The Lonestar state is dedicated to safety for all drivers and passengers. That’s why everywhere you go, you will find blue and white handicapped parking spaces. These spaces are close to the door and come with extra loading room for walkers, wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
The Lonestar state is dedicated to keeping its residents safe. If you are eligible, it is important that you seek your disabled parking permit placard right away.
If you have a hard time walking more than 200 feet unassisted and without pain, talk with your doctor about your eligibility.
Am I Eligible for Disabled Parking in Texas?
The state of Texas and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles grand disabled parking permits to persons with difficulty walking 200 feet unassisted. These permits may be issued on a temporary basis for six months, or on a permanent basis, depending on the nature and severity of the condition.
Every situation and every person is different. That’s why the decision is ultimately between you and your doctor. While there is no official list of conditions used by Texas medical providers, here is a list intended to describe some of the kinds of disabilities.
- Use of a prosthetic device or brace
- Neurological conditions causing seizures, dizziness, loss of balance or sudden and uncontrolled loss of muscle tone
- Severe heart conditions or a history of heart attack and stroke, including the use of a pacemaker
- Reliance on supplemental oxygen or a tendency to drop below 95% oxygenation on room air
- Use of a wheelchair, walker, cane, brace or other assistive device
- Legal blindness or partial blindness including cataracts
These are all chronic or lifelong conditions that may grant a person access to a permanent disabled parking permit. What about temporary access, you may ask? The basic guidelines are the same, based on a person’s ability to walk more than 200 feet. Broken bones, back injuries and other short term but debilitating injuries make the list for temporary placards. Once again, talk with your doctor about your eligibility.
Your physician signed certificate can be signed not only by your primary care physician but also by the nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants that work with them. Additionally, if you receive care from a specialist the likes of a physical therapist, podiatrist or optometrist relating to your particular disability, they are also able to sign your paperwork for you.
If you are not being seen by a regular care provider, or you would rather not wait for a scheduled visit, consider making a virtual appointment. Due to the wonders of the internet, you can be seen almost on demand from the comfort of your home by some of the best and most qualified Texas providers. These virtual visits are convenient, straight to the point, and of course, can be used to verify your disability through a physician signed certificate.
How do I File For Disabled Parking in TX?
Once you have your physician signed certificate verifying the nature and duration of your disability, it’s time to file your paperwork at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The Application for Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and/or License Plate (Form VTR-214) must be filled out in person at a local Texas office.
You will be issued either a red temporary placard lasting six months or a blue permanent placard, in accordance to your need. If you wish, you may choose to obtain a disabled parking permit license plate. This comes with the added benefit of being impossible to forget to display. This constitutes a renewal of your license plate and all applicable fees still apply.
How do I Report Abuse of Disabled Parking?
If you see someone park in a handicapped space without displaying their disabled parking permit placard, call your local law enforcement right away to report this violation. Be sure to note the time, place and license plate number related to the incident. Not only is this unspeakably rude, but it is a serious violation of Texas law.
When people park in disabled spaces unlawfully, they take that space away from disabled persons that may need it to be safe. Every year 500,000 American’s are hospitalized due to falls. When a disabled person is made to walk from the wrong end of the parking lot, they could become that statistic. That’s why it is so important to report violations when we see them.
If your disabled parking permit placard is lost or stolen, report it right away to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles office you got it from. Not only can they issue you a replacement to keep you safe from harm, but they will add the serial number of your old disabled parking permit placard to their list of placards at large. That way if someone is using your placard unlawfully, they will be caught by parking enforcement and punished appropriately.
By working together to respect the rules of the disabled parking permit program, we can keep our Texas communities safe from harm.
Texas Parking Overview
Disabled parking permits must be displayed prominently when parking in a disabled parking space. Failure to do so will land you with a ticket!
Parking permit placards may not be hung from your rearview while driving. This is an obstruction of view and come with, you guessed it, a ticket.
In addition to disabled parking spaces, you may also park at a parking meter space for free and for double the time, up to a maximum of four hours. Just a little thank you from the state of Texas.
Your Texas disabled parking permit is valid in all fifty states, as it is a widely accepted fact that crossing state lines does nothing for a broken hip. Likewise, visitors from other states who hold their state’s disabled parking permits are welcome to park in Texas disabled parking spaces, so give a warm welcome to visitors.
If you struggle to walk safely and without pain for distances greater than 200 feet, be sure and talk to your doctor about a disabled parking permit.