GIFT: Secure Parking During Semester Breaks for Non-permit Holders
The USC Department of Public Safety and USC Transportation are pleased to announce the free parking program during the 2025 Thanksgiving and winter breaks for students, faculty and staff. GIFT parking begins at 2pm, Monday, November 24, 2025, through 11:59pm, Monday, January 12, 2026, at the following campus locations:
· University Park Campus, Grand Ave Parking Structure
· Health Sciences Campus, Valley Parking Lot
Operation GIFT (the Group Initiative For Theft-prevention) is a program that offers free parking at the UPC Grand Avenue Parking Structure (UPX) and HSC Valley Parking Lot. If you are leaving town and plan to leave your vehicle parked on or near the USC campus during the break, Operation GIFT can make your experience a little easier by providing you with free secure parking.
Do you need a ride to LAX? USC Transportation is offering free bus travel to LAX for Thanksgiving Break on a first-come, first-served basis on select dates (November 25-26); if interested, please visit their reservation site at: https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/shuttle-reservations/
Instructions for the GIFT free parking
1. Registration is required online by clicking on the link for your desired parking location (links can be found below). In-person service is not available.
2. You must be a USC student or employee.
3. After selecting the GIFT Parking link (at bottom of this page), you’ll be prompted to enter your USC Net ID and password to access the vehicle registration page.
4. You may only register one vehicle.
5. Park your car in the designated campus parking structure or lot.
GIFT parking is valid at the following parking structures:
· UPC Grand Ave Parking Structure, levels 4 and above
· HSC Valley Parking Lot
Important: If you want to extend your parking reservation before or beyond the listed GIFT dates, you must visit the USC Transportation office in person to pay for the extended dates. USC Transportation locations are:
UPC:
620 USC McCarthy Way
McCarthy Way Parking Structure
Los Angeles, CA 90089
(213) 740-3575
HSC:
Keith Administration Building (KAM), Office 120
1975 Zonal Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 442-1201
GIFT parking reservations codes:
UPC – Grand Code: FALL25
HSC – Valley Lot Code: FALL25
Important:
Deadline for reservations: 11:59 pm, Friday, January 9, 2026.
About GIFT
Operation GIFT is a crime prevention initiative that began in the winter of 2005 and has continued with great success. The concept of this campaign is to provide free parking to students, faculty or staff who are leaving town during the break. The ultimate goal is to prevent vehicle crimes by getting as many vehicles as possible off the city streets and to park inside a structure or lot that offers security.