Disabled parking sign

Disabled parking

How do I apply?

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to receive disabled parking privileges:

  1. Complete and sign a Adobe PDF iconDisabled Parking Application for Individuals. Your doctor or licensed registered nurse practitioner must complete and sign the Physician section of the application form before you can submit it.
  2. Submit your completed application:
    • by mail to:
      Individuals with Disabilities
      Department of Licensing
      PO Box 9043
      Olympia WA 98507-9043
    • in person at any vehicle licensing office EXCEPT the following:
      • Schmidt Insurance Service in Odessa

How long will it take?

We will mail your receipt and disabled parking placards, plates, or tabs to you as soon as your application has been processed. You should receive your identification card within 2–3 weeks.

Who can determine if I qualify?

A licensed physician, licensed physician assistant, or licensed registered nurse practitioner can determine if you qualify for disabled parking privileges.

What types of conditions qualify?

You may receive disabled parking privileges if you have a disability that limits or impairs your ability to walk and you meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
  • Your ability to walk is severely limited due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.
  • You are so severely disabled that you cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, cane, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device.
  • You use portable oxygen.
  • You are restricted by lung disease to such an extent that forced expiratory respiratory volume when measured by spirometry is less than one liter per second or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest.
  • You are impaired by cardiovascular disease or cardiac condition to the extent that your functional limitations are classified as Class III or IV under standards accepted by the American Heart Association.
  • You have a disability resulting from an acute sensitivity to automobile emissions which limits or impairs your ability to walk. Your physician, physician assistant, or advanced registered nurse practitioner must document that the disability is comparable in severity to the others listed above.
  • You are legally blind and have limited mobility.
  • You have acute sensitivity to light associated with a form of Porphyria that would significantly benefit from a decrease in exposure to light. Porphyria refers to a group of inheritable metabolic disorders in which exposure to light can result in burning, blistering, swelling, and scarring of the skin.

What types of disabled parking privileges are available?

Permanent

A parking privilege for individuals with a permanent disability. The permanent privilege must be renewed every 5 years. You may choose ONE of the following options:

  • Up to 2 blue placards, which hang from the rear-view mirror and can be used by any vehicle at the time the vehicle is providing transportation for the individual with disability.
  • One set of disabled parking license plates issued to the qualified individual, who must be one of the registered owners of the vehicle.
  • One set of disabled parking license plates and one placard.
  • One special disabled parking year tab and one blue placard.

Temporary

A parking privilege for individuals with a temporary disability. The temporary privilege lasts for 6 months from date of issuance and is not renewable. If you need privileges for longer than 6 months, you must re-apply. A person who qualifies for temporary parking privileges is entitled to receive one red parking placard.

Organizational

If your organization has vehicles that are used to transport any person with a disability, you may complete an Adobe PDF iconDisabled Parking Application for Organizations to receive disabled parking privileges. Your organization will receive either:

  • up to 99 placards, which hang from the rear-view mirror and can be used by any vehicle that provides regular transportation for an individual with a disability.
  • OR
  • disabled parking license plates issued to vehicles registered to the organization that regularly transport individuals with disabilities.

Frequently asked questions

What parking privileges are available for individuals with disabilities?

If you qualify and have a placard or license indicating you have disabled parking privileges, you can park in special designated spaces. All other parking restrictions, such as meter fees or time limits may apply. You may not park in zones or areas where stopping, parking, or standing of all vehicles is prohibited or in zones that are reserved for special types of vehicles.

What special license plates qualify to display a disabled parking year tab?

The following special plates are qualified to display a disabled parking year tab:

  • Armed forces collection (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and National Guard)
  • Collegiate (CWU, EWU, TESC, UW, WWU, WSU)
  • Disabled American veteran
  • Endangered wildlife
  • Former prisoner of war
  • Helping Kids Speak
  • Keep Kids Safe
  • Law Enforcement Memorial
  • Pearl Harbor survivor
  • Purple Heart
  • Personalized
  • Professional fire fighters and paramedics
  • Share the Road
  • Ski and Ride Washington
  • Square dancer
  • Stadium
  • Washington lighthouses
  • Washington's wildlife (bear, deer and elk)
  • Washington's National Park Fund
  • Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
  • We Love Our Pets
  • Wild on Washington

How can I report someone who is abusing disabled parking privileges?

Contact your local police to report individuals who are abusing disabled parking privileges or parking in a disabled parking space illegally.