Mississippi Disabled Parking Permits: How to Get and Renew Yours

If you live with a disability each day, it’s nice to visit businesses and venues that make it easier for you to get around. Due to disability laws in the U.S., there are several public spaces you can visit with accessible amenities that help you make the most of your time there. If you’re a Mississippi resident, there are important things you should know to obtain a handicap parking permit. This item can come in handy when you’re running errands or need to get into buildings for work or school. When you don’t have to exert as much energy to get into a building, you can preserve your wellbeing and protect your health.

Do You Qualify?

If you live in Mississippi and have a permanent disability, you may be eligible for a handicap parking permit. Permanent disabilities include having portable oxygen, not being able to walk without the assistance of a device like a cane or walker or having lung disease in which your forced expiratory volume is less than one liter in one second. If you have a cardiac condition that is considered Class III or Class IV by the American Heart Association or have arthritis, you qualify for a parking permit. You can also receive a permit if your mobility is limited due to neurological or orthopedic conditions.

How to Get Your Mississippi Parking Permit

To get your permit, you’ll have to fill out a Mississippi Disabled Parking Application, which is Form 76-104. Once you fill out your part of the application, you’ll also need to take the document to your doctor or nurse practitioner. Your health professional must sign the form and explain your disability to confirm your eligibility. Once the form is complete, you’ll turn it in to the county tax collector. You don’t have to pay a fee for your parking placard.

Individuals with permanent disabilities in Mississippi will receive two handicap placards and two disabled license plates. Those with temporary disabilities will only receive a placard.

Expiration and Validity

If you’re receiving a permanent disability placard, the placard will be good for five years. If you have a temporary disability, you can receive a parking placard that is good for up to six months. A temporary disability is described as a condition such as a broken limb or limited mobility after a surgical procedure. In some cases, pregnant women who have had C-sections may receive a temporary disability parking permit. Your doctor will have to sign off for the temporary permit and describe your condition. The doctor or nurse will also indicate how long you’ll need the placard.

When your permanent handicap placard expires, you can request a renewal. In some cases, your temporary parking permit can be renewed by resubmitting a Mississippi Disabled Parking Application. For instance, if you’re using the temporary placard due to a broken leg and the doctor needs to keep your cast on for longer than you anticipated, the physician can sign off on permit renewal for you.

Replacing a Lost Permit

If you lose your permit, you’ll have to submit an affidavit confirming that your placard is stolen or lost. You can get a form from your nearest tax collector office. You should get another placard quickly, once the office staff is able to verify your disability.

Where to Display Your Placard

In Mississippi, you have to hang your permit on the rearview mirror of your car or truck when you want to park in a handicap parking space. Be sure to remove your placard when the vehicle is in motion. It is also important to note that if you’re the parent or spouse of a disabled person and you’ll be transporting your loved one in your car, you can receive a placard to display in your vehicle. You’ll just have to get certification from your spouse’s or child’s physician or nurse practitioner.

Military and Disabled Veteran Tags

Mississippi residents who serve in the military may be eligible for ad valorem tax exemption when applying for tags. However, military members still have to pay vehicle registration fees and title transfers. Members of the military who are legal residents of another state but are stationed in Mississippi can receive Mississippi tags. The military member has to submit a letter or domicile and his/her name has to be on the vehicle registration, even if the military person shares ownership with someone else.

Mississippi also offers several benefits for current and former members of the military. For instance, disabled veterans can purchase a Disabled American Veteran license plate for just $1. You’ll also avoid paying privilege and ad valorem taxes for one of your vehicles if you’re a disabled veteran. To receive this benefit, you have to prove that you or a surviving spouse have a disability that is 100% connected to your time in the service. You can submit a letter to the DMV from the Veterans Affairs Board.

In the state of Mississippi, you also have the option of displaying your veteran status on your state ID card or drivers license. This not only allows you to park in handicap spaces throughout the state but can qualify you for additional benefits and discounts at retail and corporate locations.

At least 14 days before you apply for veteran status with the MS Department of Public Safety, you must give the Veterans Affairs Board a copy of your DD 214 or an equivalent document. You must also submit a written request for veteran status verification. The request must include your full name, signature, complete mailing address and phone number. Send your documents to:

MS Veterans Affairs Board
(Vet Drivers License)
3466 Highway 80 East
P.O. Box 5947
Pearl, MS 39288-5947
Fax #: (601) 576-4868

Once the Board receives your request, the organization will stamp and seal your documents and return them to you via mail so you can take them to the nearest DMV.

Handicap Parking Abuse

If you see someone using a disabled parking space who doesn’t need to park there, you can share this information with the nearest business owner or law enforcement officer. Include as many details as possible about the vehicle to assist police in fixing the situation.

Remember not to allow your family members and friends to use your handicap placard when you’re not in the vehicle, and replace all permits before the expiration date to ensure you can use them legally.

How Do You Apply for a Disabled Parking Permit in the Great State of Mississippi?

Mississippi is a state steeped richly in history and culture. This proud state located in the Deep South of the United States is famed for being not only the birthplace of blues music in the beginning of the twentieth century but also the place where Elvis Presley was born (the city of Tupelo, Mississippi).

Delta blues, one of the earliest forms of blues music, originated in the Mississippi Delta. Guitar and harmonica are two of the most dominant instruments used in Delta blues music, and Delta blues is also famous for its use of the slide guitar technique. Renowned Delta blues musicians include Charley Patton, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Robert Johnson, Willie Brown, Howlin’ Wolf, Tommy Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, and B.B. King, who is known as the King of the Blues.

In addition to Delta blues, the banjo and the fiddle are folk instruments common to the state of Mississippi. Other forms of music which owe some of their roots to Mississippi are the country music, the gospel music, and the Appalachian folk music genres. And of course, you can’t forget the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley himself, who was born in Mississippi in 1935.

Aside from its rich and varied musical history, Mississippi is also rife with cultural landmarks, historical war memorials and wartime sites, vibrant city scenes, grand architecture, and stunning natural landscapes. And you can’t forget that delicious southern cooking, with everything from comfort food to barbecue to fried catfish.

There is something for everyone in Mississippi. It is, after all, nicknamed “the Hospitality State.” The inhabitants of Mississippi are known for being generous, and Mississippi has the highest rate of charitable contributions per capita. The state of Mississippi truly embodies the sense of community, so it is no surprise that its residents and those traveling in Mississippi who may have a disability are similarly cared for.

Read on to discover how you can get a disabled parking permit in the great state of Mississippi.

Laws and Regulations

If you are applying for a disabled parking permit, you will need a medical professional to certify that you are actually disabled. If you provide fraudulent information on your application for receiving a handicap parking permit, you may face a confiscated permit, serious fines, and even potential jail time. Mississippi laws frown seriously upon those who take parking permits away from those who might need them. Similarly, those who park in a space designated as handicap parking but who do not display a disabled parking permit will be subject to citations or fines.

When you are using a disabled parking placard, you have to hang it from the rearview mirror of your car where it will be completely visible. If your car does not possess a rearview mirror, you must display the placard obviously and visibly on the dashboard of your car when you are parked in a handicap spot. Remove the placard before you start driving again, as it is against the law to have the placard hanging from your mirror while the car is in motion.

Permit Types

The state of Mississippi has four kinds of disabled parking permits available to those who are qualified:

  • A permanent disability license plate lasts for up to five years.
  • A temporary disability placard lasts for up to six months.
  • A permanent disability placard lasts for up to five years.
  • A disabled veteran license plate lasts for up to five years. This form of permit is available to veterans whose disability has been certified by Veterans’ Affairs to be completely a result of their service to the country.

Eligible Disabilities

The state of Mississippi will only grant disabled parking permits to the individuals who truly need them, so that their quality of life will truly be improved and their parking spots will not be taken by those who are not actually disabled. But who is actually considered disabled by the state of Mississippi?

If you cannot walk 200 feet or more without stopping to rest or you can’t walk without the use of an assistive device such as a walker, crutch, or cane, you qualify for the permit. Also, those who have a severe heart condition, are restricted by severe lung disease, or need to use a portable oxygen tank qualify for the disabled permit as well. Furthermore, if you are severely limited in your ability to walk because of a neurological, arthritic, or orthopedic condition, you are also eligible for a disabled parking permit.

Applying for a Permit

In order to apply for a disabled parking permit from the state of Mississippi, get a copy of the Disabled Parking Application, also known as Form 76-104, and bring it with you to visit a licensed physician or a nurse practitioner, both of whom are qualified to certify you as disabled. After the physician or nurse practitioner examines you and determines that you are disabled, he or she will fill out and sign the certification portion of Form 76-104 (Section 1), which will serve as your certification.

Bring this signed form with you to your local Mississippi County Tax Collector’s Office, as you will usually need to make the application in person (although under special circumstances some may be able to apply by mail). The deputy or tax collector will fill out Section 2 of the form, and you will fill out Section 3 and sign it. You will be instructed to pay the applicable fee (free for placards, $1 for Disabled Veteran plates, and standard registration fees for license plates).

If you need to renew or replace your permit when it expires or gets lost or stolen, get in touch with your local Mississippi Department of Revenue office to determine how you can reapply; they will let you know if you need to reapply by mail or in person.

If you are reapplying for a permanent permit of any kind, you will not need to get certified again by a physician or nurse practitioner; only reapplications for temporary permits need a recertification of your disability.

If you believe you qualify for a handicap permit, do not hesitate to apply straightaway to receive the gracious hospitality of the state of Mississippi.

Mississippi and Its Requirements for Obtaining a Disabled Parking Permit

Mississippi, a state located in the southeast part of the United States, bears the nicknames “the Magnolia State” as well as “the Hospitality State.” The name of the state itself is derived from the Mississippi River, whose name in turn originates from Misi zipi, the rendering by the French of the Anishinaabe (Algonquin or Ojibwe) name for that river, Misi-ziibi, which in that language means “Great River.” Mississippi was the 20th state to gain admission to the Union, becoming admitted on December 10, 1817.

The state of Mississippi is bordered to the east by Alabama, to the north by Tennessee, to the south by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Arkansas, and to the southwest by Louisiana. The vast majority of the western border of the state of Mississippi is defined by the outline of the Mississippi River from which the state derives its name.

The capital city of Mississippi as well as the city with the largest population is Jackson. The metropolitan area which includes Jackson, known as Greater Jackson, had a population of around five hundred eighty thousand people in 2018 and is the ninety-fifth most populous metropolitan area in the United States.

The Gulf Coastal Plain, which extends around the Gulf of Mexico, contains nearly the entire state of Mississippi. Thus, the majority of Mississippi’s topography consists of low hills and lowland plains. The rest of the state of Mississippi, which lies to the northwest, is covered by the Mississippi Delta, which is a part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain.

The highest point in the state of Mississippi is Woodall Mountain with a height of 807 feet or 246 meters above sea level. The lowest point in the state is the Gulf of Mexico. But no matter where you live in the state of Mississippi or in what part of Mississippi you may be travelling, one thing will always be available to you if you possess the proper qualifications: designated disabled parking spaces.

If you have a disability and you are wondering what is necessary to obtain a disabled parking permit for the state of Mississippi, look no further; we have the information you are looking for.

Qualifications for Disability

So what exactly are the proper qualifications necessary for receiving a disabled parking permit in Mississippi? According to the information on the Disabled Parking Application (Form 76-104), you must have one of the following conditions to qualify:

  • Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest; or Cannot walk without the use of an assistive device; or
  • Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the person’s forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one (1) second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one (1) liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty (60) mm/hg on room air at rest; or
  • Use portable oxygen; or
  • Has a cardiac condition to the extent that the person’s functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American Heart Association; or
  • Is severely limited in his/her ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.

Your possession of one of the above qualifications needs to be certified by a licensed physician or a licensed nurse practitioner. Only a licensed physician or nurse practitioner can make this official determination of your disability.

Applying for a Permit

After your physician or nurse practitioner has determined that one of the above qualifications applies to you, he or she needs to complete and sign Section 1 of Form 76-104, so don’t forget to bring this form with you to the appointment!

In most cases, you will need to apply in person; take the signed form with you to your local branch of the Mississippi County Tax Collector’s office. An official at the office will guide you through completing the rest of your application, including paying the necessary fees.

The amount of the fee will depend on the type of permit for which you are applying. A temporary placard (which lasts for no more than 6 months) has no fee. A permanent placard (which lasts for no more than 5 years) also has no fee. A permanent disabled license plate (which lasts for no more than 5 years) carries the normal registration fee. And a Disabled Veterans license plate (which lasts for no more than 5 years and is available to veterans who suffered a disability through their service and have had that fact certified by Veterans’ Affairs) has a fee of $1.

Using Your Permit

Once you receive your permit, you must learn how to use it properly. License plates are permanent and must be affixed to the back bumper of your car. But temporary and permanent placards must be hung from your car’s rearview mirror when you are parked in a handicap space (unless your car has no rearview mirror, in which case the placard must be displayed prominently on the dashboard when you are parked).

Do not forget to remove the placard before you start driving again! It is illegal to have the placard hanging from the rearview mirror while the car is in motion. And don’t forget to hang the placard or make it visible when you park in a disabled parking spot, as you will be subject to fines or citations if you forget to do so.

Renew or replace your permit when it is time to do so by contacting your local Mississippi county tax collector’s office; they will tell you if you need to renew or replace your permit in person or are allowed to do so by mail. You don’t need to get medically recertified unless you are reapplying for a temporary placard.

Your disability need not be so great of an obstacle to your travelling around Mississippi and enjoying what it has to offer. Apply today for a disabled parking permit from Mississippi!

How to Travel Around Mississippi as a Person with Disabilities

Are you planning the ultimate road trip through the beautiful state of Mississippi? In order to fully explore this southern gem of a state which is home to some of America’s most beloved musicians and greatest literary minds, a road trip around this state is an absolute must.

On this trip, you will have the opportunity to celebrate literary giants, legendary musicians, and civil rights pioneers through a breathtakingly scenic loop through Mississippi from the capital to the coast. You can start your journey of roughly eight hundred miles in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi, and pass through college towns and rural areas as well as a number of stops from the renowned Mississippi Blues Trail. Your journey will end where it began, in the capital city of Jackson.

The largest city in Mississippi as well as its capital city, Jackson, recently opened two brand new state-of-the-art museums: the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. These museums are both chock full of highly interactive exhibits; you can plan to spend at least a couple of hours at each one. Within the Mississippi Museum of Art is a new farm-to-table restaurant called Preserve, where you can enjoy the riches of this landscape made fertile by the flowing of the mighty Mississippi River.

Drive north via Highway 49 to Indianola to visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. B.B. King, the King of the Blues, is buried on the museum grounds. Dockery Farms nearby is a former cotton plantation which became known as the “birthplace of the blues.” Continue driving north and east on Highway 278 in order to reach Tupelo, the city where Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, was born.

Head south on Highway 45 to Meridian to visit the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum. Then take Interstate 59 south and Highway 49 south to Biloxi to visit a number of attractions including the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum and to relax at the beach. From there, you can return to Jackson by travelling north on Highway 49.

If you are worried that this scenic and culturally packed road trip will be made difficult due to your disability, fear not. The following will show you the steps to take in order to receive a disabled parking permit from the state of Mississippi. Apply for one and avail yourself of the convenient designated disabled parking spaces available to make the most of your road trip through this gorgeous state.

Are You Eligible?

The state of Mississippi considers you eligible for a disabled parking permit if you have a severe impairment that hinders your mobility.

Specifically, if you cannot walk a distance of more than 200 feet without needing to stop and rest or if you can’t walk without using an assistive device like a cane, walker, or crutch, you are considered eligible.

Furthermore, if you have severe lung disease that restricts your breathing, if you have a severe heart condition, if you require the use of a portable oxygen tank, or if you are severely limited in your ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, you are also eligible for a disabled parking permit.

The logic is that designated disabled parking spaces are located as close as possible to store fronts and other places of business, so if you have great difficulty walking due to one of the above conditions, a parking space that is as close as possible will make your life easier when you are going grocery shopping, visiting your doctor, or even travelling around the state to sightsee.

However, your eligibility will need to be certified by a qualified medical professional. The only ones qualified in the state of Mississippi to make such a determination are licensed physicians and nurse practitioners.

How to Apply

Take the Disabled Parking Application, otherwise known as Form 76-104, to your licensed physician or nurse practitioner and get it completed and signed by him or her.

Once you have the form signed by one of these medical professionals, you must bring it in person (in most cases, although application by mail is acceptable under special circumstances) to your local branch of the Mississippi Department of Revenue office. There, a deputy or a tax collector will help you to fill out the rest of the form and to complete your application.

Pay any fees that may apply. A temporary placard which is good for six months has no fee. Nor does a permanent placard which is good for 5 years. But a permanent license plate which is good for five years requires the standard registration fee. A special Disabled Veterans license plate which is good for five years and is only available to veterans who have become disabled by being wounded through their military service, has a fee of $1. The special veterans plate requires an additional certification by the Veterans Affairs office to show that their disability is 100 percent service related.

Permit Use

License plates must be attached to your vehicle’s back bumper. Placards must be hung from the rearview mirror of your car while you are parked in a disabled parking spot. Remember to remove the placard before beginning to drive, as the placard is not allowed to hang there while the car is in motion.

Permit Renewal and Replacement

Contact your local Mississippi Department of Revenue office in order to determine whether you must renew or replace your permit by mail or in person.

A disability shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying all the wonderful things Mississippi has to offer. Apply today for a disabled parking permit, and enjoy your future road trips!

Why Do You Need a Disabled Parking Permit and How Do You Get One in Mississippi?

According to 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, disability rates in the state of Mississippi are higher than the national average and are indeed among the highest in the United States. 25.6 percent of adults in the United States possess some kind of disability, but this is compared to the 33.5 percent of adults who are eighteen years of age or older in Mississippi who have some form of disability.

Furthermore, out of all the states, Mississippi has one of the lowest labor force participation rates, 56 percent, second only to that of West Virginia. This is coupled with the fact that approximately 10 percent (which comes to around 70,000 people) of the working age population of Mississippi is disabled.

17.5 percent of adults in Mississippi have a type of disability that affects their mobility, and 15.6 percent of adults in Mississippi have a disability related to their cognition.

In spite of the substantial progress that has been made over the years in removing the barriers to health care and improving access for disabled persons to routine preventative medical services, adults in Mississippi and throughout the United States who have disabilities continue to experience great differences in terms of their behaviors and health characteristics when compared to adults who do not have disabilities. For instance, adults with disabilities in Mississippi are more likely than adults without disabilities to smoke, to have high blood pressure, to be sedentary, and to be obese.

It may not be surprising, then, to learn that the costs of disability healthcare expenditures in the state of Mississippi total approximately $4.5 billion each year. This represents about 33 percent, or one third, of total expenditures for healthcare in the state of Mississippi.

As part of its quest to improve or ameliorate the lives of its residents with disabilities, Mississippi has, like all the other states, made designated disabled parking spaces available to its residents who meet the necessary qualifications. Like most states, Mississippi determines eligibility for its disabled parking spaces through a disabled parking permit system.

But how does one with a qualifying disability go about applying for a disabled parking permit in Mississippi? Here, you can be informed of the qualifications and the steps you will need to take if you are a disabled person who would like to apply for a disabled parking permit from the state of Mississippi.

What Is Considered a Disability?

A disability which qualifies you to receive a disabled parking permit and park in handicap parking spaces, according to the state of Mississippi, includes the following:

  • Not being able to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest
  • Not being able to walk without the use of an assistive device
  • Being restricted by lung disease to such an extent that your forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one (1) second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one (1) liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty (60) mm/hg on room air at rest
  • Needing to use portable oxygen
  • Having a cardiac condition to the extent that your functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American Heart Association
  • Being severely limited in your ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition

These and certain other conditions, when properly certified, count as disabilities which make you eligible to receive a disabled parking permit.

Who Can Certify a Disability?

In order to apply for a disabled parking permit, you will need to get your disability certified by either a licensed physician or a licensed nurse practitioner. These are the only two kinds of medical professionals able to certify you as disabled enough to receive the disabled parking permit.

What Kinds of Permits Are Available?

Mississippi offers a few different kinds of disabled parking permits. A temporary disability placard is valid up to six months. A permanent disability placard is valid up to five years. A permanent disability license plate is valid up to five years. A special kind of disabled license plate is available for veterans, a Disabled Veteran license plate, and is valid up to five years.

Depending on how severe your disability is and how long it is expected to last, you may qualify for either a temporary disabled parking permit or a permanent disabled parking permit.

How Do You Apply?

To apply for a disabled parking permit in Mississippi, you will need a Disabled Parking Application (Form 76-104). Section 1 of this form will need to be completed and signed by your physician or nurse practitioner to certify that you are, in fact, disabled.

After getting the certification from the medical professional, bring the form to a nearby Mississippi county tax collector’s office to submit it in person. They will fill out the rest of the form for you and you will complete it by signing it. In some special cases, you may also be able to apply by mail.

You will also need to bring the appropriate fee for the permit. Placards are free to obtain, but license plates require the regular registration fees and Disabled Veteran license plates (which require a certification from Veteran Affairs that your disability is related to your military service) cost $1.

If you receive a placard, use the placard by hanging it on your rearview mirror when you park in a handicap space. Remove the placard before driving.

How Do You Renew or Replace Your Permit?

Contact your Mississippi Department of Revenue office to find out how best to renew or replace your disabled parking permit. They will inform you whether you need to renew in person or by mail. If you are renewing or replacing a temporary permit, you will need to be recertified by your physician or nurse practitioner.

If you are disabled, one of the ways in which the state of Mississippi seeks to improve your quality of life is to offer you designated handicap parking. If you believe you are qualified, apply today to take advantage of this benefit and make your life a little bit easier.