A disabled parking permit is a certificate which can enable you to live a better life. If you have a condition which severely impairs your ability to walk easily, you may be eligible for a South Carolina disabled placard or license plate. This will enable you to park in protected parking spaces which are much closer to the entrances of most businesses and buildings.

However, there are a lot of details and steps in the application process, as well as many rights and responsibilities associated with your permit! To make your life a little easier, here is a guide to getting the most out of your disabled parking permit without breaking any rules which may leave you liable to disciplinary action.

The Difference Between Placards, Plates, and Permits

There are a few different terms which are tossed around when you are applying for a disabled parking permit. Here’s what each of them mean:

  • Your Disabled Parking Permit. Your permit is a piece of paper — a certificate — which will arrive in the mail after the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has processed and approved your application. This permit will allow you to receive placards or plates, at your discretion, which will allow you to park in protected spaces.
  • Your Disabled Parking Placards. Your placards are large, stiff, brightly colored, easily seen pieces of pasteboard which are to be hung from your rear view window in the front of your car. Please hang this up when you have already parked, and take it down before you start your car to drive away. Doing otherwise is highly dangerous, and very illegal. In South Carolina, these come with a placard registration certificate that must be in the car that is using the parking placard.
  • Your Disabled (or Veteran) Parking License Plate. Instead of placards, you can opt to receive license plates instead of parking placards. Your license plates will be permanently affixed to the front and / or back of your car, and will mark your car as legally allowed to park in disabled parking places.

Each of these options may come with additional fees.

The Fees Associated with Placards, Plates, and Permits

Below, find a breakdown of the fees requested by the state when you apply for a disabled parking permit.

  • Parking Permit: In order to receive a disabled parking permit, please include one dollar in your application packet.
  • Parking Placards: If you have paid the nominal fee for a disabled parking permit, one parking placard comes at no cost. There is an additional cost netted for any additional placards requested, up to two per application.
  • License Plates: If you are requesting a motorcycle license plate, the cost will be ten dollars. If you are requesting a regular vehicle license plate, the cost will be thirty six dollars.

Please note that mailing stacks of cash is unsafe. The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will not accept cash. Please mail only checks made out to the SCDMV.

Your Disabled Parking Permit and Travelling Out of State

If you have a South Carolina disabled parking permit, as long as it is not expired and the proper documentation is all assembled, you can use it to park in any disabled parking space, even outside of the confines of South Carolina. Please remember to use it, or you will be subject to disciplinary measures up to and including revocation of your permit, if you are caught parking in a disabled space without posting your placard.

Similarly, if you have a disabled parking permit in another state and wish to travel to South Carolina, please bring your placards and documentation with you! You can use the placards from your home state to park anywhere there is a designated handicap space.

How to Recognize Designated Disabled Parking Spaces

In South Carolina, disabled parking spaces can be designated in one of two ways: by either a freestanding sign at the head of the parking space (approximately five to seven feet off the ground), or by paint on the ground. Either way, the International Sign of Access (the wheelchair symbol) will be utilized.

Your Disabled Parking Permit and Access Aisles

Wherever there are more than two disabled parking spaces in a similar location, there will be access aisles in between and surrounding them. They will be denoted by large diagonal lines painted on the ground.

An access aisle is the area surrounding a disabled parking space. Sometimes, a disabling condition will necessitate large pieces of equipment to aid the disabled person in getting out of their vehicle. These pieces of equipment can include wheelchairs, wheelchair ramps, walkers, or multiple people’s assistance.

When this is the case, a significant amount of room is required for these to function. Please, whether you have a parking permit or not, do not park in any way so as to obstruct these access aisles. Doing so may result in disciplinary action.

Your Parking Permit and Your Ability to Drive

Please be aware that there are certain medical conditions which may affect your ability to drive. If your life circumstances have made it less safe for you to be behind the wheel, please be self-aware of this and choose to have a friend or family member assist you in your travels. The state of South Carolina reserves the right to review your driving record and current driver’s license when you submit an application for a disabled parking permit.

A disabled parking permit from the state of South Carolina can make travels for you much easier, whether in the state or out of it! Please remember that your parking placards can only be displayed when the car is at rest. Following all of the responsibilities associated with your disabled parking permit will ensure that you are able to enjoy the amenities for a long time to come! Always make sure that you initiate renewal activities one month prior to the expiration date, and you will have no trouble in using your disabled parking permit.