The disabled parking permit system in South Carolina is both compassionate and advanced, as the state wishes to ensure that everyone who needs to use the resources and accommodations set aside for the disabled can do so.
However, as the number of parking spaces that are immediately adjacent to the entrance of most businesses and buildings is necessarily limited, it is in the best interest of all involved that the state of South Carolina institute a rigorous procedure to ensure that only those who will most benefit from the use of these parking spots are able to use them.
The state has put together a list of qualifying criteria for a disabled parking permit. When you meet with a medical professional to confirm your eligibility, he or she will go over this list with you and talk about your options.
Talk with a Licensed Medical Professional
There are two basic ways to check this task off your list.
- Talk with a Local Doctor in Person. If your life circumstances and medical condition allow you to go speak with a personal physician, please go to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles and download the application form for a disabled parking permit. The third section of this form contains a list of qualifying criteria which you can discuss before obtaining the doctor’s signature and mailing it in.
- Video Chat with a Licensed Medical Professional Online. However, if your life circumstances will make it difficult or otherwise undesirable to leave your home, you can speak with a doctor over the internet. After your video chat has ended, your completed application form will be emailed to the Department of Motor Vehicles for you.
Who Can Qualify for a South Carolina Disabled Parking Permit?
The list of conditions which can qualify you for a disabled parking permit is as follows. You may be eligible if:
- You are currently unable to walk a distance of one hundred feet without falling, stopping, or making an existing medical condition worse, including feeling intense pain;
- You are currently unable to without receiving assistance from any device including a wheelchair, brace, prosthetic, cane, walker, or another human being to walk any measurable distance successfully or without pain;
- You have lung disease as defined by an expiratory volume of less than one liter per second when properly measured by spirometry, or if your arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/Hg when you are breathing in room air while you are at rest;
- You have any conditions you which requires you to use portable oxygen for any amount of time;
- You are blind or have a condition which impairs your senses of perception or coordination;
- You have heart disease such that you are functionally limited in what you can do and that your condition meets the criteria for Class III or Class IV heart failure as defined by the American Heart Association, or if
- You have any neurologic, arthritic, or orthopedic disability which impacts your mobility other than what is listed above.
If you meet any one of these conditions, you may be eligible for a South Carolina disabled parking permit, and you may proceed with your application. If you are applying for a disabled parking permit for conditions relating to pregnancy, please apply for a temporary permit.
Veterans and American Disabled Parking Plates
If you are a veteran of a war and have suffered injuries that are at least fifty percent related to an incident suffered while you were in service of the United States, you may be eligible for a special veterans disabled parking plate.
This is a license plate that will go on the back and / or front of your card that will permanently identify you as someone who is legally allowed to park in a protected parking space. It will also identify you as an American disabled veteran. On the application form (downloadable from the Department of Motor Vehicles website), you have several options to choose from.
Options Available to Those Who are Veterans of the United States
Please select from the following checkboxes when filling out your disabled parking permit application form.
- Purple Heart Wheelchair. This is a permanent license plate. There is no fee associated. You must meet the criteria for a Purple Heart.
- Veteran Wheelchair. This is a license plate; you must prove that you meet the criteria for being a veteran of the United States.
- Decal for Motorcycle: These come in Purple Heart, Disabled Veteran, and World War II designs. You must prove that you meet the criteria or served in such a capacity in order to apply for and receive these decals.
Mail In Your Application Form
If you spoke with a licensed doctor in person, you will be required to mail the application in to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles in person. The address is as follows:
SCDMV
Registration
PO
Box 1498
Blythewood, SC 29016-0019.
Please do not mail cash; all associated fees must be submitted by a check written to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
If, however, you chose to video chat with a doctor in order to get your medical approval, your application form will be emailed for your to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
If you suffer from a debilitating condition which severely impacts your mobility, or if you served in a war as a member of the United States armed forces or associated branches of protective services, you may be eligible for a South Carolina disabled parking permit.
This permit will enable you to park in protected parking spaces which are much closer to the entrances of most buildings and businesses. This can make going about your day to day life much easier.
However, it is important that only those who require these resources can use them. Please speak with your doctor to ensure that you are eligible for application. Remember to wait for your placards to arrive before you park in a disabled parking space.