Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

Disability Information Hub

 

To park your vehicle in spaces with a wheelchair symbol, you must have an accessible parking placard or a license plate with a wheelchair symbol on it.

You do not have to drive to get an accessible placard. If you are a passenger in someone else’s vehicle, your placard will allow them to park in accessible spaces as long as you are in the vehicle and have your placard and ID with you.

You can apply for a short-term placard or a permanent placard. Both require medical certification.

Learn more about how to get an accessible parking placard or license plate below.

Temporary Accessible Parking Placards

  • May be issued for short-term mobility impairments
  • Require written medical certification
  • Are valid for six months
  • The placard can be renewed once for up to six
  • The placard is nontransferable and will be revoked if used by any other
  • The fee for a placard is $4.00. You must pay with a check or money order made out to "NJMVC". Cash is not accepted.

To apply for a temporary placard, print and complete this application, and then bring it to your physician or medical practitioner for their signature.

To submit the application, bring it to your municipal police department. Your local police department will issue your temporary placard, not the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission.

 

Permanent Accessible Parking Placards or License Plates

You can apply for a permanent accessible parking placard, license plate, or both. You will need the signature of a medical practitioner for your application.

Accessible parking placards are valid for three years, and every three years, you will need a medical practitioner to recertify your application.

Wheelchair symbol license plates must be renewed every year, and every three years, you will need a medical practitioner to recertify your application.

There is no fee to apply or recertify.

You may be eligible for a permanent accessible placard or plates, if you:

  • Have lost the use of one or more limbs as a consequence of paralysis, amputation, or other permanent disability.
  • Are severely and permanently disabled and cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistive device.
  • Suffer from lung disease to such an extent that the applicant’s forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/hg on room air at rest; or uses portable oxygen.
  • Have a cardiac condition to the extent that the applicant’s functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American Heart Association.
  • Are severely and permanently limited in the ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition; or cannot walk two hundred feet without stopping to rest.
  • Have a permanent sight impairment of both eyes as certified by the N.J. Commission of the Blind (placard only)

Download the Wheelchair Symbol Plate and Placard Checklist (Form SP-41A) for more detailed information.

To apply for an accessible parking placard or license plates, print and complete this application,

 

Submit your application by bringing it to your local motor vehicle commission licensing center, or mail it to:

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Special Plate Unit
225 East State Street, PO Box 015 Trenton, NJ 08666-0015

Note: If you do not have a driver’s license or non-drivers ID, you will need to bring additional documents that meet the 6 Points of ID to verify your identity.

If you have any questions or need help, call the NJ New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission at 609-292-6500 or (TTY 711).

If you are veteran with a disability or have received the Purple Heart, New Jersey law also exempts you from the payment of municipal parking meter fees for up to 24 hours if you own the parked vehicle, are the driver or a passenger of the vehicle, and display a unique placard issued by MVC. To receive your placard, you must submit the following to an MVC agency or by mail:

  • Veterans with disabilities present:
    • The applicant’s DD-214 or DD-215; AND
    • The applicant’s Award of Disability letter from the Veteran’s Administration
  • Purple Heart recipients present:
    • The applicant’s DD-214 or DD-215 showing Purple Heart Recipient Status; OR
    • The applicant’s citation awarding the Purple Heart; OR
    • The applicant’s General Order for the Purple Heart

Applications can be found at this link. Mailed applications can be sent to:

NJ MVC
Special Plates Unit
P.O. Box 015
Trenton, NJ 08666-015

For more information, visit the MVC website.

An accessible parking spot sign

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