Handicap Placard in Georgia: Types, Qualifications, and How to Apply

To get a handicap placard in Georgia, you fill out Form MV-9D, have a licensed medical provider certify that you meet one of the state’s qualifying conditions, and submit it to your county tag office. There is no fee. The state issues three colors of placard depending on how long your disability is expected to last and whether your vehicle uses special hand controls.

Who Qualifies

Georgia’s definition of a person with disabilities covers mobility, cardiac, respiratory, and vision impairments. You qualify if any one of the following applies:¹

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You need a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or another person’s help to walk.
Your forced respiratory volume for one second is less than one liter, or your resting arterial oxygen tension is below 60 millimeters of mercury on room air.
You use portable oxygen.
You have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
You are severely limited in walking by an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, or by complications from pregnancy.
Your central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with corrective lenses, or your visual field in the better eye is 20 degrees or narrower.

Two categories often get overlooked. Pregnancy complications that severely limit walking are on the list, and so is qualifying vision impairment. A cardiac diagnosis by itself is not enough; it has to reach the Class III or IV threshold, meaning significant symptoms during ordinary activity or an inability to do any physical activity without discomfort.

Hearing impairment is not on the placard list. It does, however, qualify you for a disabled person license plate, discussed below.

The Three Placard Types

Each color signals a different situation to enforcement officers.²

The blue permanent placard is for disabilities expected to last more than 180 days. It is replaced every four years. Free to issue, free to replace. You can use it in any vehicle you drive or ride in as a passenger.

The red temporary placard covers disabilities expected to last fewer than 180 days, like recovery from surgery or a broken leg. It is valid for up to 180 days, also free, and also transferable between vehicles you use.

The gold special equipment placard is for drivers of vehicles fitted with hand controls for the brakes and accelerator, or for people who have lost the use of both upper extremities. Unlike the other two, this one is tied to the specially equipped vehicle rather than to the person. It follows the same four-year replacement cycle and carries no fee.

How to Apply

The process is the same regardless of which placard you need.

Download Form MV-9D, the Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit, from the Georgia Department of Revenue website. You complete the top section with your name, address, and Georgia driver’s license or ID number. Your medical provider completes the certification section, identifying the specific qualifying condition from the statutory list.

Any of the following can sign the medical portion: a licensed doctor of medicine, an osteopathic physician, a podiatrist, an optometrist, or a chiropractor. A provider who knowingly certifies a false disability faces legal consequences under state law.²

Submit the completed affidavit to the county tag office in the county where you live. No application fee applies to any placard type. Processing is generally straightforward when the medical section is filled out completely.

Renewal and Replacement

Permanent and special equipment placards expire every four years. To renew, submit a new Form MV-9D with a fresh medical certification confirming the condition still exists. There is no charge.²

Temporary placards simply expire at the end of their stated period. If you still need one, you apply again. If the disability is now expected to last more than 180 days, apply for a permanent placard instead.

For a lost, stolen, or damaged placard, contact your county tag office. You will likely need to complete a new affidavit. A police report helps if the placard was stolen. A damaged or altered placard is treated as invalid, so replace it before relying on it.

Using the Placard Correctly

When you park in a designated accessible space, hang the placard from the rearview mirror or lay it on the driver’s side of the dashboard so it is visible from outside. Take it down from the mirror before driving, since it can obstruct your view.

The placard belongs to the person, not the vehicle. The disabled individual has to be present as the driver or a passenger whenever the placard is being used to park in an accessible space. Lending it to a family member running errands on their own is one of the most common violations officers write up.³

Georgia does not grant a statewide exemption from parking meter fees or posted time limits. Meter rules are set locally, so check signs or contact the municipality where you plan to park.

Disabled Person License Plate as an Alternative

If you drive one vehicle and would rather not move a placard around, Georgia offers a disabled person license plate. Eligibility overlaps with the placard criteria and adds one category: hearing impairment severe enough to prevent understanding oral communication at normal conversational volume.²

You, your spouse, your child, or your legal guardian can apply, provided you are a Georgia resident and own or lease the vehicle. Eligible vehicles include private passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks weighing 14,000 pounds or less, and personal-use recreational vehicles. Applying takes both Form MV-1 (Tag and Title Application) and Form MV-9D, filed at your county tag office.

The plate carries a $20 annual fee. It stays with the vehicle and can move to a replacement vehicle if you sell the old one, but it cannot be transferred to another person after the disabled individual’s death or if joint ownership ends. You can hold both a disabled plate and a parking placard at the same time.

Penalties and Out-of-State Placards

Georgia enforces its disabled parking rules on both public and private property, so a shopping center lot is treated the same as a city street.⁴ Common violations include using someone else’s placard when that person isn’t in the vehicle, displaying an expired placard, and parking in an accessible space or its striped access aisle without any placard. Parking in the access aisle blocks wheelchair ramp deployment for the person in the adjacent space. Violations can bring misdemeanor charges and fines, and citations can be written without the vehicle owner present.

Georgia honors out-of-state disabled plates and placards on the same terms as its own. If you are visiting from another state, display your placard properly and you can use any designated accessible space.⁵

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-221 – Definitions
2
Department of Revenue. Disabled Person’s License Plates and Parking Permits
3
Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-226 – Parking Privileges for Persons With Disabilities
4
Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-227 – Application to Both Public and Private Property
5
Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-224 – Out-of-State Handicapped or Disabled Persons License Plates and Parking Permits