Veterans Alliance is privately owned and operated to serve veterans. We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Alliance — Veterans Alliance
← All Texas benefits
vehiclesstate

Ask for the Access Symbol on the Plate — the DV Plate Alone Will Not Park You

A Disabled Veteran plate exempts you from parking meters. It does not admit you to a reserved accessible space: §681.006 accepts only the disability plates issued under §504.201 or a disabled parking placard. §504.202(b-1) is the bridge — a veteran who also meets the general disability test may elect a Disabled Veteran plate carrying the International Symbol of Access, and then receive a placard for each set of plates.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

A Disabled Veteran plate exempts you from parking meters. It does not admit you to a reserved accessible space: §681.006 accepts only the disability plates issued under §504.201 or a disabled parking placard. §504.202(b-1) is the bridge — a veteran who also meets the general disability test may elect a Disabled Veteran plate carrying the International Symbol of Access, and then receive a placard for each set of plates.

What it's worth: Access-symbol Disabled Veteran plates, plus a placard for each set

  • The Disabled Veteran plate itself is written for a veteran with at least a 50% service-connected disability, or at least 40% arising from amputation of a lower extremity, who receives compensation, on a vehicle under 18,000 lbs gross weight.
  • The fee for the first set of Disabled Veteran plates is $3, and there is no fee for each additional set.
  • A person entitled to the plates may register one vehicle for their own use without paying any registration-time fee except the plate fee.
  • §504.202(b-1) lets an eligible veteran elect plates that include the International Symbol of Access where they also qualify under the general disability provisions.
  • A person who receives plates under subsection (b-1) may receive a disabled parking placard under §681.004 for each set of plates.
  • A temporary disabled parking placard carries a $5 fee under §681.003; the section states no fee for a permanent placard.

Who is entitled to it

  • The plate is issued on your own service-connected disability.
  • You also meet a mobility-impairment test, which is what the access symbol turns on.
  • 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. 1Decide which right you actually need. The meter exemption rides on the plain Disabled Veteran plate. The reserved accessible space does not.
  2. 2If you need reserved spaces, say so at application and elect the version of the plate that carries the International Symbol of Access. It is an election under §504.202(b-1), not a default.
  3. 3Expect a second test. The access-symbol election asks you to qualify under the general disability provisions as well as on your service-connected rating, which usually means a practitioner’s certification.
  4. 4Take the placard as well as the plates. §504.202 lets you receive a placard for each set issued under subsection (b-1) — that is what travels with you into somebody else’s car.
  5. 5If your condition is temporary, the placard route stands alone: §681.003 sets a $5 fee for a temporary placard, applied for through the county assessor-collector with a practitioner’s certification.
Form
Application for Disabled Veteran plates, electing the access-symbol version
File with
Your county tax assessor-collector, or the Department of Motor Vehicles
Documents you will need
va disability award letter · medical assessment
Renew annually

Get this one first

CorrectionThe widespread belief that a Disabled Veteran plate is an all-purpose accessible-parking credential does not survive §681.006. That section names the §504.201 disability plates and the placard, and nothing else. The meter exemption at §681.008 is a separate right and is not evidence of a reserved-space right.
Worth knowingNothing prompts you to make the (b-1) election. It happens at application, on the strength of a second disability test, and a veteran who does not raise it walks away with plates that will not park them.
Known gapThe general disability provisions §504.202(b-1) points to are administered on a practitioner’s certification whose exact form the statute does not reproduce. Ask the county assessor-collector which certification they take before booking the appointment.

Sources

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