To apply for a handicap parking permit, you complete your state's disabled parking application form, have a licensed medical provider sign the disability certification section, and submit it to the agency that issues permits in your state. That agency is usually the DMV, but in some states it is the county tax office or your city or town clerk. Permanent placards are free in most states. Temporary placards often carry a small fee of $5 to $15. Processing takes a few minutes in person and two to four weeks by mail.
There is no single national application. Every state runs its own program, with its own form number, its own list of providers who may certify a disability, and its own renewal cycle. What is consistent across all 50 states is the underlying medical standard, because federal regulation 23 CFR Part 1235 sets a uniform definition that states built their rules around.
Who Qualifies for a Handicap Parking Permit
The federal standard covers people whose disability limits or impairs the ability to walk. A licensed provider certifies that you meet at least one of these criteria:
| Qualifying criterion | What it means in practice |
|---|
| Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest | The most commonly used threshold nationwide |
| Cannot walk without an assistive device | Cane, crutch, walker, brace, prosthesis, wheelchair, or another person |
| Severe lung disease | Forced expiratory volume in one second under 1 liter, or arterial oxygen tension under 60 mm Hg at rest on room air |
| Uses portable oxygen | Dependence on supplemental oxygen |
| Class III or Class IV cardiac condition | American Heart Association functional classification, meaning symptoms with minimal activity or at rest |
| Severely limited by an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition | Covers arthritis, MS, Parkinson's, neuropathy, post-surgical limitation, and similar |
Several states add their own categories on top of that list. Legal blindness qualifies in many states. Loss of use of both hands qualifies in California. Some states recognize conditions that make unassisted travel unsafe rather than simply difficult, which can cover certain cognitive and cardiac diagnoses.
Two points trip people up. First, a diagnosis alone does not qualify you. The certifying provider is attesting to a functional limitation, not naming a disease. Someone with mild arthritis who walks a mile comfortably does not meet the standard. Someone with the same diagnosis who cannot cross a parking lot does. Second, qualifying for a parking permit is a separate determination from qualifying for Social Security disability benefits. The standards are different and one does not establish the other. People approved for SSDI are often denied placards, and people with placards are often denied SSDI.
You also do not have to be a driver. Permits are issued to the person with the disability, so a passenger qualifies, and a caregiver may use the placard when transporting that person.
Placard or License Plate: Which to Choose
Both give you the same parking rights. The difference is portability.
| Removable windshield placard | Disability license plate |
|---|
| Attached to | The person | One specific vehicle |
| Moves between cars | Yes | No |
| Best for | Non-drivers, people who ride with family, anyone using more than one vehicle | A driver who uses one personal vehicle |
| Displayed | Hung from the rearview mirror while parked, removed while driving | Permanently mounted |
| Typical cost | Free for permanent placards in most states | Standard registration fees, sometimes a small annual plate fee |
| Renewal | Usually every 2 to 4 years | With your registration |
Many people hold both. A plate on the car they drive and a placard for when someone else drives them. Most states allow that, though a few limit you to one placard per person.
There is a third option worth knowing about. Temporary placards are issued for conditions expected to improve, such as recovery from surgery, a fracture, or a pregnancy complication. They run anywhere from 30 days to six months depending on the state and the date your provider writes on the form. If your condition turns out to be lasting, you reapply for a permanent placard rather than extending the temporary one.
Travel placards exist in some states for residents who hold plates but need a portable permit for a trip, and for visitors from other countries.
How to Apply: Step by Step
1. Find your state's issuing agency
In most states this is the DMV, BMV, Secretary of State, or MVD. There are notable exceptions:
- New York does not issue parking permits at the state level at all. State law requires every city, town, and village to appoint an agent, almost always the local clerk, who issues permits at no charge. Plates come from DMV, permits come from your clerk.
- Georgia handles placards through the County Tag Office where you live.
- Florida issues through county tax collector offices.
- Texas processes placard applications through county tax assessor-collector offices.
Search your state agency's site for "disabled parking placard" rather than relying on a third-party site, and download the form directly from the .gov domain.
2. Download the correct form
Each state has its own form number. Using the wrong form, or a form a private site has reformatted, is the most common reason an application gets rejected. A sample of the state forms:
| State | Form | Issuing agency | Permanent placard fee |
|---|
| California | REG 195 | DMV | No fee |
| Texas | VTR-214 | County tax assessor-collector | No fee ($5 temporary) |
| Florida | HSMV 83039 | County tax collector | No fee ($15 temporary) |
| New York | MV-664.1 | City, town, or village clerk | No charge |
| Pennsylvania | MV-145A | PennDOT | No fee |
| Ohio | BMV 4826 | BMV | $8 per placard |
| Georgia | MV-9D | County Tag Office | No agency charge |
| Illinois | VSD 62 | Secretary of State | Free |
| Michigan | Disability parking placard application | Secretary of State | No fee |
Fees and form revisions change. Confirm the current amount on your state's page before you mail anything.
3. Get the medical certification signed
This is the step that actually gates your application. The form has a section only a licensed provider may complete, and states limit who counts. California accepts a licensed physician, surgeon, chiropractor, optometrist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife with knowledge of the condition. Virginia accepts a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, podiatrist, or chiropractor. New York accepts a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, podiatrist, or optometrist. Pennsylvania adds a geographic rule: the provider must be licensed in Pennsylvania or a contiguous state, and may only certify conditions within their own scope of practice.
Practical notes:
- Bring the form to a regular appointment. Most providers sign it on the spot at no extra charge. Some bill a brief office visit.
- The provider must include their license number and, in many states, their practice address and phone. A missing license number is an automatic rejection.
- Certifications usually expire. Many states will not accept a signature more than 90 days old, so do not sit on a signed form.
- Telehealth certification is accepted in some states and refused in others. If you use an online service, verify that your state permits remote certification before paying anything.
4. Submit the application
Most states accept applications three ways:
- In person at a local office. Fastest. You typically walk out with the placard the same day.
- By mail to the state agency. Allow two to four weeks.
- Online, available in a growing number of states, usually for renewals rather than first-time applications. Pennsylvania, for example, allows online renewal of an expired permanent placard through PennDOT.
Bring or include a government-issued photo ID, proof of residency if your state requires it, and your vehicle registration if you are applying for plates rather than a placard.
5. Display it correctly
Hang the placard from the rearview mirror with the expiration date facing out, and remove it before you drive. Driving with it hanging is a traffic violation in several states. Keep the identification card that comes with the placard in the vehicle, because enforcement officers may ask for it.
Disabled Veteran Plates Are a Separate Track
Veterans with a service-connected disability rating often qualify for a DV plate through their state DMV, using VA rating documentation instead of a physician's certification. The rating threshold varies widely: some states require 100 percent, Texas issues at 50 percent or higher, and Oklahoma issues at any compensable rating.
Fees are low to nothing. Georgia issues free DV plates for up to two vehicles with no manufacturing, registration, or special tag fee. Florida provides one free DV plate. Texas charges $3 for the first set with no registration cost. Nevada charges $8.50 initially and nothing at renewal.
One trap: a DV plate does not always include parking privileges. In many states the plate carries the International Symbol of Access and functions as a parking permit. In others, you need a separate disabled parking placard on top of the DV plate to use accessible spaces legally. Confirm this with your state before assuming the plate is enough.
Reciprocity and Parking Privileges
Federal regulation requires each state's system to recognize placards and plates issued by other states and by other countries. A valid, unexpired, properly displayed permit from your home state works in all 50 states for parking in designated accessible spaces.
What does not travel is the extra privileges. Free metered parking, extended time limits, and exemptions from residential permit zones are set by state and city law, and they differ sharply. Some cities give placard holders unlimited free meter time. Others charge the posted rate and only waive the time limit. Others waive nothing. Check the local rules before you leave the car, because out-of-state placard holders get ticketed for assuming their home-state perks apply.
Misuse carries real penalties. Fines commonly start at $250 to $1,000 for a first offense and climb from there, and fraudulent use is a misdemeanor in many states with the possibility of jail. Lending a placard to someone who is not transporting you is illegal for both people involved, and both can be fined. Permits are also canceled when the holder dies, and continuing to use a deceased relative's placard is prosecuted.
Renewal and Replacement
Permanent placards expire on a cycle, typically two to four years. California permanent placards run two years and expire June 30 of odd-numbered years. Texas and Florida permanent placards renew every four years. Michigan permanent placards are valid four years.
Renewal is usually simpler than the original application. Many states mail a renewal notice and do not require a new medical certification for a permanent placard, though some ask for recertification every other cycle. Renewal is generally free where the original was free.
Lost or stolen placards are replaced on request. California replaces permanent and travel placards at no charge and charges only for temporary replacements. Michigan charges $10 for a replacement. File a police report first if yours was stolen, since some states require the report number.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a handicap parking permit?
In person at a DMV or county office, usually the same day. By mail, two to four weeks in most states. The longest part of the process is almost always getting the medical certification signed, not the agency's processing time.
Does a handicap parking permit cost money?
Permanent placards are free in most states, including California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, and New York. Ohio charges $8. Temporary placards usually carry a small fee, commonly $5 to $15. License plates come with normal registration costs and sometimes a small annual plate fee.
Can I get a permit if I do not drive?
Yes. Permits are issued to the person with the disability, not to a driver. A non-driver applies for a placard, which a family member or caregiver then displays while transporting them. A placard is the right choice here, not plates.
Does qualifying for SSDI or SSI mean I qualify for a placard?
No. They are separate determinations under different standards. Social Security asks whether you can work. A parking permit asks whether your ability to walk is impaired. Many people meet one standard and not the other, in both directions.
Can a doctor refuse to sign the form?
Yes. The provider is making a legal certification about your functional limitations and can decline if they do not believe you meet the standard, or if the condition falls outside their scope of practice. If your condition is outside your primary care provider's specialty, ask the specialist who treats it.
Will my placard work in another state?
Yes, for parking in designated accessible spaces. Federal rules require every state to honor placards and plates from other states and countries. Additional perks like free metered parking are local and do not transfer.
What happens if my temporary placard expires and I am still disabled?
You reapply rather than extend. Get a new certification from your provider. If the condition now appears permanent, apply for a permanent placard instead of another temporary one.
Do I need to return the placard if my condition improves?
Most states require you to surrender a placard that is no longer needed, and all states cancel the permit when the holder dies. Using a canceled or deceased person's placard is a prosecutable offense.
