Application for Disability Parking Certificate: Fees and Renewal

To get a disability parking permit application through, you complete your state’s form, have a licensed healthcare provider certify that you have a qualifying condition, and submit the packet to your state motor vehicle agency by mail, in person, or (in a growing number of states) online. Permits are issued by states rather than the federal government, so the form number, fee, and processing route depend on where you live, but the core sequence is the same everywhere.¹

How to Apply Step by Step

Start with the correct form. Each state issues its own, and using the wrong one will get your application rejected. A few examples of what to ask for:

Pennsylvania: Form MV-145A, submitted to PennDOT by mail or in person at its Harrisburg office.²
Texas: Form VTR-214, submitted to your local county tax assessor-collector’s office.³
California: Form REG 195, which can be uploaded through the DMV Virtual Office.⁴
Minnesota: Form PS2005-3, accepted at any deputy registrar office, by mail, or through the state’s online portal.⁵
New York: Form MV-664.1, brought to your city, town, or village clerk rather than the state DMV.⁶

Fill in the personal-information section yourself. The rest is for your provider. Once both sections are complete, submit the form through whichever channel your state allows.

Online options are expanding. California accepts new placard applications and permanent renewals through its DMV Virtual Office at no charge.⁷ Michigan handles permanent blue placard renewals through a Quick Renewal/Replace portal.⁸ Maryland processes placard applications online, though disability plates require a visit to a full-service MVA office.⁹ North Carolina permanent placard holders can renew online.¹⁰ In most of these states the provider’s certification still has to be captured on paper and then uploaded or mailed. Wisconsin is the outlier: its Disabled Parking Certification System lets healthcare providers submit eligibility certifications electronically, transmitted in real time to the DMV.¹¹

Which Conditions Qualify

Federal regulation 23 CFR Part 1235 sets a baseline every state must recognize. Under that standard, qualifying conditions include the inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, needing an assistive device such as a cane, crutch, brace, or wheelchair, severe lung disease, use of portable oxygen, and cardiac conditions classified as Class III or IV by the American Heart Association.¹

States commonly add to that list. Pennsylvania recognizes blindness, loss of use of one or both arms, and conditions certified by caregiver proxy.¹² Texas includes visual impairment (acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction), paralysis, and foot disorders.³ Washington State recognizes acute sensitivity to automobile emissions and porphyria, an inheritable metabolic disorder causing sensitivity to light.¹³ Indiana lists autism spectrum disorders among qualifying conditions.¹⁴ Check your state’s list before assuming a condition doesn’t qualify.

Who Can Sign the Medical Certification

The provider certification is the part of the application that matters most, and every state requires one for initial applications. Federal rules require at least a licensed physician, but most states have widened the pool.¹ Pennsylvania accepts physicians, chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, physician assistants, and certified registered nurse practitioners.¹² Indiana adds physical therapists and certain master’s-level licensed professionals.¹⁴ Minnesota accepts chiropractors, advanced practice registered nurses, and physical therapists alongside physicians and physician assistants.⁵

Where the provider is licensed also matters. Texas accepts certifications from providers licensed in Texas or its neighbors (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma), plus those practicing at military installations or VA facilities within the state.¹⁵ Pennsylvania accepts providers licensed in Pennsylvania or any contiguous state.² In Texas, if the provider does not attach an original prescription, their signature has to be notarized.

A couple of states waive the provider signature when the disability is visually obvious. California skips the doctor’s signature when an applicant with a visibly missing lower extremity or both hands applies in person.⁷ Washington, D.C., extends the same exemption to applicants who use a motorized wheelchair or have an obvious missing lower extremity.¹⁶

Temporary vs. Permanent Permits

You’ll be issued either a temporary permit (for a condition expected to improve, such as recovery from surgery) or a permanent one. Federal rules limit temporary placards to six months and require them to display the International Symbol of Access in white on a red background.¹

Rules for extending a temporary permit vary. California allows up to six consecutive renewals of a temporary placard.⁷ Pennsylvania does not allow renewal at all; if you need more time, you file a fresh application.² Maryland issues a temporary placard for conditions lasting at least three weeks and up to six months, and the holder must destroy it once it’s no longer needed.⁹

Permanent permits last much longer, but the exact term varies:

Minnesota also splits the middle with a short-term certificate valid up to 12 months and a long-term certificate valid from 13 to 72 months, each with its own fee.⁵

Fees

Permanent placards are often free. Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey all issue them at no cost.²⁷⁸¹⁶

Temporary and short-term permits sometimes carry a small fee. Texas charges $5 for a temporary placard and nothing for a permanent one.¹⁵ New Jersey charges $4 for temporary placards.¹⁷ Minnesota charges $5 for temporary and short-term certificates but nothing for long-term or permanent ones.⁵ North Carolina charges $5 per placard and $46.25 for disability license plates.¹⁰ Replacement fees are usually separate: Michigan charges $10 for a lost or stolen placard but nothing for a damaged one.⁸

Renewing a Permit

Whether you’ll need fresh medical documentation to renew depends on your state and the permit type. California requires no further medical certification once a permanent placard is issued.⁷ Michigan takes the same approach for its permanent blue placard.⁸

Others tie every renewal to a new signature. Washington requires a new, original, signed medical certification at every five-year renewal of a permanent placard and will not accept photocopies.¹⁸ North Carolina also requires physician recertification every five years, although holders age 80 and older are exempt.¹⁰

Renewing a temporary placard almost always requires fresh documentation, because the provider has to confirm the condition still exists. In Michigan, a licensed professional must complete the relevant sections of a new application for any temporary red placard renewal.⁸

Placard or License Plate

Most states offer both a hanging placard and disability license plates, and the parking privileges are the same. The choice comes down to portability. A placard moves with you between any vehicle you drive or ride in. Plates are tied to a specific vehicle that must be titled to or leased by the person with the disability.⁹ Texas issues plates only to individuals with permanent disabilities, while placards come in both temporary and permanent forms.¹⁹ Maryland caps holdings at two placards, one set of plates, or one of each.

A placard must be removed from the rearview mirror while the vehicle is moving, and it should be hidden when the car is unattended to reduce theft risk.⁹

One trap for veterans: in Texas, standard Disabled Veteran plates do not authorize parking in accessible spaces unless the plate also carries the International Symbol of Access. Veterans who need accessible parking have to apply separately for a placard or for an ISA-designated plate.¹⁹

Using Your Permit in Other States

Federal regulation requires every state to recognize valid disability plates and placards issued by other states and by foreign countries, so a permit from your home state works when you travel.¹ Florida honors permits from any U.S. state or foreign country provided they display the international symbol of accessibility; visitors whose permits lack the symbol have to buy a temporary Florida permit for $15.²⁰ Moving permanently to a new state generally means reapplying under that state’s rules.

Internationally, a 1997 resolution by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport extended reciprocal recognition among associated countries including Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and the United States, so long as the badge displays the international wheelchair symbol.²¹

What a Permit Does Not Do

A disability permit doesn’t automatically buy you free metered parking. Whether it does depends on state and local law. New York State does not grant meter fee exemptions unless a specific locality has passed one.²² New Jersey placard holders still have to pay the meter, though they get a time extension: if a vehicle stays past the metered time, the driver pays the maximum amount and can remain for up to 24 hours. Disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients in New Jersey are separately exempt from meter fees for up to 24 hours.²³ Check with the city you’re parking in.

If Your Application Is Denied

Denied applications generally come with an appeal path, but the process is local. In New York City, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviews applications, and a denial letter explains how to appeal.²⁴ The city’s rules give applicants 30 business days to appeal. If the denial rested on a medical finding, a different physician reviews the case, and applicants may bring in their own outside medical experts. A final denial blocks reapplication for the same condition unless the applicant can show that the condition has significantly worsened.²⁵

In Philadelphia, denials of a reserved residential disability parking space go to the Office of Administrative Review. Appeals must be filed within 30 days, a hearing is scheduled three to six months out, applicants bring current medical documentation to the hearing, and a decision arrives by mail one to two weeks after.²⁶

Penalties for Misuse

Lying on the application or letting someone else use your placard carries real consequences, and the numbers are steep enough to be worth knowing before you sign the form:

Florida: providing false information on an application is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Fraudulently using another person’s permit is a second-degree misdemeanor, and a second conviction bars the person from getting a new permit for four years.²⁷
Washington: knowingly providing false information is a gross misdemeanor. Unauthorized parking in an accessible space carries a $250 penalty plus a $200 assessment, and a second or subsequent violation requires at least 40 hours of community restitution.²⁸
Texas: misuse of a placard or ISA plate can bring fines up to $1,250 and up to 50 hours of community service. Falsifying information on the state application form is a third-degree felony.³¹⁵
New Jersey: making a false statement on an application is a fourth-degree crime, carrying fines up to $10,000 and up to 18 months in prison.¹⁷

1
eCFR. Title 23, Part 1235 — Uniform System for Parking for Persons With Disabilities
2
PA.gov. Apply for or Renew a Persons With Disability Parking Placard
3
Texas DMV. Disabled Parking Placards and Plates
4
California DMV. DPP Application
5
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Disability Parking
6
New York DMV. Parking for People With Disabilities
7
California DMV. Disabled Person Parking Placards and Plates
8
Michigan SOS. Disability Parking Placard
9
Maryland MVA. Disability Plates and Placards
10
NCDOT. Disability Placards and Plates
11
Wisconsin DOT. Disabled Parking Certification System
12
PA.gov. Persons With Disabilities Placards and Plates
13
Washington DOL. Disabled Parking Eligibility
14
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Application for Disability Plates, Placards, and Decals
15
Texas DMV. Application for Persons With Disabilities Parking Placard or License Plate
16
DC DMV. Apply for Disability Parking Placards and Permits
17
New Jersey MVC. Disability Placards and Plates
18
Washington DOL. Get or Renew Disabled Parking Permits
19
Texas DMV. Disabled Parking Placards and Plates
20
Florida HSMV. Disabled Person Parking Permits for Florida Visitors
21
International Transport Forum. Reciprocal Recognition of Parking Badges
22
New York DMV. Parking for People With Disabilities — The Law
23
New Jersey DDS. Guide to Accessible Parking
24
NYC DOT. Parking Permit for People With Disabilities
25
NYC Rules. Rules of the City of New York, Section 16-05
26
City of Philadelphia. Appeal a Denied Residential Parking Spot for People With Disabilities
27
Florida Legislature. Florida Statute 320.0848
28
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.19.050