Florida Disabled Veteran License Plate: Eligibility, Cost, and Parking

Florida’s disabled veteran license plate is a free “DV” tag issued to veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating, an honorable discharge, and Florida residency. It waives the registration taxes normally due on one personal vehicle, including the $225 initial registration fee, and it lets you park free at most public meters and public parking facilities. You apply in person at your county tax collector’s office using Form HSMV 83007.

Who Qualifies

Florida Statute 320.084 lays out three separate paths to the plate. You qualify if any one of them fits you:1Florida Senate. Florida Code 320.084 – Free Motor Vehicle License Plate to Certain Disabled Veterans

  • The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or its predecessor) has rated you at 100% service-connected disability for compensation purposes.
  • You have a 100% service-connected disability rating and receive disability retirement pay from a branch of the Armed Services.
  • You originally acquired your vehicle through VA financial assistance designated for an automobile purchase.

All three paths require an honorable discharge. On residency, you must have lived in Florida continuously for the preceding five years or established legal domicile in the state. The vehicle must be one you own or lease, and only one free DV plate is issued per eligible veteran.

Documents You Need

The core proof is your 100% rating. Florida accepts either a valid VA identification card showing your total and permanent service-connected rating, or a certification letter from the VA or a branch of the Armed Services.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 320.084 – Free Motor Vehicle License Plate to Certain Disabled Veterans If you qualify under the VA-funded vehicle path instead, bring documentation of that purchase.

Bring the rest of the package with you:

  • HSMV Form 83007, the application for a disabled veteran or wheelchair symbol plate, available from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.3Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 83007 Application for a Disabled, Disabled Veteran or Motorcycle International Wheelchair Symbol License Plate
  • Your current vehicle registration showing the vehicle in your name.
  • Proof of insurance with personal injury protection and property damage liability coverage.
  • Proof of residency: a declaration of domicile filed with your county, or documentation of five continuous years in Florida.

Don’t confuse this with Form HSMV 83039, which is the application for a disabled parking permit. The DV plate uses Form 83007. You would only file Form 83039 if you also want a disabled parking permit for accessible spaces.

Where to Apply and What It Costs

Take your packet to your local county tax collector’s office or a license plate agency. There is no online or mail option for the initial plate.

The plate itself is free of the registration taxes other drivers pay, including the $225 initial registration fee.4Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Initial Registration Fee Exemption Affidavit A few small administrative charges are not waived:

Once approved, you receive a permanent DV plate and a validation sticker set to your birth month. The initial sticker cannot exceed 27 months from the date of issuance.

Standard DV Plate or Wheelchair Symbol Version

If your service-connected disability requires you to permanently use a wheelchair, or you otherwise meet the requirements for a disabled parking permit, you can request the wheelchair symbol version of the DV plate instead. It looks similar to the standard DV plate but replaces the “DV” designation with the international symbol of accessibility.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 320.0842 – Free Motor Vehicle License Plates to Veterans Who Use Wheelchairs

You still need to meet every requirement for the standard DV plate. On top of that, you provide proof of permanent wheelchair use tied to your service-connected disability, or an application meeting the disabled parking permit standards under Florida Statute 320.0848. The wheelchair version replaces the standard DV plate rather than supplementing it, and the choice matters because parking privileges are different.

What the Plate Gets You at Parking Meters

A standard DV plate gives you free parking in most public settings across the state. No state agency, county, or municipality can charge you for parking on public streets, highways, or at metered spaces, as long as you are the person with the disability and you are in the vehicle.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 316.1964 – Exemption of Vehicles Transporting Certain Persons Who Have Disabilities From Payment of Parking Fees and Penalties You also cannot be penalized for exceeding posted meter time limits. Bus zones, fire zones, no-parking zones, emergency vehicle zones, and access aisles next to accessible spaces are still off limits.

County and municipal timed parking facilities that normally charge fees must also exempt vehicles displaying a DV plate. Publicly owned or operated airports must grant free parking to DV plates too, even though those airports can charge drivers who hold only a general disabled parking permit. Private airports that own or lease their parking facilities are not bound by this rule.

Here is where veterans get caught off guard. The standard DV plate does not authorize you to use designated accessible parking spaces marked with the wheelchair symbol. Those spaces are reserved for vehicles displaying a disabled parking permit, a wheelchair license plate, or the DV wheelchair plate. If you need access to those spaces, you have to apply separately for a disabled parking permit using Form HSMV 83039, or switch to the DV wheelchair plate.8Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Frequently Asked Questions

Tolls Are Not Included

The DV plate does not exempt you from tolls on Florida turnpikes, bridges, or express lanes. Toll relief is a separate program: the Disabled Toll Permit issued by the Florida Department of Transportation, with its own eligibility criteria focused on severe, permanent upper limb impairment that prevents you from depositing coins.9Florida Department of Transportation. Florida Disabled Toll Permit Program A 100% VA disability rating alone does not qualify you. If you do obtain the Disabled Toll Permit, it covers manned toll lanes; for unmanned SunPass-only lanes you also need a Non-Revenue SunPass Mini Transponder.

Renewing Your Registration

Your DV plate registration renews either annually or every two years during your designated renewal period. Each time, you submit a certified statement confirming you still meet the eligibility requirements.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 320.084 – Free Motor Vehicle License Plate to Certain Disabled Veterans Renewals are also free of registration taxes, though the same service charge and reflectorization fee apply.

If your VA rating drops below 100%, you lose eligibility for the free DV plate and would need to register the vehicle under standard rates. Keep your VA documentation current so renewals go through cleanly.

Transferring or Replacing Your Plate

When you sell or dispose of the vehicle, the plate comes off. You can transfer it to another vehicle you own by following the standard transfer process at your county tax collector’s office. The plate stays with you, not the car.

Replacement rules depend on what happened to it:10Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. RS-17 Disabled Veteran License Plates and Wheelchair License Plates

  • Lost plate: submit Form HSMV 83146 and pay the applicable fees (reflectorization, service charge, and any branch office fee).
  • Stolen plate: submit Form HSMV 83146 with a police report or case number. When you provide the police documentation, no replacement fee is charged.
  • Damaged or faded plate: turn in the old plate at your tax collector’s office and submit Form HSMV 83146 with the applicable fees.

Penalties for False Applications

Knowingly providing false information on a disabled veteran plate or parking permit application is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, carrying up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. The same applies to a medical professional who falsely certifies a disability. The warning appears above the signature line on the application forms.