Parking at UNC explained?

When I've visited UNC in the past, I just parked in parking decks and paid. I start my graduate program in May and am trying to figure out how to get a parking pass. For some reason the UNC parking website is very confusing. I understand park and ride. But what parking areas are in "zone student permits"? How do I know which decks/lots I can park in with that permit? I look at the parking map and there's so few student parking areas, I want to double check if that's actually the case.

Any life hacks for parking if you didn't end up getting a zone student permits? Thanks y'all

Edit: not an employee. Student