Montana Disabled Veteran Plates: Eligibility, Fees, and Parking

Montana disabled veteran license plates are available to veterans with either a 100% VA service-connected disability rating or a Purple Heart combined with a 50% or higher service-connected rating, provided the discharge was other-than-dishonorable and the veteran is a Montana resident. The plates double as an accessible parking authorization and unlock a registration fee waiver on up to two non-commercial vehicles.

Who Qualifies

Montana law gives two separate paths to DV plates.¹

A veteran currently rated 100% disabled, or paid at the 100% rate, by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for a service-connected disability.
A veteran who received the Purple Heart and holds a VA rating of 50% or higher for a service-connected injury.

The Purple Heart pathway is easy to miss. If you were wounded in action and carry a 50% or higher VA rating, you don’t need a 100% rating to qualify.

Discharge and Residency

The statute requires an other-than-dishonorable discharge, which is broader than a fully honorable discharge and includes a general discharge under honorable conditions. A dishonorable or bad conduct discharge from a general court-martial disqualifies you.¹

You must also be a Montana resident. In practice that means a Montana address and a valid Montana driver’s license.¹

What the Plates Get You

Accessible Parking

DV plates carry the same parking privileges as a disability parking permit. A vehicle displaying DV plates can use any designated accessible parking space, as long as the person the plates were issued to is the one entering or exiting the vehicle.² No separate hanging placard is required.

Local governments can also exempt DV-plated vehicles from time-limited parking on public streets. The exemption doesn’t reach spaces where parking is prohibited entirely, reserved for special vehicles, or restricted during heavy traffic periods, and not every city or county has adopted it.² Check locally if metered parking matters to you.

Registration Fee Waivers on Two Vehicles

Montana waives motor vehicle registration fees on up to two non-commercial vehicles for DV-eligible veterans. What’s included in the waiver depends on which eligibility path applies.³

For 100% disabled veterans, both the registration fees and the $10 per plate set veterans’ cemetery fee are waived on two vehicles. The out-of-pocket cost can be zero.
For Purple Heart veterans with a 50% or higher rating, registration fees are waived on two vehicles, but the $10 veterans’ cemetery fee still applies to each plate set.⁴

Only One Vehicle Can Carry DV Plates

The fee waiver covers two vehicles, but DV plates themselves are limited to a single passenger vehicle or one truck rated at one ton or less.⁵ The second vehicle can wear other veteran plates, such as general veteran or branch-of-service plates, and still receive the fee waiver under MCA 61-3-460.

How to Apply

Applications are handled in person at your local County Treasurer’s motor vehicle office. Montana’s Motor Vehicle Division routes all veteran plate applicants to the county office rather than to a state-level agency by mail.⁶

Bring the following:

Your DD-214 (or successor form) showing an other-than-dishonorable discharge.¹
A VA disability letter. For the 100% pathway, it must state you are rated 100% disabled or paid at that rate. For the Purple Heart pathway, it must show a 50% or higher service-connected rating.⁶
Proof of your Purple Heart award, if applying under the 50% pathway.
A valid Montana driver’s license.
The vehicle’s current title or registration.

The county office will supply whatever current application form is needed. If you want personalized lettering on your DV plates, add a personalized plate application and a $25 fee.⁵

Surviving Spouse Rules

An unremarried surviving spouse cannot keep the DV plates themselves. The statute requires DV plates to be surrendered after the veteran’s death, even though most other veteran plate types can be retained.¹

The fee waiver does carry over. An unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified for DV plates remains eligible for the registration fee waiver on two non-commercial vehicles, typically by switching to another veteran-related plate such as Gold Star Family plates.³

Related Benefits Worth a Look

Federal Automobile Allowance and Adaptive Equipment

Separate from the state plate program, the VA offers grants toward buying or modifying a vehicle. Qualifying conditions include loss or permanent loss of use of a hand or foot, severely impaired vision, severe burn injuries, and ALS.⁷

The automobile allowance is a one-time payment applied directly to the seller when you buy a vehicle. Adaptive-equipment grants cover modifications such as power steering, specialized brakes, lift equipment, or modified seating, and can be received more than once. A second automobile allowance may be available if your first vehicle was purchased 30 or more years ago or destroyed in a natural disaster through no fault of your own. Get VA approval before you buy. File VA Form 21-4502 for the allowance or VA Form 10-1394 for adaptive equipment through your local VA medical center’s prosthetic representative.⁷

Montana Property Tax Exemption

Veterans who qualify at the 100% level should also look at Montana’s disabled veteran property tax exemption, which uses the same VA rating threshold. If you own and occupy a primary residence for at least seven months a year, the exemption reduces property tax by 50%, 70%, 80%, or 100% depending on income.⁸

For 2026, a single veteran with income up to $48,152 receives the full 100% exemption. Married veterans or heads of household get the full exemption up to $57,781 in income. Unremarried surviving spouses of qualifying veterans are eligible at slightly lower income thresholds.⁸

1
Montana Code Annotated. Montana Code 61-3-458 – Special Plates for Military Personnel, Veterans, Spouses, and Gold Star Families
2
Montana Code Annotated. Montana Code 49-4-302 – Privileges of Permitholder and Privilege for Disabled Veteran
3
Montana Code Annotated. Montana Code 61-3-460 – Motor Vehicle Registration Fee and Veterans Cemetery Fee Waivers
4
FindLaw. Montana Code 61-3-459 – Veterans Cemetery Fee
5
Montana Legislative Services. Montana Code 61-3-453 – Disabled Veterans Plates Limited to One Automobile or Truck and Personalized Plates
6
Montana Department of Justice Motor Vehicle Division. Military / Veteran License Plates
7
Veterans Affairs. Automobile Allowance and Adaptive Equipment
8
Montana State Legislature. Tax Benefits for Veterans