Applying for a disability parking permit, sticker, or plate for the first time can be stressful and nerve-wracking. It can be hard to understand what it really means and everything that you are consenting to. If you are applying for a handicap permit in Iowa, you should read this guide to understand the terms and agreements better.

Eligible Vehicles

  • Automobiles
  • Multipurpose vehicles
  • Sport utility vehicles
  • Vans
  • Motorcycles
  • Trucks
  • Motor homes
  • Trailers and travel trailers

Definition (Iowa Code Chapter 321L.1)

According to Iowa Code Chapter 321L.1, a “person with a disability” means a person with a disability that impairs their ability to walk. They are considered to have a disability under this chapter if they:

  1. Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
  2. Cannot walk without using a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, the assistance of a person, or another assistive device.
  3. Are restricted by lung disease to the extent that their forced expiratory volume for one second is less than one liter when it is measured by spirometry.
  4. Use portable oxygen.
  5. Has a cardiac condition to the extent that their functional limitations are classified as class III or class IV severity according to standards set by the American Heart Association.
  6. Is severely limited in ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.

Display of the Removable Windshield Placard

There are specific guidelines for how you are supposed to display your placard when parked, and it is important to know what they are so you don’t get fined.

  • Hang it from the rear-view mirror so that you can see it through the windshield when you are parked in a designated handicapped spot.
    • If there is no rear-view mirror on your vehicle, the placard has to be visible from the dashboard
  • The placard should only be displayed when you are parked in a spot designated for people with disabilities or in a parking space that is not designated if a wheelchair parking cone is used, according to Iowa Code Section 321L.2A.

Return of Parking Permit

You have to return to a Driver License Examining Station, the Iowa Department of Transportation, Office of Vehicle Services, or any law enforcement office within 10 days of any of these events:

  • The person who had the permit is deceased or has moved out of state.
  • The person has found a permit that does not belong to them.
  • The permit has expired or been revoked.
  • The permit was reported lost or stolen and was later found after a temporary permit was given to them.

Special license plates have to be given to the county treasurer’s office where the vehicle was originally registered

Special License Plates

Personalized license plates may have up to five characters and numbers and personalized plate choices must have at least two letters. They cannot have characters that are not in the regular licensing numbering system

The Application for Iowa Special License Plates is used when you apply for a special license plate. Every year the applicant renews the license by providing a self-certification that proves the owner of the motor vehicle is still a person with a disability. Iowa law allows special plates for:

  • An owner of an automobile, light delivery truck, panel delivery truck, pickup, or trailer who belongs to a person with a disability.
  • A parent or guardian of a child with a disability, according to section 321L.1 of the code, to apply for a special license plate after proof of residency is provided.

Proof of Residency

A form that confirms that the child with a disability still lives with the parent or guardian who is applying for the special plate. The certification has to be filed while you apply and every registration year after that.

Contiguous State

Iowa law requires a written statement from a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or chiropractor licensed to practice in Iowa or a contiguous state. The contiguous states are:

  • Minnesota
  • Wisconsin
  • Illinois
  • Missouri
  • Nebraska
  • South Dakota

Wheelchair Parking Cone

The department will provide a list of vendors that sell wheelchair parking cones if you ask for it. If you have a parking permit for a disabilities parking space who uses a wheelchair and is unable to walk can park in a persons with disabilities parking space or a space that is not designated. You can reserve up to an eight foot space adjacent to the vehicle for room to enter and exit it if these needs are met:

  • The wheelchair parking cone is within eight feet of entry to the vehicle.
  • The parking permit is displayed.
  • The vehicle and cone do not block an aisle, street, or roadway.
  • The space is provided by State, political subdivision, or an entity providing NON-Residential parking.
  • A copy of your medical statement is carried in the vehicle.

Penalties

There are several penalties that can result from submitting false information, using the parking permit in an incorrect manner, such as:

  • Using a fraudulent statement from a physician, chiropractor, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner to get a persons with disabilities parking permit.
    • May result in a $300 civil penalty and revocation of the permit.
  • Improper use of a parking permit as defined in Iowa Code subsection 321L.4(2) or Iowa Code section 321L.3.
    • May result in a criminal fine of $200.
  • A wheelchair parking cone violation.
    • The fine is $20.
  • Interference with a wheelchair parking cone
    • The fine is $200.
  • Providing false information to get a windshield placard.
    • The fine is $200 and the placard, sticker, or plate may also be revoked.
  • Parking in a designated space without a permit.
    • May result in a $200 fine.
  • Not returning the placard when you no longer need it
    • May result in a fine of up to $200.

Office of Vehicle Services Information

Office of Vehicle & Motor Carrier Services
Iowa Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 9278
Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9278
Phone #: 515-237-3110
E-mail: [email protected]