How to Complete Colorado Form DR 2219: Disability Placard Application

Colorado Form DR 2219 is the Parking Privileges Application you use to request a disability parking placard or license plate from the Division of Motor Vehicles.¹ You fill out the applicant sections and present a secure ID to a witness, your medical provider certifies your qualifying impairment on the lower half, and you submit the form online at mydmv.colorado.gov, in person, or by mail to your county motor vehicle office. There is no fee.²

What the Form Gets You

The type of placard or plate you receive depends on how long your provider expects the condition to last, which they mark on the certification section of the DR 2219.¹

Permanent (blue placard or plate) for a condition not expected to change within your lifetime. Three-year cycle with a full recertification required every ninth year.
Extended (blue) for a condition not expected to change within 30 months. Renews every three years with a new medical certification.
Temporary (blue) for a condition expected to last less than 30 months. Renews every three years with a new medical certification.
Short-term (red) for a condition lasting 90 days or less, valid until the last day of the month falling 90 days after issuance. Renewable once with provider authorization.
Remuneration-exempt (purple) for meter-access disabilities. Three-year certification cycle.

On the option selection portion, you also choose the format: one plate, two plates, one placard, two placards, or one plate and one placard. A parent or guardian applying for a child under 16 can receive up to two placards, two plates, or one of each on the child’s behalf. The remuneration-exempt purple placard is the exception: it cannot be issued to a parent or guardian on behalf of a child under 16, or to a business.¹

Who Qualifies

Your provider selects one of seven qualifying impairment categories on the DR 2219. Colorado ties eligibility to federal disability parking standards under 23 CFR 1235.³

Mobility: cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
Assisted mobility: cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or help from another person.
Respiratory: lung disease that limits forced expiratory volume to under one liter per second, or arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg on room air at rest.
Oxygen: uses portable oxygen.
Cardiac: Class III or IV severity under American Heart Association standards.
Arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits the ability to walk.
Remuneration-exempt: a disability that limits fine motor control in both hands, the ability to reach 48 inches from the ground, or the ability to access a parking meter because you use a wheelchair or other ambulatory device.

The remuneration-exempt category is meant for people who can reach a parking space on their own but cannot physically operate a meter or pay station.¹

Filling Out the Applicant Section

Enter your full legal name, date of birth, physical address, and mailing address if it differs. Then record your secure and verifiable identification: a Colorado driver’s license, a Colorado state ID, any U.S. government-issued ID, or an out-of-state license or ID if you are applying for a short-term placard. Write in the ID type, ID number, expiration date, and your date of birth in the fields provided.¹

A witness has to sign the form confirming they verified the ID you presented. The witness prints their name and signs in the witness certification block. If you cannot sign for yourself, a legal guardian or authorized representative may sign the applicant section on your behalf.²

Who Can Sign the Medical Certification

The provider fills out the bottom of the form: they check your qualifying impairment, indicate whether it is permanent, extended, temporary, or short-term, and sign and date under penalty of perjury. They also list their medical license number, issuing state, office address, and phone number.¹

For permanent, extended, and temporary placards or plates, the certification must come from a physician, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, podiatrist, or a commissioned medical officer of the U.S. Armed Forces, Public Health Service, or Veterans Administration. The provider must be licensed in Colorado or a bordering state.¹

For short-term placards, the list expands to include chiropractors and physical therapists in addition to the providers above.² A provider licensed only in a non-bordering state cannot sign the form.

How to Submit the Form

Colorado accepts the completed DR 2219 through three channels:²

Online through the Apply for a Disability Parking Placard tool at mydmv.colorado.gov. Processing and delivery takes roughly two weeks.
In person at your county motor vehicle office, where you can walk out with the placard the same day.
By mail to your county motor vehicle office, with about two weeks between mailing and receipt.

Disability placards and disability plates are free in Colorado.⁴ If speed matters, going in person is the fastest option.

Renewal and Replacement

Permanent placards run on the most forgiving schedule. Your first two renewals (at years three and six) can be self-certified, so no new provider signature is needed. At year nine you have to submit a fresh DR 2219 with a current medical certification. Extended and temporary placards require a new application with medical certification at every three-year renewal, and short-term placards can be renewed once with the provider’s authorization.¹

Active placards can be renewed online through mydmv.colorado.gov. One catch worth planning around: expired placards cannot be handled online. If yours has already lapsed, contact your county motor vehicle office directly.²

If your placard is lost or damaged, the DMV points you to Form DR 2816 for a replacement. You can also submit a new DR 2219 with your provider’s signature instead, which resets your three-year certification cycle rather than just replacing the physical placard.²

Using the Placard

Hang the placard from your rearview mirror with the front facing out so it is legible through the windshield. If your vehicle has no rearview mirror or you cannot hang the placard there, place it on the dashboard. Remove it before driving.⁵

A valid placard or plate lets you park in reserved disability spaces on public and private property and use general metered or time-limited spaces without regard to the posted time limit. Local jurisdictions can cap reserved-space parking at no less than four hours with posted signage. The time-limit exemption does not extend to no-stopping zones, spaces reserved for specific vehicles such as police cars, or areas restricted during rush hours.⁵

Penalties for Misuse

Parking in a reserved disability space without a valid placard or plate, or blocking an access aisle beside one, is a Class A traffic infraction carrying a $32 surcharge plus:⁶

First offense: $350 to $1,000.
Second offense: $600 to $1,000.
Third or subsequent offense: $1,000 to $5,000, up to 10 hours of community service, and the violation becomes a misdemeanor.

Misuse also triggers DMV revocation. A first violation blocks reissuance for 12 months; a second or subsequent violation blocks it for at least five years. Failing to return a revoked placard or plate is a separate Class B traffic infraction, and trying to obtain a new one while under revocation carries the same escalating fines.³

Providers face parallel exposure. A medical professional who knowingly helps someone fraudulently obtain or keep disability parking authorization can be charged with a Class 4 felony carrying up to a $500,000 fine, or a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying a $1,000 fine, with possible incarceration in either case.¹

1
Colorado Department of Revenue. DR 2219 Parking Privileges Application
2
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Parking Privileges for Persons with Disabilities in Colorado
3
FindLaw. Colorado Code Title 42 – 42-3-204 Special Plates and Placards for Persons with Disabilities
4
Douglas County. Disability Services
5
FindLaw. Colorado Code Title 42 – 42-4-1208 Persons with Disabilities Parking
6
Colorado General Assembly. Persons with Disabilities