How to Complete Form MV-145A: Pennsylvania Disability Parking Placard Application

Pennsylvania Form MV-145A is the application PennDOT uses to issue a disability parking placard, and it costs nothing to file. You fill in your personal information in Section A, a licensed healthcare provider certifies your qualifying condition in Section B (for a permanent placard) or Section C (for a temporary one), you sign Section E, and the completed form goes to PennDOT’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Harrisburg by mail or in person.¹ The current form is on PennDOT’s website.²

Who Can Apply

PennDOT issues placards to Pennsylvania residents who meet at least one of these conditions:¹

Blindness
Does not have full use of one or both arms
Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest
Cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or help from another person
Lung disease with forced expiratory volume under one liter per second measured by spirometry, or arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg on room air at rest
Uses portable oxygen
Cardiac condition classified as Class III or IV under American Heart Association standards
Arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits the ability to walk

You do not have to be the person with the disability. A parent, adoptive parent, foster parent, spouse, or someone standing in loco parentis for a qualifying individual can hold the placard in their own name.¹

Decide Which Placard You Need

Your condition and how long it is expected to last determine which placard, and therefore which section of the form the provider fills in.³

A permanent placard is valid for five years and is for long-term or permanent conditions. The provider fills in Section B.
A temporary placard is valid for up to six months and covers recovery from surgery, injury, or illness. The provider fills in Section C.
A Severely Disabled Veteran placard is valid for five years and requires proof of a service-connected disability through federal documentation.

All three are free.²

Filling Out the Form

Section A: Your Information

Everyone fills in Section A. Enter your full legal name, home address, and date of birth. The ID field takes your Pennsylvania driver’s license number or Photo ID number.²

Section B or Section C: Healthcare Provider Certification

Use Section B for a permanent placard, Section C for a temporary one. Not both. The provider checks the qualifying condition, describes the disability, notes whether an assistive device is required, and signs and dates the certification.

The provider must be licensed or certified in Pennsylvania or in a bordering state: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, or Ohio. Eligible providers include physicians, chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, physician assistants, and certified registered nurse practitioners, and each can only certify conditions within their scope of practice. An optometrist can certify blindness; a cardiac condition has to come from someone qualified to diagnose it.²

Watch the dates. The provider’s signature must be dated within 60 days of when PennDOT receives the form. If the form arrives in Harrisburg more than 60 days after the signature, the application is invalid and gets sent back. Build in time for mail transit so the signature does not go stale on the way.

Section E: Your Signature

Sign Section E to certify that your information is accurate. Without your signature, the application is incomplete.

Where to Send It

You have two options for submitting the completed form:¹

By mail to PennDOT, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 68268, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8268.²
In person at the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg.

Once approved, PennDOT mails the placard to the home address on your application.

Renewals and Replacements

PennDOT mails a renewal notice to permanent placard holders roughly 60 days before the placard expires.¹ If the notice does not arrive, you can file a fresh MV-145A: check the renewal box, list your previous placard number, and complete Sections A and E. You can also renew online.

Temporary placards cannot be extended. If you still need one after six months, submit an entirely new MV-145A with a new healthcare provider certification.¹

For a lost, stolen, or damaged placard, submit the MV-145A marked as a replacement request or handle it online. Once PennDOT issues the replacement, the old placard is voided in the system; if you later find the original, you have to return it, because using a voided placard counts as unauthorized use.⁴ A replacement temporary placard is valid only for the time remaining on the original.

Using the Placard and Penalties for Misuse

The placard belongs to the person it was issued to, not to a vehicle. Hang it from the rearview mirror of whatever car you are riding in or driving while parked in a designated space, and remove it before driving so it does not obstruct your view.

Pennsylvania enforces placard rules with escalating penalties:

Unauthorized use, including using someone else’s placard or using a placard when the qualifying individual is not being transported, is a summary offense with a fine of up to $100.¹
Altering, forging, or knowingly using a counterfeit placard is a first-degree misdemeanor under 75 Pa.C.S. § 7122, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in prison, or both.²
Parking in a reserved space without a valid placard or plate is a summary offense carrying a fine of $50 to $200 depending on posted signage, plus a $50 surcharge on conviction.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for or Renew a Persons with Disability Parking Placard
2
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Person with Disability Parking Placard Application
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Placard FAQs
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for a Replacement Person with Disability Parking Placard