If you are stuck and looking to apply for your handicap parking permit, listen to this. Each State in the United States have different laws when it comes to applying. The outlined stipulations, guidelines, and rules will help you identify the requirements.

What Do I Need to be Eligible?

Your first step you need to observe are the qualifications of Massachusetts’ parking permit laws:

You have lost permanent use of a limb, or lost a limb
You cannot walk 200 feet or more without help
You are legally blind (you will lose your driver’s license)
You have severe arthritis
You have chronic lung disease with forced expiratory volume in one second less than one liter

What Other Qualifying Factors You Need

You must have a licensed medical professional to be able to apply through the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). Your obtained medical physician will need to fill out page two of the application for your disabled parking permit. This will serve as your medical certification, as required by the Massachusetts RMV.

What are the Ways You Can Apply?

For you to begin to fill out your application, be sure to have all your identifying information available. You will need to decide if you want to submit your application via mail or in person. If you select by mail, you must send your filled and signed application to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Medical Affairs Office in Boston, MA:

Medical Affairs/RMV Office

P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205

Veterans Disabled Plates are available, to you, to apply. You will be asked to verify your qualifying information through the Veteran’s Administration (VA). If you need a plate for your vehicle the fees are $60 and $20 for motorcycles.

How to Secure Your Disabled Veterans Plate

Your verified letter from the Veteran’s Administration will be the key for your application for plates. Applying without a Disabled Veterans Plate and your application for one, are similar. With your Disabled Veterans Plate you will reap the benefits below:

  • Fee free for your Driver’s License
  • No fee for your registration of your Disabled Veterans Plate
  • You are not subjected to a sales tax on your vehicle that is registered (not eligible on vehicles older than November 1, 2006)
  • Exemption from the Excise Tax on your vehicle

Your Disabled Veterans Plate will be valid for two years before requiring you to renew.

What to Do to Renew Your Placard

If you applied for a temporary disability placard, you are required to submit a new application to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, along with a new certification from your physician. If you applied for a permanent placard, you do not need to worry about renewing for a period of five years.

In Massachusetts, the laws for temporary cards are very lenient. Depending on your disability and your options to transfer, temporary placards are valid from 2-24 months. You may transfer your temporary placard to a permanent placard if you pay the appropriate fees and re-certification from your physician.

Your permanent placard will automatically renew two weeks prior to the end of the five-year period. The new placard will be sent to you in the mail. Immediately return your expired placard to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Medical Affairs office to avoid penalties.

How to Report Abuse

Follow these rules if you believe you have witnessed a form of disabled parking permit abuse:

  1. The vehicle’s license plate number
  2. The location where you saw the abuse
  3. A description of the vehicle in question
  4. A description of the person you believe to have committed the abuse
  5. Provide your description of each event leading up to the abuse

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles could ask you to provide accurate information and documentation to authenticate your information used in your application. If you lie on your application in order to obtain a placard you could be investigated and are subject to fines and perjury laws. Your placard needs to be hung on your rearview mirror with the expiration date visible through the windshield, otherwise a $50 will be issued.

What to Do If Your Placard is Lost

If your handicap placard is lost, stolen, or damaged you need to submit the following to the Massachusetts RMV:

  • Your Date of Birth
  • Your Social Security number
  • Your Disability Placard number (if you know it)

Once the RMV receives your request, your original placard will be cancelled, and you do not have to pay an extra cost for replacement. You may not request a replacement more than once within 12 months, or more than three in a five-year period. Too many replacements will trigger a possible misuse or abuse against you.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles will investigate:

  • The amount of your replacement requests for temporary or permanent placards
  • Any evidence of misuse or abuse, by you
  • A formal review of your original submitted application for a placard
  • Your medical conditions change and not allow you to drive
  • Your physician contacted by the RMV
  • Your affidavit, if needed, of your indications of what happened

Fines in excess of $500 will be issued against you if you perjure your replacement placard. Fines in the second or more offense will be $1,000.

Where are the Massachusetts RMV Locations?

Throughout Massachusetts you will find the branches of the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The RMV encourages you to apply at the location nearest you. A diligent amount of research may be required for you to submit your application.

Every county has a location but remember if you are mailing your application to refer to the address in Boston as listed earlier. All of the forms you need are available for printing online.

Assessment

The handicap parking permit laws of Massachusetts were established to keep you safe. A big problem is abuse of placards but could cause you undue stress. Stay refreshed and conform to this guide to help you apply for your disability placards.