To get a handicap placard for your parent, you file your state motor vehicle agency’s disability parking application with a medical certification from your parent’s healthcare provider, and every state allows an adult child or other family member to submit it on the parent’s behalf. Most states let you handle the whole thing by mail, so a parent who can’t leave the house never has to. Permanent placards are free in most states; a few charge a small fee, generally under $10 and up to about $25.
Confirm Your Parent Qualifies
Qualifying conditions differ slightly by state, but the core criteria are consistent nationwide. Your parent will almost certainly qualify if any of the following applies:
- Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
- Cannot walk without a cane, crutch, walker, brace, prosthetic, wheelchair, or help from another person.
- Severe lung disease: forced expiratory volume under one liter per second, arterial oxygen below 60 mmHg at rest, or reliance on portable oxygen.
- Heart disease classified as Class III or Class IV by American Heart Association standards, meaning symptoms appear during minimal activity or at rest.
- A neurological, orthopedic, or arthritic condition that substantially impairs the ability to walk.
- Amputation or permanent loss of function in one or more limbs.
- Legal blindness or severe visual impairment: central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye with correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
Your parent doesn’t need to be completely unable to walk. The threshold in most states is functional difficulty over a relatively short distance, so conditions like advanced COPD, Parkinson’s disease, severe arthritis, and multiple sclerosis commonly qualify even when the person can still take some steps.
The Three Steps
1. Get the Application
Download the disability placard application from your state’s motor vehicle agency website. Many application forms include a specific checkbox or section for a representative filing on behalf of the qualifying individual. Fill in your parent’s personal details, or have them fill in what they can. Your parent signs the applicant section if able.
2. Get the Medical Certification
This is the piece the application can’t move without. A licensed healthcare provider must confirm your parent’s qualifying condition on the application form or on a separate prescription. The provider indicates the nature of the disability, whether it is permanent or temporary, and signs and dates the form. Some states require the provider’s medical license number, and a few require notarization if you submit a separate prescription rather than have the provider complete the form directly.
Who counts as an authorized provider has expanded well beyond physicians in most states. Doctors of osteopathy qualify everywhere. A majority of states also authorize one or more of the following: physician assistants, nurse practitioners, podiatrists (usually for foot or lower-limb conditions), chiropractors, and optometrists (for vision-related disabilities only). Check your state’s application form for the specific list.
Schedule this step early. Getting on the doctor’s calendar is often what takes the longest, and a home visit or telehealth appointment works for a parent who can’t easily travel. Some states will also accept a separate prescription letter from the doctor in place of the form’s medical section.
3. Submit the Application
Most states offer three options:
- By mail. This is the most common method when you’re applying on a parent’s behalf, because no one has to visit an office.
- In person at a local DMV or motor vehicle office. Some offices issue a temporary placard on the spot while the permanent one is processed.
- Online. A growing number of states allow electronic submission for new applications, though many still limit online services to renewals and replacements.
Keep a copy of the completed application. Some states require the placard holder to carry a copy in the vehicle or on their person as proof the placard belongs to them.
Filing for a Homebound Parent
A parent who can’t physically visit a motor vehicle office still has a straightforward path. Every state accepts mail applications, and many accept online ones. You download the form, get the medical certification through a home visit or telehealth appointment, and mail the completed packet with any required payment. The placard arrives by mail. Processing times run from a few days to several weeks depending on the state and how you submitted.
Do You Need Power of Attorney or Guardianship
In most states, no. You don’t need to be your parent’s legal guardian to handle the paperwork. You may need to sign a statement confirming that your vehicle regularly transports the person with the disability, but that’s usually the extent of it.
If your parent has granted you power of attorney or you serve as their legal guardian, bring that documentation along. Some states require it when the applicant cannot sign the form themselves. If your parent can sign the form but simply can’t make it to a DMV office, their signature on the application plus the medical certification are usually all that’s needed for you to submit it by mail or in person on their behalf.
Fees and Cost
Most states issue permanent disability placards for free. A handful charge modest fees, generally under $10, though a few charge up to about $25. Temporary placards are free in many states and carry a small fee in others. States that do charge typically accept checks, money orders, or credit and debit cards for online or in-person transactions.
Permanent or Temporary
Pick based on your parent’s condition. A permanent placard covers ongoing conditions and is valid for a set period, usually two to five years depending on the state, then renewed with updated medical certification (a few states waive the recertification if the original condition was noted as permanent). A temporary placard covers short-term conditions like a broken leg, hip replacement recovery, or post-surgical immobility, and is usually valid for up to six months. If a temporary condition becomes permanent, apply for a permanent placard with updated medical documentation; temporary placards generally cannot be renewed indefinitely.
Placard or Disability License Plates
Most states offer disability license plates as an alternative, but for a parent you’re helping, a placard is almost always the better choice. A placard is portable. It can be used in any vehicle as long as the qualifying person is either driving or riding as a passenger, so you can move it to whichever family member’s car is transporting your parent that day. Disability plates are permanently attached to one specific vehicle, and some states require that vehicle to be registered to the person with the disability. Parking in an accessible space using disability plates when the qualifying person isn’t in the car is illegal.
Using the Placard Correctly
The core rule is simple: the placard can only be used when your parent is either driving the vehicle or riding as a passenger. Running errands in your parent’s car while they stay home does not entitle you to park in an accessible space, even if the placard is in the car.
When parking, hang the placard from the rearview mirror so the expiration date and identification number face outward. Remove it before driving. It can obstruct the driver’s view, and some states specifically require removal while the vehicle is in motion. If your state issues a companion identification card with the placard, have your parent keep it in their wallet or the glove compartment; enforcement officers may ask to see it.
Penalties for Misuse
Fines for using a parent’s placard when the qualifying person isn’t in the vehicle typically range from $250 to $1,000 for a first offense, with some states imposing higher penalties. Repeat offenses or using a counterfeit or altered placard can result in misdemeanor criminal charges in many states, along with community service, loss of the placard, and in some states a suspended driver’s license.
If your parent no longer needs the placard due to improved health, return it to your state’s motor vehicle agency rather than keeping it around.