Drivers with Disabilities

Vermont's Department of Motor Vehicles handles applications for all disabled license plates and disabled windshield placards. Any Vermont resident who is blind or has an ambulatory disability may apply.

The state defines ambulatory disability as anyone who:

• Cannot walk without the assistance of a brace, cane, prosthetic device, or wheelchair.

• Who cannot walk more than 200 feet without stopping to catch their breath.

• Uses portable oxygen.

• Is stricken with a Class III or Class IV heart condition as defined by the American Heart Association.

• Whose mobility is significantly hampered by an arthritic, orthopedic, or neurological situation.

Vermont honors disabled license plates and placards from all other states.

How to Apply

1. Depending on your need, you must either complete a disabled parking placard application or a disabled license plate application. Both can be either downloaded or collected from a DMV office.
2. All applications must be accompanied by a physician-signed Universal Medical Evaluation form. Unless your physician explicitly states that your condition is permanent, you will have to resubmit a new Universal Medical Evaluation form every four years for a placard and at every third registration renewal for plates.

Temporary Disabled Parking Placards

Should you become temporarily disabled, you will be eligible to apply for a disabled parking placard. All you must do is complete the appropriately named Temporary Disabled Parking Placard Application and have it signed by your physician. Depending on the extent of your disability, your placard will be valid for up to six months. All placards must be displayed in the lower right-hand corner of your windshield.

These placards are recognized in all 50 states. If you're traveling for an extended period of time, keep in mind that six months is the maximum time limit for these placards, and Vermont does not allow for extensions or renewals.

Benefits and Penalties

A vehicle displaying disabled plates or placards may park indefinitely, and for free, in a parking space that normally has a time limit. This does not apply to no-parking or no-standing zones or those reserved for special vehicles. A vehicle with disabled plates or placards may also park in reserved disabled parking spaces.

The disabled person must be in the car, either as a passenger or driver, to use this privilege. Anyone who uses disabled parking privileges without being disabled is subject to being fined and the car being towed.