Florida Disabled Parking Permit: Qualifying, Fees, and Renewal

A Florida disabled parking permit is free for permanent placards and is issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles through your county tax collector’s office. To get one, a licensed healthcare provider certifies a qualifying medical condition on Form HSMV 83039, and you submit that form in person, by mail, or by fax. The permit is tied to you, not to a specific vehicle, and it also exempts you from paying parking meter fees anywhere in the state.

Who Qualifies

Florida law lists the conditions that qualify. The general standard is a disability that prevents you from walking 200 feet without stopping to rest.¹ You don’t have to meet that walking threshold if any of the following apply:

You are certified legally blind.
You have lung disease with a forced expiratory volume under one liter on spirometry, or arterial oxygen below 60 mm/Hg at rest on room air.
You use portable oxygen.
You have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or IV under American Heart Association standards.

If your condition isn’t on that list, the certifying provider on your application decides whether your mobility impairment meets the 200-foot walking rule.¹

How to Apply

The whole process runs through one document: Form HSMV 83039, the Application for Disabled Person Parking Permit. Download it from flhsmv.gov or pick one up at any county tax collector’s office or license plate agency.² You complete the personal information section, including your Florida driver’s license or state ID number, and a qualifying provider fills out and signs the medical certification. If your disability prevents you from obtaining a Florida ID, your physician can certify that on the form in place of the ID number.

Who Can Sign the Medical Section

Florida accepts the certification from a wider group of providers than many people assume:³

Physicians licensed in medicine, osteopathic medicine, or chiropractic medicine.
Podiatric physicians.
Optometrists, but only for sight-related conditions.
Advanced practice registered nurses operating under a licensed physician’s protocol.
Physician assistants.
Out-of-state physicians, provided they submit documentation of their license and sign the form confirming they know Florida’s eligibility rules.

The signature must be dated within the 12 months before you submit the application. Make sure the provider includes a license number and checks the box indicating whether your disability is permanent or temporary. A missing signature, missing license number, or unchecked box will get the application rejected.

Where to Submit It

Take the completed form to your county tax collector’s office or a license plate agency. You can also mail or fax it in. Applying in person is usually fastest because many offices will issue the placard during the same visit; mailed applications take longer and vary by county.²

Permit Types, Fees, and Duration

Florida issues three kinds of placards depending on how long your condition is expected to last:

The permanent blue permit is valid for up to four years and expires on your birthday. It is free.¹
The temporary red permit is valid for the period your provider specifies, up to six months, and costs a flat $15 regardless of how many days it covers.¹
A lifetime permit is available to anyone certified as permanently disabled due to dismemberment or amputation. It never needs renewal.⁴

Most qualifying people receive one permit. Frequent travelers and quadriplegic applicants may request a second.¹

If you’d rather not transfer a placard between vehicles, Florida also offers a wheelchair license plate that carries the same parking privileges. The plate costs $28 on top of your usual registration fees and attaches to a vehicle registered in your name.⁵ A placard is more flexible if you often ride with different drivers; a plate is simpler if you always drive the same car.

Renewing the Permit

The permanent blue placard expires every four years on your birthday. The first renewal after your initial application does not require a new medical certification. Every renewal after that one does, and the provider’s signature must be dated within the previous 12 months.⁴ There is no renewal fee.

Veterans certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any branch of the military as permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability can substitute VA Form Letter 27-333 (or its equivalent) for a new medical certification at renewal, as long as the VA letter was issued within the last 12 months.⁴

Using the Permit

Hang the placard from your rearview mirror when parked so the permit number faces the front of the vehicle. Take it down before you drive; leaving it hanging while the car is moving obstructs your view. Because the permit belongs to you rather than a vehicle, you can use it in any car you’re riding in.⁶

Law enforcement and parking enforcement specialists can ask to see both your placard and your Florida ID, so keep the ID with you when you use the permit. A driver who is simply dropping you off or picking you up at an accessible space can briefly occupy that space for loading and unloading, but cannot leave the vehicle parked there unattended.⁶

Free Meter Parking

State agencies, counties, and cities in Florida cannot charge parking meter fees to a vehicle displaying a valid disabled parking permit or qualifying plate, as long as the vehicle is transporting the person the permit was issued to. Where a meter imposes a time limit, you can park for up to four hours at no charge; local governments can set a longer window by ordinance, but four hours is the floor.⁷

Traveling With the Permit

Florida recognizes permits and plates issued by other states, U.S. districts, and foreign countries that display the international symbol of accessibility, as long as the issuing jurisdiction extends the same courtesy to Florida residents.⁸ If you take your Florida placard out of state, most states will honor it, but follow the local rules on display, time limits, and meter exemptions wherever you are.

Replacing a Lost or Stolen Permit

To replace a permit that was lost, stolen, or damaged, fill out Form HSMV 83146 and bring it to your tax collector’s office or license plate agency.⁹ Replacement fees vary by county, so call ahead. The fee is waived in two situations: when the permit was stolen and you provide a copy of the police report, and when the permit was lost in the mail and you apply within 180 days of the original issuance date.

Penalties for Misuse

Knowingly providing false information on a parking permit application is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, carrying up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. That warning sits directly above the signature line on the application.¹

Using someone else’s permit while that person isn’t in the vehicle, or displaying a counterfeit placard, is a second-degree misdemeanor. Law enforcement and parking enforcement officers can confiscate any permit being used fraudulently, as well as any permit that is expired, defaced, or has been reported lost or stolen. A second conviction for fraudulent use blocks the permitholder from applying for a new permit for four years.¹

Parking in an accessible space without a valid permit, or blocking an access aisle, carries the same penalties as misusing a placard.⁶ Unresolved violations are reported to FLHSMV and attach to your vehicle registration record, which can cause problems when you next try to renew your tags.

1
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 320.0848 – Persons Who Have Disabilities; Issuance of Disabled Parking Permits
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Disabled Person Parking Permit
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Disabled Person Parking Permits
4
Florida Senate. Florida Code 320.0848 – Persons Who Have Disabilities; Issuance of Disabled Parking Permits
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Wheelchair License Plate
6
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 316.1955 – Designated Parking for Certain Persons
7
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 316.1964 – Exemption of Vehicles Transporting Certain Persons
8
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 316.1958 – Out-of-State Vehicles Bearing Identification of Issuance to Persons Who Have Disabilities
9
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Replacement License Plate, Validation Decal, or Parking Permit