When you’re suffering from a disability which makes walking difficult, the last thing you need is the parking spot that is furthest from the place you’re trying to get to! In the state of Virginia, this problem has been solved through the practice of marking and setting aside disabled parking spaces. Only those who have disabled parking plates or placards on their cars are able to park in these specially set aside areas, making it much easier for the disabled to go about their daily lives.
If you have applied for and received a disabled parking permit, placards, and / or plates, then you’re in luck! You should be able to park in those spaces immediately. However, there’s a bit more to it than that. Read on for a complete guide detailing the rights and responsibilities associated with your Virginia disabled parking permit.
When to Use Your Disabled Parking Permit
The most important guideline to follow when using your disabled parking permit regards placard placement. Your disabled parking placard is a large, stiff, brightly colored piece of poster board that is designed to hang from your rear-view window in the front of your car. When you are parked, place it to show any parking lot officials that your car has been approved to park in that location.
It is very important, though, that you remember to take it down immediately after you get back to your car! Having a large swinging object that has the capacity to dangle into your field of vision in the front of your car while the car is in motion is highly illegal and very dangerous. Therefore, please form a habit of placing the placard up after you have already parked, and taking it down before you leave the parking space.
How to Renew Your Disabled Parking Permit
If you permit has expired, then you can’t use it — using an expired parking permit can render you liable to disciplinary action up to and including revocation of your parking materials. The Department of Motor Vehicles recommends that you begin the renewal process two months prior to the date upon which your parking permit expires.
If you have a temporary parking permit, then the expiration date will be the date you noted on your application form. If you have a permanent disabled parking permit, then your permit will have to be renewed once every five years. The process for renewing your permit is exactly the same as the first time you applied; but, this time, check the boxes for “renewal” instead of those stating that this is your first time.
Your Parking Permit and Access Aisles
In any location where there are more than two disabled parking spaces, there will be an access aisle between and possibly surrounding them. These access aisles will be designated by long diagonal slashes of paint on the ground, boxing them in.
The point of an access aisle is to make sure there is enough room between vehicles to ensure that any assistive devices — for example, wheelchairs and motorized wheelchair ramps — have enough room to do what they need to do. Obstructing the access aisles could make it impossible for a disabled person to properly use the disabled parking space.
Whether you have a disabled parking permit or not, please make sure that you do not park in any way that obstructs the access aisles.
Your Disabled Parking Permit and Meters
A little known perk about disabled parking permits in the state of Virginia is that if you post your placard appropriately, you can park in any metered spot for up to four hours without paying a fee. This should make parking downtown much easier!
What to Do if Your Disabled Parking Permit is Lost or Stolen
If your parking permit materials such as your placard or your plates are lost, then please download the application form from the Department of Motor Vehicles website and request a replacement. Please note that it may take up to fifteen days for these materials to arrive. Please do not park in disabled parking spaces until your replacements are ready for use.
If you believe that your materials have been stolen, please call the police and file a report. Attach a copy of the police report to your application form when you submit.
Travelling Outside of Virginia
As the parking placards and license plate both have the International Symbol of Access (the wheelchair) on them, their use is not limited to Virginia. If your Virginia disabled parking materials are non-expired and undamaged, you should be able to use them in any other state within America. Simply use them as you would in Virginia, and you should be able to park in any disabled parking space.
If, on the other hand, you are a disabled person who lives in another state who wishes to travel to Virginia, the process is equally simple. Please ensure that the disabled parking permit and placard you received from your state of residence is undamaged and unexpired, and simply use as you would at home.
Please make sure that you follow all signs and local ordinances, just in case there are situations that differ from what you’re used to in your home state.
Having and using a Virginia disabled parking permit is a great way to make sure that you’re able to get things done when you have a disability. However, there are several rules, rights, and responsibilities which are associated with the service which many people don’t know about.
It’s important to be aware of these responsibilities, as failing to follow them may result in your getting your permit taken away. Nobody wants to do that, so just make sure that you take care of your placards, use them at the right time, and renew them before they expire! Park appropriately so as not to obstruct access aisles, and travel outside of Virginia safely. Remember to always take down your placards before you drive away!