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The Disabled Veteran Plate Does Not Let You Park in an Accessible Space

Disabled Veteran plates start at a 10% service-connected rating, accept a general under honorable discharge, cost nothing in the alphanumeric format, and may be put on as many vehicles as you own. What they do not do is authorise accessible parking. For that you need the separate Disabled Veteran Handicapped plate, an ordinary handicapped plate, or a parking permit — and the permit is free.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

Disabled Veteran plates start at a 10% service-connected rating, accept a general under honorable discharge, cost nothing in the alphanumeric format, and may be put on as many vehicles as you own. What they do not do is authorise accessible parking. For that you need the separate Disabled Veteran Handicapped plate, an ordinary handicapped plate, or a parking permit — and the permit is free.

What it's worth: No plate fee on the alphanumeric Disabled Veteran plate, on unlimited vehicles — with accessible parking coming from a separate plate or a free permit

  • The department states Disabled Veteran licence plates are available to any person who is a veteran of the United States armed forces, who was discharged or otherwise separated with a characterization of honorable or general (under honorable conditions), and is 10% service-connected disabled.
  • The department states there is no limit to the number of motor vehicles or trailers owned or leased by the applicant that may be licensed with a Disabled Veteran plate, and that a separate application is required for each plate.
  • The alphanumeric Disabled Veteran plate carries no fee; the message plate option costs $40, apportioned 75% to the veteran cemetery cash fund and 25% to the department cash fund.
  • The department states that Disabled Veteran licence plates do not allow the registered owner to park in spaces designated for handicapped parking.
  • The department states that to park in a space designated for handicapped parking, Disabled Veteran Handicapped licence plates, handicapped licence plates or a handicapped parking permit is required.
  • The Disabled Veteran Handicapped plate requires both enrolment in the state veterans registry and medical certification, and is available only in the alphanumeric version — no message option.
  • Handicapped parking permits are available at no charge to all individuals who qualify.
  • A permanent blue permit must be renewed every six years; a temporary red permit is valid for three or six months and may be renewed one time for an additional three or six month period.
  • An individual may obtain two permits.
  • Applications are processed through an online system by a state-licensed medical professional — a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.
  • Qualifying conditions named by the department include severe visual, physical or neurological impairment; severe respiratory problems; a Class III or Class IV cardiac condition; and loss of all or substantially all the use of one or more limbs; alongside a mobility limitation preventing travel over 200 feet without assistance.
  • For handicapped licence plates, all appropriate registration fees and taxes are payable at issuance, and motor vehicle tax must be paid unless the individual is a disabled veteran certified as tax exempt by the county treasurer.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are the veteran.
  • The department accepts an honorable or general under honorable characterisation.
  • Your rating reaches the 10% threshold.
  • Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Take the 10% threshold seriously — it is one of the lowest rating gates for a disabled veteran plate anywhere in this corpus, and a great many veterans at 10% or 20% never apply because they assume the plate means severe disability.
  2. 2Note the discharge language. A general under honorable conditions characterisation is expressly accepted, not only an honorable one.
  3. 3Order the alphanumeric version unless you specifically want a personalised message. It carries no fee; the message version is $40.
  4. 4Put it on every vehicle you want it on. There is no limit on the number of vehicles or trailers, though each plate needs its own application.
  5. 5Do not park in an accessible space on this plate. The department says in terms that the Disabled Veteran plate does not authorise it, and a citation here is expensive and entirely avoidable.
  6. 6If you need accessible parking, choose your route: the Disabled Veteran Handicapped plate needs both registry enrolment and medical certification and comes only in the alphanumeric version; an ordinary handicapped plate or a permit needs only the medical certification.
  7. 7Take the permit if you are unsure — it is free, you may hold two, and it travels with you rather than with a vehicle.
  8. 8Ask your county treasurer about the motor vehicle tax exemption certification. On a handicapped plate the tax is payable unless you are a disabled veteran certified as exempt, and that certification comes from the treasurer, not the department.
  9. 9Diarise permit renewals: six years for a permanent blue permit, and a single permitted renewal for a temporary red one.
Form
Application for Disabled Veteran licence plate; separately, the handicapped plate or permit application
File with
The Department of Motor Vehicles, and your county treasurer for the tax exemption
Annual
Claimed once a year.
CorrectionThe single most costly assumption in this record: a Disabled Veteran plate is not a handicapped plate. The department states plainly that it does not allow parking in a designated handicapped space. The plate recognises service-connected disability; accessible parking is decided by a clinician, on a different form.
Worth knowingThe combined Disabled Veteran Handicapped plate is the only way to carry both statuses on one plate, and it demands both proofs — registry enrolment on the veteran side and medical certification on the mobility side. It also gives up the personalised message option entirely.
Known gapThe pages read this session do not state whether a Disabled Veteran plate carries any exemption from parking meters or time limits, and no municipal ordinance was examined. Treat metered parking as payable.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.