Persons with Disabilities Parking ​Placard and Registration Plate Eligibility Requirements

Pennsylvania's Persons with Disabilities placards and registration plates are universal and accepted in all 50 states.

Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and Registration Plate Eligibility Requirements:

1. is blind;

2. does not have full use of an arm or both arms;

3. cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest;

4. cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistive device;

5. is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the person's forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than 1 liter or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest;

6. uses portable oxygen;

7. has a cardiac condition to the extent that the person's functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to the standards set by the American Heart Association;

8. is severely limited in their ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition;

9. is a person in loco parentis of a person specified in paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 above.

10. is the parent, including adoptive parent or foster parent, of a child or adult child provided that the person has custody, care or control of the child or adult child and the child or adult child satisfies paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8; OR,

11. is the spouse of a person specified in paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8

 Any person meeting any of the above criteria must have the disabled person's disabilities certified by an authorized health care provider, law enforcement, or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office Administrator. A health care provider is defined as a physician, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, physician's assistant, or a certified registered nurse practitioner licensed or certified to practice in this commonwealth or in a contiguous state.

Health care providers may only certify disabilities within their scope of practice and must be licensed or certified in PA or a contiguous state: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, or Ohio.

Police officers may only certify disability codes 1 (blind) and 4 (cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistive device).

A Person in Loco Parentis is charged by law with the natural parent's rights, duties, and responsibilities acting on behalf of a child in place of the child's natural parents. In addition, a parent, including an adoptive or foster parent who has custody, care or control of the child or adult child or a spouse, may sign on behalf of the child, adult child, or spouse (applicant) provided the applicant meets eligibility requirements 1 through 8.

In order to be issued a severely disabled veteran parking placard, the disability must be service-connected and certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office Administrator (Philadelphia or Pittsburgh) or service unit in which the veteran served. A veteran may also self-certify by providing a legible photocopy of their Letter of Promulgation, Awards Letter, Single Notification Letter, or Summary of Benefits Letter, provided the documents indicate a 100 percent service-connected disability.