Q: Who qualifies for accessible parking registration?

A: Those defined in Transportation Code § 504.201, § 504.202, and § 681.001 qualify for accessible parking registration. Accessible parking placards issued on or after September 1, 1999 require a physician’s or podiatrist’s notarized statement to indicate the type of permanent disability as mobility or other disability. Form VTR-214, Application for Disabled Person Identification Placard and/or Disabled Person License Plate* has been revised to include these changes. The applicant will be provided with either a blue placard, or a red placard.

A blue placard may be issued to a person who:

1. cannot walk without the use of an assistance device (brace, cane, crutch, another person or prosthetic device); or
2. cannot ambulate without a wheelchair or similar device.

A red placard may be issued to a person who:

1. is legally blind if not more than 20/200 of visual acuity in the better eye with correcting lenses, or visual acuity greater than 20/200 but with a limitation in the field of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees;
2. cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest;
3. is restricted by lung disease to the extent that the person’s forced respiratory volume for one second, measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 millimeters of mercury on room air at rest;
4. uses portable oxygen;
5. 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 standards set by the American Heart Association;
6. is severely limited in the ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition; or
7. has another debilitating condition that limits or impairs the person’s ability to walk, in the opinion of a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state (or a state adjacent to this state, or authorized by applicable law to practice medicine in a hospital or other health facility of the Veterans Administration, or practicing medicine in the U.S. Military on a military installation in Texas).

Temporary disabilities are qualified as any of the previously named disabilities for a six-month period. The temporary placards expire six months from the month of issuance. If the disability continues past the six months, the applicant may reapply by submitting another completed Form VTR-214*.

A: $5 for each placard.

Q: What steps are required to obtain accessible parking registration?

A: The applicant may submit application for accessible parking registration following these steps:

1. Obtain a Form VTR-214* from the tax assessor-collectors office or any of the 17 VTR Regional Offices.
2. Submit the application and the $5.00 fee to the county tax office. The application may consist of any of the following:

1. the completed Form VTR-214* (physician’s or podiatrist’s signature must be notarized), or;
2. a Form VTR-214* completed by the applicant, and a separate written prescription signed by a physician or podiatrist who determines the type of disability (mobility, or other disability). The prescription must be signed by:

1. a physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of Texas, or
2. a physician licensed to practice medicine in an adjacent state to Texas (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico), or
3. a physician practicing medicine in a Department of Veterans Affairs health care facility, or
4. a physician practicing medicine in the U.S. military on a military installation in Texas, or
5. a person licensed to practice podiatry in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or Oklahoma.

3. When accessible parking license plates are initially issued for a vehicle that is currently registered, the license plates are issued on an even exchange basis. The regular license plates must be surrendered to the tax office.

A:

1. A person with a permanent disability may only obtain:

1. two permanent accessible parking identification placards, or
2. one set of accessible parking license plates (one plate, if for a motorcycle) and one permanent accessible parking identification placard.

2. A person who has lost the use of one or both legs may obtain additional sets of accessible parking license plates for vehicles specially-equipped for operation.

3. A person with a temporary disability may obtain two temporary accessible parking identification placards.

A: The permanent accessible parking placard is valid for 4 years. The applicant may renew this registration by presenting either the expired placard or a copy of the Form VTR-214*, indicating that they received accessible parking registration to the county tax office. The top portion of a new Form VTR-214 is required to be completed by the applicant. The bottom portion with the disability statement is not required for renewal. If the applicant has lost the placard, their Form VTR-214, and the county has no record of the accessible parking registration, the applicant would have to submit a completed new Form VTR-214, in order to maintain and justify reissuance of accessible parking registration.

The temporary accessible parking placard expires six months from the month of issue. If the applicant’s temporary disability ends before the expiration date, the placard should be destroyed. If the applicant’s temporary disability extends beyond six months, the applicant must reapply to the county tax assessor-collector for a new placard at the prescribed fee.

License plates with the international symbol of access are valid as long as the vehicle belongs to the applicant. License plates should be removed from the vehicle when sold. New license plates are required after 7 years. The vehicle owner’s registration renewal notice will indicate "new plates required" when the plate age reaches 7 years. A plate owner may obtain new plates after 5 years under the "Needs Program" at the time of renewal. In such instances the statutory $5.30 replacement fee is not collected

A: The person with a disability can apply for an accessible parking identification placard instead of license plates. The placard may be displayed in any vehicle used for transportation of the disabled person.

A: Because of funding constraints, TxDOT does not maintain a database for placards. The department’s vehicle records also do not indicate whether an owner of a vehicle is eligible for a placard. The county issuing the placards may retain manual records.

A: A person commits a misdemeanor punishable by the following fines:

• 1st offense, not less than $250 or more than $500;
• 2nd offense, not less than $300 or more than $600;
• 3rd offense, not less than $300 or more than $600 and not less than 10 or more than 20 hours of community service;
• 4th offense, not less than $500 or more than $1,000 and not less than 20 or more than 50 hours of community service;
• 5th offense, $1,000 and 50 hours of community service.

A: TxDOT does not have the authority to issue tickets and fines. It is up to law enforcement agencies or special security officers hired by commercial businesses and local governments to handle these matters.

A: Replacement or duplicate placards are not issued. If a placard becomes lost or destroyed, the person with disabilities must reapply to their local county tax assessor-collector's office and pay the prescribed $5.00 fee. The applicant must show valid proof of accessible parking registration; the placard; the completed Form VTR-214*; or the county record of issuance. If valid proof of accessible parking registration is not available, the applicant is required to submit a completed new Form VTR-214*.

If the license plates and/or validation sticker become lost, stolen, or mutilated, the owner may obtain replacement plates/sticker from their local county tax assessor collector's office by paying the statutory $5.30 replacement fee.

A: You may use your Texas accessible parking placard and/or license plates in other states as long as the placard is current.

A: Yes, out-of-state visitors may use their accessible parking placard and/or license plates while they are here, as long as the placard is current. Texas grants reciprocity to accessible parking registration issued by other states and foreign countries.

A: Only vehicles operated by or for the transportation of a disabled person are eligible to park in areas or spaces that are designated specifically for disabled persons.

Some disabled person parking spaces may be designated “Blue Placard Parking Only.”

Blue Placards
Vehicles displaying BLUE Disabled Person Identification Placards may park in any parking space designated specifically for disabled persons.

Red Placards
Vehicles displaying RED Disabled Person Identification Placards may park in disabled parking spaces that are not designated “Blue Placard Parking Only.”

Disabled Person License Plates
Vehicles displaying Disabled Person License Plates may park in disabled parking spaces that are not designated “Blue Placard Parking Only.” However, if a BLUE Disabled Person Identification Placard is also displayed from the vehicle’s rearview mirror, the vehicle may park in any parking space designated specifically for disabled persons.

Disabled Veteran License Plates
Vehicles displaying Disabled Veteran License Plates may park in disabled parking spaces that are not designated “Blue Placard Parking Only.” However, if a BLUE Disabled Person Identification Placard is also displayed, the vehicle may park in any parking space designated specifically for disabled persons.

For more details, contact the Vehicle Titles and Registration Division’s Customer Help Desk at (512) 465-7611, TDD (512) 302-2110.

The Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities also has a helpful page on accessible parking at:
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/disabilities/resources/parking/faq/

* (Documents are in Adobe Acrobat format)