Frequently Asked Questions

• The Department of Public Safety is operational 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. For non-urgent requests, please contact dispatch at 310.506.4442.
• The parking window is open Monday-Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. To speak with a member of our parking our administration team, please call 310.506.4700.

Public Safety is located on the first floor of the Center for Communication and Business building, below the Seaver Drive / President's Drive intersection.

We are proud of our profession, our colleagues, our department, and Pepperdine University. We recognize that individual and team contributions are essential to a high-performing department. If you have a compliment for a team member that went above and beyond their duties of service you can fill out a Commendation Form. 

We also would like to know if you have any complaints or concerns about the way an incident was handled by one of our officers. You can submit this information to us via our Complaint Form. 

Both forms may be submitted anonymously.

Parking permissions at Pepperdine are determined by the parking permit you are assigned and have displayed on your vehicle. For a more detailed view of where each permit type can park, please refer to the “Where Can I Park” page. For more information on visitor parking, please refer to the “Visiting Campus” page.

All motorized vehicles on campus, including motorcycles, must be appropriately registered with Pepperdine University. 

University students and employees must complete annual vehicle registration at this parking portal website. Students are permitted to register one vehicle. Students who 1) are beginning as a new student or starting a new program on Pepperdine's Malibu campus in fall 2026 and 2) wish to park a personal vehicle on the campus will be required to register their vehicle and pay a parking fee. The fee is $250 per semester for commuter students and $350 per semester for residential students. Summer term will not incur a fee. Students who do not bring a vehicle are not charged the fee. The parking fee applies only to new students and will be phased in over four years. Returning Pepperdine students are not affected. 

Faculty and staff parking permits are provided at no cost for up to two vehicles. Employees may register only vehicles titled or leased in their name or in the name of an immediate family member. Vehicles not registered to the employee or an immediate family member are not eligible for a parking permit. A fee of $25 will be assessed for each additional vehicle registered beyond the initial two.

Wave Associates, Malibu Country Estates residents, campus vendors, and other affiliates should use this registration form to complete their vehicle registration.

Citations may be appealed up to 14 days after issuance. Consistent with Pepperdine’s Traffic and Parking Regulations, citation appeals initiated more than 14 days after issuance of the applicable citation are not accepted. All citation appeals must be submitted via the Citation Appeal Form; appeals submitted in person or via email will not be considered. All citation appeals are carefully reviewed, and decisions are communicated via email. Once the appeal is adjudicated, the decision is final and not subject to further consideration. 

Only Pepperdine employees who believe their current position requires a genuine need to access/park in a greater area of campus on a regular basis than what their current permit allows may request an exception via the Employee Parking/Access Exception Request Form.

Temporary vehicle permits are available at the Public Safety Office for any student, employee, or contract vendor temporarily driving a new or temporary vehicle other than one registered with the University, such as a rental car or borrowed car. Drivers may be required to present identification. Temporary permits are not transferable to other vehicles and are only valid on the dates indicated on the permit.

Pepperdine employees and commuter students with a valid Faculty, Staff, or Commuter parking permit who arrive on campus with two or more occupants (including the driver) may obtain a carpool parking pass at the Seaver Drive or John Tyler Drive entrance booth. Carpool passes are available until 5:00 p.m. each weekday.

Vehicles displaying a valid carpool pass may park in designated carpool parking areas, which are identified by green-painted curbs and accompanying signage on Seaver Drive and Banowsky Boulevard, unless otherwise posted. The Main Lot carpool parking area is reserved for vehicles displaying a valid Faculty ("F") or Administrative ("AD") parking permit.

Carpool passes are valid only for the date of issuance and must be displayed by hanging the pass from the vehicle's rearview mirror with the "Carpool Pass" heading facing outward so that it is clearly visible from outside the vehicle.

Visitors are encouraged to register their vehicle prior to arriving on campus. Upon arrival on campus, a visitor pass can be obtained from either campus entrance booth. Visitors may park in any legal parking space on campus, with the exception of red zones, yellow zones, and blue-lined accessible spaces (unless displaying a valid DMV-issued accessible placard or license plate). Visitor passes must be hung from the vehicle’s rear view mirror with the “Visitor Pass”, facing out. Visitor passes are only valid on the day they were issued. 

Commuter students (living off campus): $250 per semester. Residential students (living in on-campus housing): $350 per semester. This is applicable for the fall and spring terms only. There is no parking fee charged during the summer semesters.

The parking fee applies to Malibu campus students from all schools who newly enroll in a program starting in the fall 2026 semester or later and choose to register a personal vehicle on campus.

• New/Incoming Students: Yes, you will pay the fee if you bring a car.  
• Students Starting a New Program: Yes (e.g., a Pepperdine undergraduate starting a new graduate program in fall 2026 or later).  
• Current/Returning Students: No, if you are continuing in your current program from before fall 2026, you are exempt.  
• No Vehicle on Campus: No, the fee does not apply to any student who chooses not to bring a vehicle to campus.

Visitor's of students, who are staying for the weekend, must be registered with Housing and Residence Life. A visitor who will be staying Sunday night into Monday morning will be issued a visitor's parking pass from one of the entrance booths, good for 24 hours. Visitor's who will not be staying in to Monday morning do not need a visitor's pass.

The parking fee can only be paid through the parking portal via credit card.

The parking fee is charged per semester (fall and spring only), but permits are issued for the entire academic year. This means students must pay the fee for both semesters upfront in order to receive a parking permit, regardless of their intended usage. Students who only need a parking permit for one semester or a limited time can request a refund for the remaining funds by returning their parking permit to the DPS office.

In case of an on or off-campus emergency such as a crime in progress, medical emergency, or fire, dial 911, followed by calling DPS at 310-506-4441 (if safe to do so). 

To report a non-urgent emergency, such as a suspicious person or activity, call DPS dispatch at 10.506.4442, submit a concern via the LiveSafe app, or via the Tip Hotline at 310.506.7634.

You can report a concern anonymously via the Tip Hotline at 310.506.7634 or through the LiveSafe app.

LiveSafe is the name of a mobile application focused on personal safety, particularly in campus and community settings. It provides tools to enhance individual and collective security, such as:

• SafeWalk: Allows friends and family to virtually accompany you during walks, providing real-time location tracking.reddit.com
• Emergency Communication: Enables users to report suspicious activities or emergencies discreetly via text.
• Location Sharing: Shares your location with designated contacts or authorities during critical situations.

The University’s emergency communication plan uses the Everbridge Mass Notification System to deliver emergency notifications to your e-mail, your cell phone via voice message and text message, and to your designated emergency contact. The University only uses this notification system in emergency situations or for periodic testing. 

The success and effectiveness of this communication system is dependent upon up-to-date contact information you provide in WaveNet. Please log in to WaveNet to update your contact information as necessary. 

The practice of “sheltering-in-place” is relocating to a safe location on the premises and remaining there until authorities deem it safe to return to residences or offices. Pepperdine University uses this procedure during wildfires affecting its Malibu campus. The reasons for sheltering-in-place are listed below:

• The Los Angeles County Fire Department reviews Pepperdine’s shelter-in-place plans on a regular basis and supports the plans as the safest course of action.
• Pepperdine University works closely and cooperatively with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As a result, the Los Angeles County Fire Department maintains a strong presence on campus during a fire.
• Campus buildings are constructed with fire-resistant materials whenever possible; campus roads provide natural fire breaks; fire resistant landscaping is utilized throughout the campus.
• Brush is cleared annually at least 200-feet from campus buildings. This practice creates firebreaks around campus buildings. In some locations, brush is cleared beyond the 200-foot mark.
• There are a limited number of ways to travel to and from the campus. These roads may be closed, congested, or dangerous as wildfires can travel quickly and change unpredictably. Roads should also remain clear to enable emergency responders to move freely and quickly throughout the area.
• The University’s shelter-in-place plan is well-practiced and historically proven successful.

Please visit the Emergency Information Page for additional information on sheltering in place and brush fires.

For more information on emergency preparedness and response, please visit the Pepperdine Emergency Information community page.

Public Safety offers late-night security escorts during hours in which shuttle services are not operating. Call ext. 4442 to request an escort.

A Public Safety Officer can assist in jump-starting a dead car battery. Please call ext. 4442. This service is provided as a courtesy. The University does not assume liability for damage as a result of this service.

Resident Students

If you are locked out between:

• 8 AM and 5 PM on a weekday, proceed to the Housing Office in Rho Parking Lot to pick up a temporary key 310.506.7586.
• 5 PM and 1 AM on a weekday, or between 8 AM and 1 AM on a weekend, call the RA on duty 424.346.0591.
• 1 AM and 8 AM on a weekday OR a weekend, call the DPS non-emergency line at 310.506.4442.

Faculty/Staff

When a faculty or staff member locks themselves out of their office/area, contact Public Safety at 310.506.4442.

If you are a student you may get an ID at Tech Central on the 2nd floor of Payson Library. Replacement I.D.s may be obtained at One Stop on the 2nd floor of the Thorton Administrative Center. The replacement fee can be charged to your student account.

Faculty and staff may obtain a replacement card at the Center for Human Resources.