Disabled Parking for Veterans

Disabled Veteran Plates are available to Maine resident veterans with a 100% service-connected disability awarded to them by the Veterans Administration.

The parking version of the Disabled Veteran plate will allow you to use parking spaces designated for those with a disability, as well as park for free in metered spots. Disabled veterans can also be exempt from driver license and title fees. You may need to provide verifying documentation for these exemptions.

Maine veterans and active military personnel are eligible for a veteran designation on a driver’s license or state ID card, in the form of an American flag with the word “Veteran” beneath it. In order to get a license with this designation, you must have received an honorable discharge, or currently be serving, and be able to verify your honorable discharge.

To apply, you must go to the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicle Main Office or enter a mailing request. You will have to show them a copy of your registration and a letter from the Veterans Administration.

  • Main Office
    101 Hospital Street
    Augusta, ME 04333-0029
  • Mailing Address
    Bureau of Motor Vehicles
    Registration Unit
    29 State House Station
    Augusta, ME 04333

If it is determined that you are qualified, you will be exempt from paying the registration fee. You will always need to renew the plate by the expiration date.

What Does It Mean to Have A Disability?

 A person with a disability is a person who has a disability that impairs their ability to walk and has been certified by a licensed physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner or registered nurse, to the extent that the person:

  • Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
  • Cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, help from another person, or another assistive device.
  • Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the person’s forced expiratory volume for one second is less than 1 liter when it is measured by spirometry.
  • Uses portable oxygen.
  • Has a cardiac condition to the extent that the person’s functional limitations are classified in severity as Class 3 or Class 4 according to standards set by the American Heart Association
  • Is severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition
  • Is recovering from childbirth – either cesarean or premature.

Illegal Parking in Disabled Parking Spaces or Access Aisles

A person who is a registered owner of a vehicle at the time that vehicle is involved in a violation automatically commits a traffic infraction themselves. A registered owner includes a person issued a dealer or transporter registration plate.

  • Anyone who observes a violation can report the violation to a law enforcement officer. If a report is made, the observer will report the time and the location of the violation, the registration plate number, and a description of the vehicle involved. The officer shall initiate an investigation of the reported violation and, if possible, contact the registered owner of the motor vehicle involved and ask the registered owner to supply information.
  • The investigating officer may cause the registered owner of the vehicle to be served with a summons for the violation.
  • It is not a defense to a violation that a registered owner was not driving the vehicle at the time of the violation. 
  • The following are defenses that can be used for a violation of this kind.
    1. If a person other than the owner was driving the vehicle at the time of the violation, then the registered owner may not be found in violation of this subsection.
    2. If the registered owner is a lessor of vehicles and at the time of the violation the vehicle was in the possession of a lessee, and the lessor provides the investigating officer with a copy of the lease agreement proving it, then the lessee and not the lessor may be charged.
    3. If the vehicle is operated using a dealer or transporter registration plate and at the time of the violation the vehicle was being driven by any person other than the dealer or transporter, and the dealer or transporter provides the investigating officer with the name and address of the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the violation, then that person and not the dealer or transporter may be charged.
    4. If a report that the vehicle was stolen is given to a law enforcement officer or agency before the violation occurs or within a reasonable time after the violation occurs, then the registered owner may not be charged.

A person who violates this subsection is subject to a fine between $200 and $500. 

Using Another’s Person Placard

A person who does not have a disability and is not part of an organization transporting a person with a disability using a disability registration plate or a windshield placard commits a traffic infraction and is subject to a penalty between $100 and $500. The disability registration plates or removable windshield placard may be suspended for improper use and a second immediate violation like this one is a Class E crime and the fine may be doubled.

 Parking at meters

A vehicle that exhibits a permanent placard, a temporary placard or a disability registration plate may park at a parking area with a meter without a charge and may park a length of time that does not exceed twice the limit otherwise allowed.

Altering Your Placard

A person who alters the expiration date of a disability placard commits a traffic infraction and is subject to a penalty in between $100 and $500.

Conclusion

If you are looking into getting a handicap accessible placard, following these steps will definitely help you through the process.

For additional information regarding the issuance of disability plates and disability parking placards in the State of Maine, contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles at 207-624-9000 (extension 52149) or by email at [email protected].