How to Apply for a Handicap Parking Permit by State

To apply for a handicap parking permit, complete your state’s official disability parking application, have a licensed medical provider certify your functional limitation, then submit the form to your state’s motor vehicle agency by mail, in person, or by fax. Most states run the same seven-phase process: confirm which application you need, verify that you meet the walking-distance eligibility standard, choose between a portable placard and a permanent plate, get the medical section signed, submit the paperwork to the correct office, and track the request through processing. Mail-in submissions generally take two to six weeks, while in-person requests can be approved the same day. Michigan and Arizona each run a version of this process with their own forms and accepted medical professionals, both covered in detail below.

What Do You Need to Apply for a Handicap Parking Permit

A complete application needs five things: the current official form issued by your state, proof of identity and residency, medical certification from a licensed provider, a written description of how the condition limits walking, and any fee your state charges, though many states charge none. Using an outdated or out-of-state form is one of the most common reasons an application stalls, so pull the form directly from the current issuing agency rather than a copy saved from a previous year or found through a general search.

Proof of identity and residency usually means a driver’s license or state identification number entered directly on the form. The medical certification section cannot be a letter from your doctor on office letterhead; it has to be the official section of the state’s own form, filled in and signed by an authorized provider.

That section asks the provider to describe the functional limitation in the state’s own language, not just name a diagnosis, because eligibility is based on how the condition limits walking rather than on the diagnosis itself. Fees, where they exist, are usually small and cover the cost of producing the placard or plate rather than processing the application.

How Do You Apply for a Handicap Parking Permit Step by Step

Applying for a handicap parking permit follows seven phases in nearly every state: identify the right application, verify eligibility, choose a credential type, complete the medical evaluation, fill out the government form, submit it to the correct office, and track the status until the permit arrives. Working through them in order avoids the back-and-forth that slows down mailed applications.

1. Identify the application type. Decide whether you need a new application, a renewal, or a replacement, since each uses a different process even within the same state.
2. Verify eligibility. Confirm the condition meets your state’s functional-limitation standard before requesting the medical section, so the provider is not asked to certify something that will not qualify.
3. Choose a credential type. Pick a portable placard that moves between vehicles or a permanent plate tied to a single vehicle you own or lease.
4. Complete the medical evaluation. Bring the state’s official form, not a blank letter, to an authorized provider so they can fill in the certification section directly.
5. Complete the government application. Fill in the identity, residency, and contact fields exactly as the form requests, and sign where the state requires authorization to release medical information.
6. Submit to the correct office. Mail, fax, email, or hand-deliver the finished form to the issuing agency named on the form, matching the method that office accepts.
7. Track the status. Most agencies move a submitted application through received, complete, approved, and delivered stages, and you can usually check where yours stands by phone or an online lookup.

Processing time depends heavily on the submission method. Mail-in applications typically take two to six weeks, and renewal should start 30 to 60 days before the current permit expires so a new one arrives before the old one lapses. In-person submissions at a state office often move faster, sometimes the same day.

Who Qualifies for a Handicap Parking Permit

Eligibility depends on a state’s criteria and a person’s functional limitations, rather than a diagnosis alone. Many state forms use an inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest as one criterion, but 200 feet is not a universal national test. States can use their own categories and distance thresholds.

What Medical Conditions Qualify

Several eligibility categories are common, subject to state-specific rules. They can include restricted mobility; use of a wheelchair, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, brace, or another person’s assistance for mobility; severe lung disease or portable-oxygen use; Class III or IV cardiac conditions as defined by the American Heart Association; and qualifying visual impairment.

Relevant functional facts can include walking tolerance, cardiopulmonary symptoms, reliance on mobility equipment or oxygen, and whether terrain or exertion causes a person to stop. Two people with the same diagnosis can have different mobility, symptoms, recovery, and eligibility outcomes.

Permanent and Temporary Eligibility

States may offer permanent and temporary credentials, and the applicable category depends on the state’s rules and the expected duration of the condition. A permanent disability does not automatically mean a physical placard has no expiration date, since renewal requirements depend on the credential and state rules. Temporary limitations do not automatically extend parking authorization. Before the printed expiration date, ask the issuing office and clinician whether a new temporary application, extension, or evaluation for a different credential category is required.

How Do I Get a Handicap Parking Permit in Michigan

In Michigan, you apply using Secretary of State Form BFS-108, the Disability Parking Placard Application, have an authorized medical professional complete the certification section, and submit the finished form in person at any Secretary of State office or by mail to the Department of State in Lansing.

Michigan Application Form and Requirements

Form BFS-108 has two parts. Part 1 asks for the applicant’s full name, driver’s license or state identification number, date of birth, Michigan street address, which is required even for nonresidents, contact information, residency status, and a signature authorizing release of information. The medical certification lives in Part 2, where the provider determines whether the disability is permanent or temporary and selects the ambulatory criteria that apply. Temporary permits issued through this form are valid for up to six months.

Who Can Certify a Michigan Application

Michigan accepts a wider range of certifying professionals than some states: physicians, chiropractors, physician assistants, physical therapists, and optometrists can all complete Part 2. A determination of blindness, however, is restricted to an optometrist, a physician, or a physician assistant.

How to Submit the Michigan Application

Submit the completed form in person at any Michigan Secretary of State office, or mail it to Michigan Department of State, Internal Services Section, P.O. Box 30764, Lansing, MI 48918-8264. Online service through the Secretary of State’s website covers renewal and replacement only; a first-time application has to go in by mail or in person.

How Long Michigan Processing Takes

In-person applications at a Secretary of State office are processed immediately, so the placard can be issued the same visit. Mail-in applications are processed on receipt, with delivery taking anywhere from a few days to four weeks depending on volume. A permanent blue placard is valid for four years and does not need a renewal medical certification, while a temporary red placard is valid for one to six months.

How Do I Get a Handicap Parking Permit in Arizona

Arizona applicants use ADOT Form 96-0104, the Disability-Hearing Impaired Plate/Placard Application, have an authorized medical professional certify the condition, and submit the request to the Motor Vehicle Division by fax, email, mail, or in person.

Arizona Application Form and Eligibility

Form 96-0104 asks the applicant to demonstrate one of four conditions: inability to walk 200 feet without resting, dependence on portable oxygen, severe cardiac or lung impairment, or the need for a walking assistance device or mobility aid. The form also asks the applicant to choose between a placard, which is an individual credential, and a plate, which is tied to a specific vehicle and requires proof of ownership or a lease.

Who Can Certify an Arizona Application

The Arizona Department of Transportation lists physicians, physician assistants, registered nurse practitioners, physical therapists, or hospital administrators as authorized certifiers. A separate DMV.org summary of the same program describes licensed physicians, osteopaths, or chiropractors as eligible, which does not fully match ADOT’s own list; the ADOT form is the more authoritative source, since it reflects the state’s current application requirements directly rather than a third-party summary.

How to Submit the Arizona Application

Placard-only applications can be faxed to 602-239-6077 or emailed to specialplates2@azdot.gov. Requests that include a plate need to go by mail to the Special Plates Unit, Motor Vehicle Division, Mail Drop 801Z, P.O. Box 2100, Phoenix, AZ 85001, or be submitted in person at an Arizona MVD office. Hearing-impaired plates and placards, despite being issued through the same office, cannot be used for disabled parking.

Arizona Costs and Processing Time

Standard disability placards and plates carry no fee as of September 2026, though a personalized version of the plate costs $27.41. Most applicants receive their permit within a few weeks, and ADOT contacts the applicant directly if anything in the paperwork needs clarification, which is usually faster than waiting for a rejected application to come back by mail.

How Do Michigan and Arizona Compare Side by Side

Michigan and Arizona both run the same seven-phase process, but the form, the accepted certifiers, and the submission channel differ. The table below lines up the two states’ requirements attribute by attribute.

Attribute	Michigan	Arizona
Application form	Form BFS-108	ADOT Form 96-0104
Issuing agency	Secretary of State	Motor Vehicle Division
Accepted certifiers	Physicians, chiropractors, physician assistants, physical therapists, optometrists	Physicians, physician assistants, registered nurse practitioners, physical therapists, hospital administrators
Submission methods	In person or by mail	Fax or email for placards; mail or in person for plates
Standard fee (as of September 2026)	None reported	None for placards and standard plates
Typical processing time	Immediate in person; up to 4 weeks by mail	A few weeks

The clearest practical difference is speed for a placard-only request. A fax or an email reaches Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division the same day, while Michigan does not offer that option for a first-time application and instead requires mail or an in-person visit.

Should You Choose a Placard or a Plate

Choose a placard if the credential needs to move between vehicles, and choose a plate if it should stay attached to one car you own or lease. A placard is an individual credential: hang it from the mirror in any vehicle you are riding in or driving, whether that car belongs to you or a family member.

Vehicle-specific credentials work differently; a plate replaces the regular license plate on a car you own or lease, which suits someone who drives the same vehicle consistently and would rather not handle a placard at every stop.

Both permanent and temporary versions exist for each credential type in most states, and switching from one to the other generally means filing a new application rather than amending an existing one.

What Delays a Handicap Parking Permit Application

The most common delay is a mismatched or outdated form. Submitting a version from another state, an old printing of the correct form, or a doctor’s letter in place of the official medical section sends the request back to the start rather than forward through processing. Confirm the form is the current one pulled directly from the issuing agency’s own page before mailing anything.

Incomplete medical certification is the second most common cause. If the provider leaves a required field blank or fails to select an ambulatory or permanent-versus-temporary category, the application stalls until that section is corrected and resubmitted.

Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division contacts applicants directly when something in the paperwork needs clarification, which moves faster than a mailed rejection notice, though it still requires the applicant to respond promptly. Tracking the application through the received, complete, approved, and delivered stages, where that tool is available, shows which phase is holding things up rather than leaving the applicant guessing.

Renewing Your Handicap Parking Placard: State Rules and Forms

Renewing a handicap parking placard is separate from applying for an initial credential. Check the current renewal rules and application form with the motor-vehicle or disability-parking authority where you live, because states and localities set their own renewal requirements, validity periods, and permit types.

Some permanent permits use an administrative renewal process, while others require a new medical certification. Credential duration, renewal procedures, fees, and parking-use rules are determined by state and local issuing authorities.

Indiana provides one example of how state rules differ: its permanent disability parking placard does not expire. Michigan’s current official form is BFS-108, Disability Parking Placard Application, revised February 2026. The two-page form includes instructions and Part 1 on page one, with Part 2 covering medical eligibility, expected duration, and any separate free-parking determination.

For Michigan applications, a licensed medical professional completes and signs the applicable portions of the form. Applicants may mail the completed application or take it to a Secretary of State office. Before renewing anywhere, use the issuing jurisdiction’s current form and follow its stated submission route.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Doctor’s Letter Enough to Apply for a Handicap Parking Permit?

No. A doctor’s letter on office letterhead does not satisfy most states’ requirements; the medical provider has to complete the official certification section printed on the state’s own application form. Bring the blank government form to the appointment rather than asking for a separate letter.

Can You Get a Temporary Handicap Parking Permit After Surgery?

Yes, most states issue temporary permits for short-term conditions such as surgery recovery, a fracture, or pregnancy complications, typically valid for one to six months. Ask your surgeon or treating physician how long your specific recovery is expected to take, since that estimate determines what the certifying provider writes on the form. Confirm timing and any activity restrictions with your own doctor rather than relying on a general recovery window.

Do You Have to Pay for a Handicap Parking Permit?

Often not. Arizona charges no fee for a standard disability placard or plate as of September 2026, though a personalized plate costs $27.41, and Michigan’s process does not report a standard fee either. Fees vary by state, so check the issuing agency’s current fee schedule before assuming yours is free.

Can a Physical Therapist Sign Your Application?

Yes, in both Michigan and Arizona a physical therapist is listed among the professionals authorized to complete the medical certification section. Other accepted certifiers differ slightly by state, so confirm your specific provider type is on the current list before scheduling the appointment.

How Do You Track the Status of Your Application?

Most issuing agencies move a submitted application through four stages: received, complete, approved, and delivered. Check with your state’s motor vehicle agency for an online lookup or phone line that shows which stage your application has reached, and call the office directly if it sits in one stage well past the usual processing window.

Getting a handicap parking permit approved on the first try comes down to using the current official form, pairing it with a provider authorized to certify it in your state, and sending it to the exact office and address that form names. Michigan and Arizona both move faster in person than by mail, and both will process or follow up on an application quickly once the paperwork matches what the agency expects.

References

• Handicap Parking Permits Guide, HandicapMD
• Disabled Person Parking Placard Application – California DMV, California DMV
• Handicap Parking Permit Guide, My DMV Appointment
• NYC DOT – Motorists & Parking – Parking Permits for People with Disabilities, NYC DOT
• Michigan Handicap Parking Permit Guide, HandicapMD
• Get or renew disabled parking permits | Washington State Department of Licensing, Washington State Department of Licensing, dol.wa.gov
• Arizona Handicap Parking Permit Guide, HandicapMD
• Arizona Disability License Plates and Placards, DMV.org (archived)
• Medical Conditions for Handicap Placard, ParkingMD

Sources read in September 2026.