Do Handicapped Drivers Pay for Parking Meters in NJ?

In New Jersey, disabled drivers do not pay for parking meters. Under N.J.S.A. 39:4-207, a vehicle displaying a valid Person with a Disability placard or wheelchair symbol license plates issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission can park at any public municipal meter without paying, for up to 24 hours in the same spot.¹

The statute bars any overtime penalty at the meter, so the time limit and fee on the meter effectively don’t apply to you. After 24 hours in a single spot, the vehicle can be ticketed or towed. The cap is there so the exemption can’t be used to store a car at a prime metered space indefinitely.

What the Exemption Covers

The waiver applies only to public, municipally operated parking meters. Private lots and garages set their own prices and policies, and a placard does not force them to waive a fee.

The exemption also only waives the meter. It does not let you park where parking is otherwise prohibited. A hydrant, a bus stop, a no-parking zone, a loading zone — a placard changes none of that, and the car will be ticketed or towed like any other.

Rules You Have to Follow

Two conditions decide whether the exemption actually protects you from a ticket.

First, the person the placard or plates were issued to must be in the vehicle, as either driver or passenger. Lending a placard to a relative or friend who then parks on their own is the most common way people get into trouble with disability parking.¹

Second, the placard holder has to carry the Person with a Disability identification card the MVC issues along with the placard. Enforcement officers can ask to see it.²

Who Qualifies and How to Get the Placard or Plates

The MVC issues wheelchair symbol plates and permanent placards to drivers whose qualifying medical condition is certified by a medical practitioner. Qualifying conditions include loss of use of a limb, inability to walk without assistance or a device, severe lung or cardiac disease, an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits walking, and permanent sight impairment of both eyes (which qualifies you for a placard only, not plates).³

You apply using Form SP-41 with a medical certification dated within 60 days. There is no fee, and both the placard and the plates are valid for three years. At renewal, you resubmit the application with a fresh certification, again dated within 60 days.²⁴

If your disability is short-term, you apply instead to your municipal police department using Form SP-68, with a medical certification and a $4 fee payable to NJMVC. The local chief of police approves temporary placards. A temporary placard is valid for six months and can be renewed once, for a maximum of one year.²

Disabled Veterans and Purple Heart Recipients

Disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients get the same meter exemption under N.J.S.A. 39:4-207.10, provided the vehicle displays disabled veteran or Purple Heart license plates or an MVC-issued placard. The same 24-hour limit applies.⁵

Under N.J.S.A. 39:4-204, a veteran honorably discharged and rated permanently 100 percent disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is considered a person with a disability for parking purposes.⁶

Visiting With an Out-of-State Placard

Drivers visiting New Jersey with a disability placard or special plates issued by another state, U.S. territory, or Canada are entitled to use accessible parking spaces here under N.J.S.A. 39:4-207.5.⁷

The meter fee waiver is a separate question. N.J.S.A. 39:4-207 applies to placards and plates “issued pursuant to the provisions of this act,” meaning New Jersey-issued credentials, and the statute does not explicitly address out-of-state placards at meters. If you’re visiting, check with the municipality before relying on the exemption to skip the meter.¹

Penalties for Misusing a Placard

If the MVC finds that a placard or plates have been misused, it will immediately revoke the identification card, placard, and plates.²

Making a false statement on an application for disability plates or placards is a fourth degree crime under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4a. A conviction can carry a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 18 months in prison.²

1
Justia. New Jersey Code 39-4-207 – Parking Overtime by Driver of Motor Vehicle With Placard or Wheelchair Symbol License Plates; No Penalty
2
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Wheelchair Symbol Plates and Persons With a Disability Placards
3
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Wheelchair Symbol Plates and Persons With a Disability Placards – Qualifications
4
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. FAQ – Wheelchair Symbol Plates and Persons With a Disability Placards
5
Justia. New Jersey Code 39-4-207.10 – Exemption From Payment of Parking Meter Fees for Disabled Veterans, Purple Heart Recipients, Certain Circumstances
6
Justia. New Jersey Code 39-4-204 – Person With a Disability Defined
7
New Jersey Department of Human Services. New Jersey Guide to Accessible Parking