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    Apply for or Renew a Persons with Disability Parking Placard

    Pennsylvania's Persons with Disabilities placards are accepted in all 50 states. Please see below for eligibility requirements and how to apply.

    Apply or renew online

    Overview

    There are five different types of placards, and you can apply for them in person at the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg or via mail. You must meet the eligibility requirements.

    Types of placards

    Here are the different types of disability placards you can get.

    Placard Identification (ID) cards are mailed along with permanent placards. Customers will receive a wallet-size ID card to carry with them as proof of identification. If a customer applies through a PennDOT counter service area, the placard will be returned with a temporary ID card and the permanent wallet ID card will be mailed separately to the customer.

    A permanent placard is for use in any vehicle. It is being operated exclusively by or for a person with disability. It may only be used when those persons are being transported in the vehicle.

    Benefits

    • When the vehicle is used by or for a person with a disability, the placard will let vehicles park for 60 minutes longer than local laws allow. This is except where local rules make special parking rules for heavy traffic during the morning, afternoon, and evening.

    • Any vehicle displaying the placard hung from the front windshield rearview mirror qualifies to park in areas for people with disability. The vehicle must be operated by or for a person with a disability.

    • If a person with a qualifying disability asks, local authorities may erect a sign(s) on the highway. The sign(s) go as close as possible to the person's home. They indicate that the spot is for a person with a disability.

    A veteran with a 100% service-related disability can get a special parking placard from PennDOT. This placard marks the vehicle as for a severely disabled veteran. 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.

    Benefits

    • When the vehicle is used by or for the person with a disability, the placard will allow vehicles to park for a period of 60 minutes in excess of the legal parking period permitted by local authorities, except where local ordinances or police regulations provide for the accommodation of heavy traffic during morning, afternoon, and evening hours.

    • Any vehicle displaying the placard hung from the front windshield rearview mirror, being operated by or for a person with a disability, qualifies to park in areas so designated as being reserved for persons with disability.

    • Upon request of a person with a qualifying disability, local authorities may erect a sign(s) on the highway as close as possible to the person's residence indicating that the place is reserved for a person with a disability.

    A temporary placard is issued for use in any vehicle. It is being operated exclusively by or for a person with disability. It may only be used when those persons are being transported in the vehicle.

    Qualified people can get a temporary placard. They can have it for up to six months.

    Please note that Temporary Person with Disability Parking Placards may not be renewed. You must renew Temporary Person with Disability Placard applications. Do this with a licensed health care provider. It is needed when the temporary placard has expired. A placard is still required for a period not to exceed six months.

    PennDOT has now made it easier for Pennsylvanians and their caregivers to get temporary parking placards. Specifically, it allows some health care providers to issue these placards immediately. This change means that disabled people can now quickly get temporary placards from their provider.

    This partnership helps people with temporary disabilities. They apply for a parking placard and get their certification in one visit to a health care facility. For a list of these facilities, please see below.

    Learn more about PennDOT's Temporary Parking Placard Issuance Program for Health Care Facilities

    How to apply for a persons with disability parking placard

    Here are instructions for getting a disability parking placard in-person and by mail:

    In-person:

    • If you go to the Riverfront Office Center (ROC) in Harrisburg and bring a completed "Persons with Disability Parking Placard Application" form, you will get a permanent placard and a temporary ID card. The temporary ID card is used until a permanent wallet-size ID card is mailed to you.

    • If you apply in person and need a temporary placard, you will get a temporary ID card and a temporary placard. You'll use the temporary ID card until you receive the permanent ID card in the mail.

    By  mail:

    • Mail your completed "Persons with Disability Parking Placard Application" to:

      PennDOT
      Bureau of Motor Vehicles
      P.O. Box 68268
      Harrisburg, PA 17106-8268

    • You will receive a permanent placard and a permanent ID card in the mail together.
    • If you apply online for a temporary placard, you will receive a temporary ID card and a temporary placard in the mail. You'll get the permanent ID card for the temporary placard at a later date.
      • NOTE: Only licensed health care providers may certify disabilities for temporary placards. Temporary placards may be issued for a period up to six months and may not be extended for an additional period of time. When additional time is needed, a new application must be completed and certified by a health care provider. In addition, please list your previous placard number on the application.    

    Remember:

    • The placard is for vehicles used exclusively by or for a person with a disability, and it should only be used when those people are in the vehicle.

    • To get the initial placard, you need to fill out the application form and have it completed by a person with a disability, a healthcare provider, or a police officer. Then, you send it back to PennDOT.

    • You can have two persons with a disability placard OR one persons with a disability placard and one person with a disability registration plate.

    • There is no fee for the placard.

    Renewing or replacing disability parking placard

    We will mail placard holders a renewal form about 60 days before their expiration. You may also renew it, request a new one, or change the address for your Persons with Disability Placard online.

    If the renewal application was not received for some reason, complete Form MV-145A (PDF). Say you are applying to renew your placard. Please check the appropriate reason for replacement. List your previous placard number and complete Sections A and E. 

    If the product did not come in 90 days, please check the "Never Received" box. If the product did not come or is over 90 days late, please check the "Lost" box.

    How to use the placard

    Here are some important things to know about using a parking placard:

    • The placard should only be displayed on the car when it is parked in a special spot for people with disabilities.
    • Placards are made to last for five years, but should be stored somewhere safe when not in use to avoid damage from extreme temperatures and sunlight.
    • The placard doesn't let cars that are meant to help people with disabilities park in spots where parking is not allowed.
    • If the person who owns the placard doesn't need it anymore and it's still valid, they have to send it back to PennDOT. Return the placard to:

    Bureau of Motor Vehicles
    P.O. Box 68268
    Harrisburg, PA 17106-8268    

    • If the placard has expired, it can be destroyed. There is no need to return it to PennDOT.
    • Any unauthorized person found to be in violation commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $100.

    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.