To submit an application for a handicap permit in Iowa, you have to have a letter from a doctor confirming that you, in fact, have a disability that qualifies you for a permit. The separate application for persons with disabilities permit for Iowa. Follow this guide if you are feeling confused or unsure about how to fill out the form.

If someone visits Iowa from another state and has a disability parking permit already, they can still use it if they bring it with them.

Professionals Who Are Qualified

You are required to attach a medical statement on their personal letterhead stationery from a medical professional – there is a specific list of the doctors allowed to confirm that you have a disability. They are also supposed to make it clear whether their disability is temporary or permanent.

  • Physician
  • Chiropractor
  • Physician’s Assistance
  • Nurse Practitioners

Section 1: Removable Windshield Placard

You will have to take this form with the letterhead stationery you receive to the Driver License Examining station in your area or mail it to the Office of Vehicle Services.

  • Date: Write down the date that you are completing the form.
  • Applicant’s Full Legal Name: List your full name in the order Last name, First Name, and Middle name.
  • Social Security #, Driver License #, or Non-operator ID Card: Circle one and enter the number s and/or letters found on the card.
  • Date of Birth: Add your date of birth in the format (Month/Day/Year)
  • Street, City, State, Zip, and County: Enter all of the elements of your address into the respective blanks.
  • Phone #: Write down your full phone number in the following format (XXX-XXX-XXXX)

Section 2: Special License Plates for Applicant

You are supposed to complete this form and send it, along with your medical statement, to your County Treasurer’s office.

  • Vehicle plate numbers: Fill in the vehicle plate numbers that match your car.
  • Trailer: Complete this section if you have a trailer and say if it is large or small.

Only fill out this section if you are the parent or guardian of a child with a disability and you are applying for a license on their behalf.

  • Write that you are located in the United States and your current vehicle plate number
  • A medical statement is needed to support the claim that said child is disabled
  • There is a paragraph that leaves blanks for you to fill in your full name, the name of your child, your address information, the date you are completing the form, and your signature at the very end.

Section 3: License Plate Parking Sticker

List all of the vehicles that you are the titled owner of to receive a sticker to be applied on the rear license plate of your vehicle by filling this information in:

  • This application form
  • Current Vehicle Plate Number(s): List all of the plate numbers for your vehicles.
  • A medical statement that proves that you qualify for a disability parking sticker.

Section 4: Provider of Transportation Services

This section can only be filled in by organizations or people in the business of helping disabled or elderly people with transportation

  • Agency: The name of the agency that you run or work for
  • Federal ID #
  • Address, County, City, and Zip Code: List the information that applies to the location of your business headquarters or where you work.
  • Authorized Rep.
  • Title: What your position in the company is
  • Telephone #: The phone number for the company you are in charge of or work for.
  • Date: The date you are filling the application out

Section 5: Certification for a Replacement Parking Permit

In this last section, you have to confirm that you have sent a physician’s statement in the past that confirms that your disability was permanent or temporary. You also have to return the damaged permit to the department, if you can.

  • There is a section to submit your permit number and choose whether it was lost, stolen, destroyed, or damaged.
  • At the bottom of the section, you sign your name.

Submitting Your Application

When you obtain your medical statement and finish the application, you can bring it into the closest Iowa Office of Vehicle Services or mail it to:

Office of Vehicle Services
Iowa Department of Transportation
PO Box 9278
Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9278

If you are applying for disability stickers, you will have to go to an Office of Vehicle Services. If you need disability license plates, they are available at a County Treasurer’s Office.

How Long Will the Permits Be Active?

The state of Iowa cracked down on people abusing handicaps in 2017 and placed an expiration date on them while there wasn’t one before. There are different expiration periods for different kinds of permits. They are as follows:

  • Plates: If you have a disability plate, you are required to validate that you or your child still have the disability annually
  • Removable Windshield Placards: Temporary permits will expire six months after they are issued and permanent permits expire five years later.
  • Stickers: They are valid as long as your vehicle registration is active

Office Locations of Vehicle Services

There are several Offices of Vehicle Services all around the state of Iowa, so you should have no trouble finding a place to submit your application. They offer driver license services, disabled parking permits, registration and titles, license plate renewals, road tests, etc. Here are some locations separated by popular counties.

  • Des Moines
    Address: 513 N Main St, Burlington, IA 52601
    Phone #: 319-753-8273
  • Cerro Gordo
    Address: 220 North Washington Ave, Mason City, IA 50401
    Phone #: 641-421-3127
  • Crawford
    Address: 1202 Broadway Ste 7, Denison, IA 51442
    Phone #: 712-263-2178
  • Fayette
    Address: 114 N Vine St, West Union, IA 52175
    Phone #: 563-422-3787
  • Iowa
    Address: 901 Court Ave, Marengo, IA 52301
    Phone #: 319-642-3371
  • Jasper
    Address: 101 1st St N, Newton, IA 50208
    Phone #: 641-792-6115
  • Montgomery
    Address: 105 Coolbaugh St, Red Oak, IA 51566
    Phone #: 712-623-3292