How Many Handicap Placards Can You Get Per Person?

In most states, you can get one removable handicap placard per person, and that single placard is meant to travel with you between any vehicle you drive or ride in. If you need parking privileges tied to more than one car at the same time, the usual route is to pair your placard with disabled license plates on a registered vehicle. How many placards you can get per person ultimately depends on your state, because these permits are issued at the state level under broad federal design standards in 23 CFR Part 1235.¹

Why the Limit Is Usually One

The placard belongs to you, not to a car. You’re expected to carry it with you and hang it in whichever vehicle you’re in at the time. That’s the logic behind the one-per-person rule, and it holds true in most of the country.

Owning two cars doesn’t entitle you to two placards. The system is built around the idea that accessible parking benefits follow the person, so if you aren’t in the vehicle, the placard shouldn’t be displayed at all, no matter how many permits you hold.

Getting Coverage for More Than One Vehicle

If you regularly use more than one car and moving a single placard back and forth isn’t practical, the workaround built into most state programs is disabled license plates. These plates are permanently affixed to a specific vehicle and display the International Symbol of Access. Because the plate stays with the car, you don’t have to remember to bring anything with you when that vehicle is the one you’re using.

Several states let you hold both a placard and disabled plates at the same time. A few states go further and allow disabled plates on more than one registered vehicle. The details vary enough that your state’s motor vehicle agency is the only reliable place to confirm what combination you can hold.

One trade-off worth knowing: permanent placards are free in most states, while disabled plates are tied to your vehicle registration and usually carry an added fee.

Placard Types and How They Affect the Count

Not every permit counts the same way, and the type you qualify for changes what you can hold.

Permanent Placards

Permanent placards are for long-term or lifelong disabilities. Under federal rules they show the International Symbol of Access in white on a blue background, along with an ID number, expiration date, and the issuing authority’s seal.¹ Renewal periods run roughly two to six years depending on the state, and renewal typically requires updated medical certification.

Temporary Placards

Temporary placards cover short-term needs like post-surgical recovery or a broken leg. They carry the same symbol but on a red background so they’re visually distinct. Federal rules cap their validity at six months from issuance, based on how long your doctor says you’ll need the accommodation.¹ Some states allow shorter durations starting at one month.

If you already hold a permanent placard and then develop a separate short-term condition, whether you can also receive a temporary placard is a state-by-state question. Ask your motor vehicle agency directly rather than assume.

Disabled License Plates

Plates are the piece that lets you extend privileges to a specific vehicle without carrying anything. Pairing a placard with plates on one car, or holding plates on more than one car where state law allows, is the practical answer for a household with several vehicles.

Using One Placard Across Different Vehicles

Your placard works in any vehicle as long as you’re the driver or a passenger. Family car, a friend’s truck, a rental on vacation, it doesn’t matter. The permit is tied to you, not to a registration or title, which is exactly why states don’t hand out extras. Federal regulations say the placard must hang from the rearview mirror when parked in an accessible space, or sit on the dashboard if the vehicle has no rearview mirror.¹

Take it down when the vehicle is moving. A hanging placard obstructs the driver’s line of sight, and an officer can pull you over for it. Make it a habit: down before you drive, back up after you park.

Traveling Out of State

A placard issued in your home state is generally recognized elsewhere. There’s no single federal reciprocity law, but because states have adopted the uniform federal design, a blue or red placard with the International Symbol of Access is accepted almost everywhere in the country. Some quirks exist. Meter-exempt parking privileges may not transfer across state lines, and a few cities treat street parking differently from lots for out-of-state placards.

In a rental car, bring the placard with you and display it the way you would at home. The rule that doesn’t bend: you have to be in the vehicle when it’s parked in an accessible space.

Replacing a Lost, Damaged, or Stolen Placard

Needing a second placard because the first one is gone is different from being allowed a second placard. If yours is lost, damaged, or stolen, contact your state’s motor vehicle agency for a replacement. Most states let you apply for a duplicate online or in person, and processing usually takes about two weeks.

File a police report before requesting a replacement for a stolen placard. A stolen placard can be misused, and reporting the theft helps protect you from liability if someone parks illegally with your old permit. Some states explicitly require the police report as part of the replacement application. Replacement fees are minimal where they exist at all.

Penalties for Sharing or Misusing a Placard

Trying to get a second placard by unofficial means, or lending yours out, isn’t a gray area. The most common form of misuse is displaying a placard when the permit holder isn’t in the vehicle. Handing yours to a friend or family member without a qualifying disability is illegal even for a quick errand.

Penalties vary by state but commonly include:

Fines ranging from $50 to over $1,000 depending on the state and whether it’s a repeat offense
Misdemeanor charges in some states, which can carry jail time
Revocation of the permit holder’s placard privileges
Community service, ordered in some jurisdictions instead of or on top of fines

Using an expired placard or one belonging to a deceased person also counts as misuse. Enforcement campaigns targeting placard fraud have increased in recent years, and many jurisdictions treat even a first offense harshly.

The cleanest way to cover more than one vehicle is the one built into the system: check with your state about combining a placard with disabled license plates, and use each within its rules.

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eCFR. 23 CFR Part 1235 – Uniform System for Parking for Persons with Disabilities