A vehicle presence detection system for determining whether a parking space is vacant or occupied and utilizing this information to guide vehicles to available parking spaces. generally includes a LIDAR device, a cloud-based processing unit, a database, and a guidance light. The LIDAR device generally includes a light emitter, a light sensor, a CPU, a memory unit, and a communications device. The LIDAR device determines the distance between itself and a parking spot or a vehicle parked in that parking spot using an algorithm that accounts for variances in the ambient conditions. This status information can be communicated to a cloud-based processing unit, which can store this information in a database and/or use this information to send parking status indications to an autonomous vehicle dynamic sign, mobile device, or guidance light.