Tag Office Guide
How to get a disability parking placard
Who qualifies, the medical certification, temporary versus permanent, and the rules that get placards revoked.
Disability parking placards are issued through the same offices that handle registration, and the process is more straightforward than most people expect. The gate is the medical certification, not the paperwork.
The one requirement that matters: the application must be certified by a licensed medical provider. Without that signature nothing else you bring counts.
Who qualifies
Both states use similar criteria. Common qualifying conditions include:
- Inability to walk a set distance without assistance or rest
- Reliance on a wheelchair, walker, crutches or a brace
- A cardiac condition classified at a severity threshold set by the state
- A lung condition with measured impairment
- Legal blindness, in some placard categories
- A condition requiring portable oxygen
Temporary versus permanent
Temporary placards cover a recovery period — surgery, injury, pregnancy complications — and expire on a date the provider sets. Permanent placards are issued for lasting conditions and are renewed periodically without re-certification in most cases. Ask the provider to mark the right box; a temporary placard for a permanent condition means doing this again.
What to bring
- Completed application with the medical certification section signed
- Photo ID
- Vehicle information, if applying for a disability plate rather than a hanging placard
The placard itself is generally free or low cost in both states. Placards are issued to a person, not a vehicle, so it moves with you between cars.
Rules that get placards revoked
- The placard holder must be in the vehicle. Using a family member's placard to park while they are at home is misuse.
- Hang it from the mirror while parked, and take it down while driving.
- Do not lend it. Enforcement is more active than most people assume, and penalties include confiscation and fines.