Disabled Veteran Plates in Texas: Eligibility, Fees, and ISA Option

To get disabled veteran plates in Texas, you apply at your county tax assessor-collector’s office using TxDMV Form VTR-615, and if you have a VA service-connected disability rating of at least 50 percent (or 40 percent for lower-extremity amputation) and receive VA compensation, the first set costs $3 with the annual registration fee waived.¹ The plates also come with parking meter and TxDOT toll road benefits, but accessible-parking privileges depend on whether your plates carry the International Symbol of Access.

Who Qualifies

Three requirements have to line up:

A service-connected disability rating of at least 50 percent, or at least 40 percent if the disability is due to amputation of a lower extremity.
You currently receive compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for that disability.
The vehicle is in your name and either weighs 18,000 pounds or less (gross vehicle weight) or is a motor home.

The compensation requirement is the one people miss. A rating on paper is not enough; the VA has to be paying you for it.¹

What You Pay

For your first vehicle, the plate is $3 and the standard annual registration fee is waived.¹ Standard registration runs over $50 for most passenger vehicles, so this is the meaningful benefit.

You can put DV plates on additional vehicles too. The plate itself is free on those, but the registration exemption applies to only one vehicle, so on every vehicle after the first you pay regular registration and local fees.² Registration is valid for one year.

How to Apply

The application is TxDMV Form VTR-615, available on the TxDMV website. It asks for your personal information, your vehicle’s VIN, current plate number, year, make, and body style, and whether you want standard DV plates or DV plates with the International Symbol of Access.²

Bring or attach:

Proof of your disability rating. This is either a VA letter certifying your service-connected disability percentage, or the “Proof of Eligibility” section of Form VTR-615 completed and signed by a VA Regional Office or your service branch. The VA letter is usually easier.
Proof of honorable discharge. A DD-214 is the standard document.
Your Texas driver’s license or state ID.

Submit the packet to your county tax assessor-collector’s office. There is no online application; you go in person or mail it in.³ Payment is by personal check, money order, or cashier’s check. If you go in person, ask whether that office also takes cash or card, since it varies by county.²

The ISA Version and Why It Matters

Standard DV plates display “DV” and the words “Disabled Veteran” and “U.S. Armed Forces.” They do not include the International Symbol of Access, the blue wheelchair symbol. That symbol is what controls whether you can legally park in accessible spaces.

Since January 1, 2022, when Senate Bill 792 took effect, only vehicles displaying DV plates with the ISA (or a separate disabled parking placard) may park in spaces reserved for persons with disabilities. Before that date, any DV plate qualified. If you have older DV plates without the ISA and need accessible parking, either apply for new plates with the ISA or get a separate disabled parking placard using the same VTR-615 form.⁴

To qualify for the ISA version, you need the standard DV eligibility plus a permanent disability that substantially impairs your mobility, as defined in Texas Transportation Code Section 681.001. That definition covers, among other conditions, being unable to walk 200 feet without resting, needing a cane or prosthetic, using portable oxygen, or having severe cardiac or lung disease. A licensed medical professional certifies this by completing the Disability Statement on Form VTR-615, or you can attach an original prescription from a licensed medical professional that includes your name, the professional’s signature, and a statement that the disability is permanent.² DV plates with the ISA are limited to two sets per veteran.

What the Plates Get You

All DV plates, ISA or not, exempt the vehicle from paying at parking meters operated by state or local government, whether you are driving or someone is transporting you. Federal government parking facilities are not covered.⁵ Some private and local government garages, particularly at airports, follow their own ordinances and may not honor the meter exemption.

DV plates on a Texas-registered vehicle also travel free on certain TxDOT-operated toll roads. There is no enrollment; the tolling equipment reads your plates. If you get charged in error, contact the TxTag Customer Service Center at 1-888-468-9824.⁶ The exemption applies only to TxDOT-operated toll roads. Regional mobility authority and private toll operators may not honor it, so check before you assume a given road is free.

Transferring Plates to a New Vehicle

If you buy another vehicle, transfer your existing DV plates to it using Form VTR-420-UT, the Application for Transfer of Military Specialty License Plates. There is no transfer fee. The new vehicle still has to meet the eligibility rules: a passenger car or truck weighing 18,000 pounds or less, a motorcycle, a trailer, a travel trailer, or a motor home.⁷ Handle the transfer at your county tax assessor-collector’s office when you register the new vehicle.

Replacing Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Plates

Request replacements through your county tax assessor-collector’s office. Bring your ID and your vehicle information. Replacement fees vary by county, so call ahead.

A Note on Surviving Spouses

Texas issues a separate specialty plate for surviving spouses of disabled veterans under Transportation Code Section 504.317. Eligibility and benefits differ from the veteran’s own DV plates. If you are applying as a surviving spouse, contact your county tax office or the TxDMV directly for the required documentation and which privileges carry over.

1
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 504.202 – Veterans With Disabilities
2
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Disabled Veteran License Plates and/or Parking Placards
3
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Parking, Placards and Plates
4
Texas Legislature Online. 87(R) SB 792 – Committee Report (Unamended) Version – Bill Analysis
5
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV). SB 792 – Disabled Veteran Plates and Parking Privileges
6
Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Veterans Discount Program
7
TxDMV.gov. Application for Transfer of Military Specialty License Plates Form VTR-420-UT