What Does It Mean to Be A Person With 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. 

These are the qualifications for people to be eligible for disabled parking in Maine.

Disability Registration Plates

Disability registration plates must have the International Symbol of Access on them in a color that contrasts with the background and it has to be the same size as the letters or numbers on the plate.

Disability registration plates can be given to all of the following groups: a person with a disability, an organization or agency in Maine that transports people with disabilities, and a vehicle owner, under these conditions:

  • They are the spouse, parent or legal guardian of a person with a disability.
  • The disabled person lives with the vehicle owner in Maine.
  • The vehicle owner is the disabled person’s main source of transportation.

Removable windshield placards 

A removable windshield placard is a 2-sided permit that hangs from the rearview mirror when the vehicle is parked. A removable windshield placard can be issued to a person with a disability or an organization or agency in Maine that transports persons with disabilities. The placard must meet all of the following requirements:

  • The placard must be hanging from the rearview mirror so that it can be seen from the front and rear of the vehicle when the vehicle is using an accessible parking spot. The windshield placard must be removed from the rearview mirror when you are driving.
  • If the vehicle does not have a rearview mirror, the placard must be displayed on the dashboard.
  • The placard must be blue with white print and have the International Symbol of Access on it
  • The placard has to have the permit number, the expiration date, and the seal of the Secretary of State.
  • For organizations or agencies, the placard must be green with white print and have the same information, except that the name of the organization must appear along with the expiration date that will be pre-determined. 
  • A windshield placard can be used when the person with a disability is a passenger, the operator, or when the driver of the vehicle is waiting for a service to be rendered to the person with a disability. 

Motorcycles

A person with a disability who has registered a motorcycle will be issued a disability plate as a registration plate. The registration plate has to have the International Symbol of Access on it, which must be in a color that contrasts with the background and must be the same size as the letters or numbers on the plate.

Temporary placards

A temporary placard is a 2-sided permit that hangs from the rearview mirror while the vehicle is parked. The temporary placard must meet all of these requirements:

  • An application for a temporary placard must be accompanied by the certificate of a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner or registered nurse confirming that their disability exists and impacts them to the extent they claim it does.
  • A temporary placard is not valid for more than 6 months. There is priority consideration given to requests for temporary placards.
  • A temporary placard issued immediately after the birth of a child is only valid for one week after a cesarean section delivery and the amount of time it is valid after a premature baby is born is determined by the mother’s physician.
  • The placard must be red with white print and have the International Symbol of Access on it and the placard must contain the permit number, the expiration date appointed by the physician, and the seal of the Secretary of State. 
  • During the period for which it is valid, a temporary placard has the same privileges and restrictions as a disability windshield placard.

Parking permit 

A person with a disability will receive a 21-day parking permit while they are waiting to receive a disability registration plate or placard and can choose a specific licensed physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or registered nurse to be authorized to issue such a permit. The Secretary of State will determine the requirements for an agent to be authorized. The 21-day parking permit must be displayed so that it can be seen from the front of the vehicle whenever you are parked in a handicap accessible parking spot.

Temporary agents are not allowed to charge a fee for issuing a 21-day parking permit for a person with a disability.

Disability Parking Restrictions

A law enforcement officer can enforce disability parking restrictions. The State Police will enforce disability parking restrictions at service facilities along the Maine Turnpike and on the interstate highway system. A person commits a traffic infraction if they park in a spot designated to be handicap accessible and has not been issued or is not transporting a person who has been issued a disability registration plate or a removable windshield placard in Maine or another state.

A person also commits a traffic infraction if they park in an access aisle, whether the person has a disability registration plate or placard or not. A person who does this is subject to a fine of between $200 and $500.