Nowadays, it is not too difficult to find a handicapped parking space at your local supermarket or shopping mall. But to keep ourselves from taking handicapped spots for granted, we must consider the history of handicapped parking and realize that laws in the United States necessitating the availability of handicapped spaces did not come into being until about fifty or sixty years ago. Indeed, laws governing universal, nationwide handicapped parking were not set in stone until 1990 with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans who suffer from a physical disability or impairment of mobility, you can be grateful to the civil rights activists who fought for that precious parking space to be made available to you. But how exactly do you exercise your right to a handicapped spot? You must apply for and receive a disabled parking permit in order to park in that hard-won handicapped space.

If you need a disabled parking permit for the state of Alaska, the following guide provides a simple overview of the rules and procedures for obtaining a disabled parking permit.

Qualifications for Disability in Alaska

The following list of qualifications for disability are relevant to the state of Alaska. Before you apply for a disabled parking permit, check to see if any of the conditions below is applicable to you.

You qualify for a permanent disabled parking permit if:

  • A licensed physician deems your mobility to be impaired or certifies that you suffer from a condition which hinders your mobility
  • One or more of your limbs has been amputated
  • You cannot walk without using a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, Zimmer frame, wheelchair, or other assistive device
  • You have a chronic inflammatory autoimmune condition such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
  • You have a cardiac condition classified as either Class III or Class IV according to the standards set by the American Heart Association
  • You have severe lung disease
  • You are wholly dependent on portable oxygen
  • Your mobility is severely limited due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition
  • You are unable to walk 200 feet or more without assistance or stopping and resting
  • You have lung disease with forced expiratory volume (FEV) in 1 second is less than 1 liter or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest

You may qualify for a temporary disabled parking permit if:

  • You have a temporary mobility issue or are temporarily disabled
  • You are pregnant
  • Your bone is broken badly
  • You are in a state of recovery after surgery

First Steps: Obtain the Form and Visit a Medical Professional

So, after consulting the above list, you are quite sure that you qualify for a disabled parking permit. Unfortunately, the state of Alaska will not simply take your word for it. What you need to do now is to print out online (or get in person from the DMV) a copy of Form 861: Application for Disabled Parking Identification. Book an appointment with your medical practitioner and fill out the first part of the form.

A qualified medical professional in the eyes of the state of Alaska is one who is licensed to practice in Alaska. This may include the likes of a licensed physician, physician’s assistant, podiatrist, nurse practitioner, or chiropractor.

The medical professional will examine you, and if he or she considers you to meet the qualifications, he or she will certify you by filling out the second part of Form 861 for you.

Send the Form to the DMV

If you are applying for handicapped license plates, you must go to the DMV in person to submit your application. The only exception to this is if you live too far away for your trip to the DMV to be safe or practical. In such a case, the DMV will accept a mailed-in application.

Also, veterans who want to apply for veterans disabled plates have to include the Veterans’ Affairs disability certification along with their application form.

No fees must be paid in Alaska if you are applying for plates for the first time or for a placard.

All that remains is for you to bring your certified application in person to the DMV in Anchorage or to mail it to the following address:

State of Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles

ATTN: Disability Permit

1300 W. Benson Blvd, Suite 200

Anchorage, AK 99503

Different Kinds of Permits

Alaska provides a number of different forms of disabled parking permits. The permanent permits last five years, while the temporary permits last six months, and all permits are valid until the last day of the month stated on the parking permit. The different permits available are the temporary placard, the permanent placard, the permanent license plate, and the permanent disabled veterans license plate. 

Steps to Take After Receiving Your Permit in the Mail

Check if you received the correct kind of permit. If you were supposed to get a permanent permit but they sent a temporary one to you, contact the DMV to see if there is a problem with your application.

When you are driving or travelling by car, carry the placard with you in a safe location. Park your car in a handicapped space, and hang your placard on the rearview mirror. In the absence of a rearview mirror, a visible display of the placard on the dashboard will suffice. Don’t forget to remove the placard once you start driving again, or it might obstruct your vision and pose a danger to you and to others. License plates ought to be screwed securely to the bumpers of the car.

You may park in a handicapped spot anywhere in Alaska, and your Alaskan disabled parking permit is valid for many other states as well. Check with the local authorities before travelling to another state to determine your permit’s validity. Alaska accepts the permits of all other states.

How to Renew or Replace Your Permit

Alaska differs from other states in that when you renew or replace your permit, you are required to visit a medical professional and get certified again. The entire Alaskan application process starts from scratch, as though you had never had a permit before.

Conclusion

Remember to hang your permit while parking and to remove it while driving, and don’t forget to get medically recertified when your permit expires. We hope this guide helped you to fully understand and take advantage of your right as a disabled person to access handicapped parking.