lane Avenue and Carmack Road to the Herrick Drive Transit Hub, south of Ohio Stadium and west of the Neil Avenue Garage. A fan who used it for the Grambling State game in 2025 paid $30 by card and described the shuttle dropping near the soccer field. This is the option most locals point visitors to.
Heads up: The return line is the catch. Two fans in the same thread reported waiting 30 to 45 minutes for a shuttle after big games and said walking back was about the same or faster. Ohio State's transportation office says the shuttle runs until 90 minutes after the game, while the CampusParc page says one hour after, so do not cut it close on a long postgame.
Via ttm.osu.edu (Route, hours and hub name from Ohio State Transportation and Traffic Management. Price tier from CampusParc. The $30 paid and the shuttle line waits are fan reports from September 2025.)
Stadium lot
Non-proximity day-of-game lots
$30 per vehicle, credit card or phone onlyVaries by lot, the furthest tier from the stadium /// 5 a.m., first come first served
The cheapest of CampusParc's three gameday tiers, covering the campus lots furthest from Ohio Stadium, including the Carmack lots on the west side. Any current annual CampusParc permit is honored in day-of-game lots at no charge with a valid keycard or QR code, which is why some lots look full before the public arrives.
Heads up: Re-entry is not permitted in any day-of-game lot, so once you leave you have paid for nothing. No cash is accepted anywhere on campus on gameday.
Via osu.campusparc.com (CampusParc official football parking page, rates posted for the 2025 season)
Stadium lot
Proximity day-of-game lots
$40 per vehicle, credit card or phone onlyMiddle tier, closer than West Campus and not at the stadium /// 5 a.m., first come first served
The middle CampusParc tier. You are paying $10 over the non-proximity rate to skip the shuttle and walk instead, which is worth it on a cold November noon kick and less so in September.
Heads up: Same rules as every day-of-game lot: no re-entry, no cash, and no saving a space for a friend who is running late.
Via osu.campusparc.com (CampusParc official football parking page, rates posted for the 2025 season)
Stadium lot
Premiere day-of-game lots
$60 per vehicle, credit card or phone onlyThe closest lots to Ohio Stadium /// 5 a.m., first come first served
The top tier and the shortest walk. Worth knowing before you pay it: fans say repeatedly that the closer you park, the longer it takes to get out, so the $60 buys you a short walk in and a long sit afterward.
Heads up: Season permit holders have their spots held until 90 minutes before kickoff, so what is actually available to the public shrinks as kickoff approaches rather than growing.
Via osu.campusparc.com (Rates from CampusParc. The 90 minute permit release is reported by The Lantern, Ohio State's student paper, August 28 2025.)
Offsite lot
Chemical Abstracts lot on Olentangy River Road
Reported around $40, cash only, in the 2025 seasonAbout 1 mi /// Not published, fans report plenty of room on arrival
A fan who parked here for the Ohio game in 2025 reported plenty of space, a walk of about a mile, and specifically that it kept them out of the main traffic afterward. That exit advantage is the reason to consider it over a campus lot at the same price.
Heads up: This is a single fan report, it is cash only, and the price is theirs rather than a posted rate. We could not find an official page for gameday parking here, so call it a maybe rather than a plan.
Reported by fans, with no official page confirming it. Single fan report, September 30 2025, with the price confirmed in a reply from the same poster. Unverified against the operator.
Offsite lot
ARC Industries lot, 250 W. Dodridge St.
Not published on the pages we checkedAbout 1.5 mi, roughly 30 min along the Olentangy Trail /// Not published
A local Columbus guide recommends this lot north of campus and says the proceeds support Special Olympics. The walk in is along the Olentangy Trail rather than through traffic, which is a pleasant 30 minutes in September and a long one in late November.
Heads up: We could not find a posted price or opening time from the operator, and we could not confirm it is running for the 2026 season. Do not drive here as your only plan without calling ahead.
Via columbusonthecheap.com (Columbus on the Cheap gameday guide, updated December 6 2025. Price and hours not stated there or anywhere else we found.)
Stadium lot
Accessible parking north of St. John Arena
Not published as a separate rateShuttle to the east side of the stadium /// Shuttle runs from 6 hours before kickoff to 1 hour after
Accessible parking sits north of St. John Arena and in the Lane Avenue Garage, and requires a state-issued disability placard along with the registration it belongs to. A dedicated accessible shuttle picks up inside the North St. John Arena disability lots near the ROTC building and runs to the stadium.
Heads up: Placard rules are enforced at the entrance, and the registration matching the placard is part of the requirement rather than a formality.
Via osu.campusparc.com (CampusParc for the locations and placard rule, Ohio State Transportation and Traffic Management for the accessible shuttle pickup point)
Stadium lot
RV parking
Not published, sold in advance onlyDepends on the lot assigned /// Advance permit required, no day-of sales
RV permits are sold through the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office rather than CampusParc, at 1-800-GOBUCKS or athletic.tix@osu.edu. There is no walk-up RV parking on gameday.
Heads up: We could not verify the current price, the current lot, or whether overnight parking is allowed. The only figures we found are from an Ohio State news release in 2008, which is far too old to publish as this season's price. Call the ticket office before you drive an RV to Columbus.
Via osu.campusparc.com (CampusParc names the ticket office as the seller and publishes no RV rate. The 2008 news release was found and deliberately not used.)
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Skip parking entirely
Columbus is a car city and gameday is the exception, because campus itself shuts down to normal traffic. Ohio State suspends its own CABS campus buses from six hours before kickoff until two hours after the game, so the campus routes you would use any other day are not an option.
COTA bus
$2.00 one way, $4.50 day passA single ride is a two-hour pass with free transfers, which usually covers the trip in. Kids 5 to 12 pay $1.00 one way or $2.25 for a day pass, kids 4 and under ride free, and ADA cardholders ride at no cost, which makes this the cheapest way to bring a family by a wide margin. Lines 1, 2, 8, 22, 31 and 102 all serve campus, most of them every 15 to 30 minutes.
Via cota.com
Late kickoff warning for the bus
Same faresSome COTA routes stop running between 8 and 11 p.m., which is a real problem for a 7:30 kick that ends near 11. Check the last departure on your specific line before you plan the ride home, not after the game.
Bike valet
FreeA staffed bike valet operates at the southeast corner of Woody Hayes Drive and the Olentangy bike path, run by volunteers who hold bikes until the game ends. For anyone within a few miles, this skips the entire parking problem and the entire exit problem at once.
Rideshare
Varies, and it surges after the gameThe designated drop-off and pick-up points are Borror Drive near the Schottenstein Center and the corner of 19th Avenue and Neil Avenue. Fans consistently say getting in by rideshare is fine and getting out is the problem, with one describing standing still in traffic they could have walked faster than. Walking several blocks away from the stadium before you request the car is the move locals describe.
Via thelantern.com
When to get there
Lots open at 5 a.m. and that is not a formality, because tailgaters use it. Fans who go regularly say give yourself two hours before kickoff at a minimum and three for a big game, and that showing up an hour out and expecting to park and be in your seat is how people miss the first quarter. Two things make the public pool smaller than it looks: annual CampusParc permit holders park in day-of-game lots for free with a keycard, and season permit spots are held until 90 minutes before kickoff. Check your kickoff time the week of the game rather than assuming, because television sets the windows about six to twelve days out and a noon kick and a 7:30 kick are different days entirely.
Getting out after
Getting out is where the money you saved either pays off or does not. The pattern fans describe over and over is that the closer you parked, the longer you sit, and the people who park a mile out on purpose are not being frugal, they are leaving faster. If you take the West Campus shuttle, know that the return line ran 30 to 45 minutes after big games in 2025 and that walking back was reported as about the same or quicker, so pick your line rather than discovering it. Woody Hayes Drive closes between Tuttle Park Place and Cannon Drive on gameday, which changes the route you drove in on.
Tailgating rules
Tailgating is allowed in the day-of-game lots from 5 a.m., and the rule that catches people is the footprint: your vehicle and your entire tailgate have to fit inside the 8.5 by 15 foot space you paid for. Nothing may be set up before 5 a.m., and saving a space for the friend who is still driving in is not permitted.
Charcoal and wood grills are prohibited. Liquid propane grills are allowed with safety precautions, and no grills of any kind are permitted in garages. Plugging into a university or CampusParc power outlet is specifically banned, so bring your own power or do without. Re-entry is not permitted, which means a run to the store for ice costs you the spot.
Questions, answered
- How much does parking cost at Ohio Stadium?
- Stadium lots run $30 to $60. Cheapest: $30 for a West Campus lot with a free shuttle to the stadium. Closest: $60 premiere lots, if you value the walk over the money. Best with kids: COTA at $2.00 a ride, or $4.50 for a day pass, with kids 5 to 12 at half that. Best for tailgating: any day-of-game lot at 5 a.m., since the rules are the same everywhere and the good spots go early. Worst plan: hunting for free street parking in the University District, because there is no reliable free parking near Ohio Stadium and the city reads plates on Saturdays.
- Is there free parking near Ohio Stadium?
- There is no reliable free parking near Ohio Stadium. The cheapest options are listed above.
- What time should I get to a Ohio State game?
- Lots open at 5 a.m. and that is not a formality, because tailgaters use it. Fans who go regularly say give yourself two hours before kickoff at a minimum and three for a big game, and that showing up an hour out and expecting to park and be in your seat is how people miss the first quarter. Two things make the public pool smaller than it looks: annual CampusParc permit holders park in day-of-game lots for free with a keycard, and season permit spots are held until 90 minutes before kickoff. Check your kickoff time the week of the game rather than assuming, because television sets the windows about six to twelve days out and a noon kick and a 7:30 kick are different days entirely.
- Can you get to Ohio Stadium without a car?
- Columbus is a car city and gameday is the exception, because campus itself shuts down to normal traffic. Ohio State suspends its own CABS campus buses from six hours before kickoff until two hours after the game, so the campus routes you would use any other day are not an option. COTA bus: $2.00 one way, $4.50 day pass.
Every price here is the 2025 season rate, which is what Ohio State and CampusParc had posted when we checked in July 2026. The 2026 rates were not published yet. Click the source before you drive.
Two official sources disagree on the shuttle, and we are reporting it rather than picking one: Ohio State's transportation office says the free football shuttle runs until 90 minutes after the game, CampusParc says one hour after.
A local Columbus guide describes the lots west of State Route 315 as free parking. Fans who parked there in the 2025 season reported paying $30 by card, and CampusParc's own tiers price West Campus as a $30 non-proximity lot. Budget $30.
The city of Columbus enforces University District permit parking Monday through Saturday until 10 p.m. in zone UDA, using license plate recognition, and unpermitted cars get ticketed. Saturday enforcement is the part visitors do not expect, since many cities exempt weekends. Details at columbus.gov under the University District Parking Plan.
COTA used to run a gameday express bus from the Crosswoods Park and Ride and from the Ohio Expo Center. We found sources saying it runs and sources saying it was discontinued, none of them current, so we are not listing it as an option. If a cheap park and ride matters to your plan, call COTA and ask.
Sourced from the stadium, the city, local outlets, and fans who park here every week. Checked July 2026, and we recheck three times a year. Prices and lot rules change, so every claim above either links where it came from or says plainly that it is fan-reported and unconfirmed. Click through before you build your day around one spot.
/// Know something we do not?
Prices change and lots come and go. If something on this page is wrong, or we missed a lot, tell us.
A person reads every one. You will not get an automatic reply, and we do not change the page until we can verify it ourselves.
Citing this guide
Free to quote and reference, including in articles and AI answers. We ask for credit and a link back, which is the whole license.
Dispatch Sports, “Parking at Ohio Stadium: Ohio State Buckeyes Gameday Guide.” Checked 2026-07. https://dispatchsports.com/college/ohio-state/parking
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