To apply for a Minnesota disability parking certificate, complete Form PS2005-3 (Application for Disability Parking Certificate), have a licensed health professional certify your qualifying condition on page two, and submit it online through the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) eServices portal, by mail, or in person at any deputy registrar office. Applying in person is the fastest route: the office issues a temporary 90-day certificate on the spot while DVS mails your permanent hang tag.
Who Qualifies
Minnesota law lists ten physical conditions, and you need to meet at least one. Your health professional checks the applicable box on the form, so knowing which category fits saves time at the appointment.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.345 – Parking Privilege for Physically Disabled
- You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
- You have a significant risk of falling that makes walking dangerous.
- You rely on another person, a walker, cane, crutches, braces, a prosthetic device, or a wheelchair to walk.
- Your forced expiratory volume for one second, measured by spirometry, is less than one liter.
- Your arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) is below 60 mm/Hg on room air at rest.
- You use portable oxygen.
- You have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
- You have lost an arm or leg and do not have or cannot use an artificial limb.
- Walking 200 feet under normal conditions would aggravate your disability to a life-threatening extent.
- You are legally blind.
Cognitive disabilities alone do not qualify, according to the instructions printed on the form. A pregnant person who experiences one of the qualifying conditions is eligible and can receive a temporary certificate lasting up to the expected length of the pregnancy.
Filling Out Form PS2005-3
Download the application from drive.mn.gov or pick up a copy at any deputy registrar office. The form is two pages. You complete the first; your health professional completes the second.2Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Application for Disability Parking Certificate
Section A: Your Information
Fill in your full legal name (last, first, middle), date of birth, and home address. The form asks whether you hold a Minnesota driver’s license or state ID card and requests that number. If you have neither, there’s space to explain why. Your signature in Section A authorizes the health professional to supply the medical information on page two.
Section B: Health Professional Medical Statement
Five types of providers are authorized under Minnesota law to sign: licensed physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, chiropractors, and physical therapists.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.345 – Parking Privilege for Physically Disabled The provider checks which qualifying condition applies, writes a diagnosis, specifies whether the disability is temporary, short-term, long-term, or permanent, and signs with their printed name, title, phone number, and address.
Two things commonly delay applications. First, vague symptom descriptions like “back pain” or “leg pain” without an underlying diagnosis get flagged, and DVS will request further explanation. The provider should write a specific diagnosis that clearly connects to one of the ten qualifying conditions. Second, the form asks whether the applicant is medically qualified to exercise reasonable and ordinary control over a motor vehicle. Leaving it blank triggers a request for a separate medical report. If the provider answers “no,” DVS will cancel your driving privileges until a physician confirms you can drive safely. Talk this question through with your provider before the appointment.
How to Submit Your Application
You have three options:
- Online, through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s eServices portal — select “Request or Renew Disability Parking Certificate” under Driver Services.3Minnesota Council on Disability. Disability Parking
- In person at any deputy registrar motor vehicle office. This is the fastest path. The office issues a temporary 90-day certificate on the spot while DVS produces and mails your permanent hang tag.
- By mail to Driver and Vehicle Services, 445 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-5164.
If you apply by mail or online, wait for the official certificate before parking in designated spaces. A doctor’s note or a photocopy of your application is not a valid substitute.
Fees and How Long Your Certificate Lasts
Your health professional’s estimate of how long your disability will last determines the certificate type, and the type sets the fee.
- Temporary (1–6 months): $5
- Short-term (7–12 months): $5
- Long-term (13–71 months): no fee
- Permanent six-year certificate: no fee
Temporary certificates cover recoveries from surgery or injury. Short-term ones handle conditions expected to improve within a year. Long-term certificates fit chronic conditions that may eventually resolve. Permanent six-year certificates are for disabilities that won’t improve.3Minnesota Council on Disability. Disability Parking
You can hold up to two certificates at once, which helps if you regularly ride in different vehicles. If you also have disability license plates on a car you own, you’re limited to one certificate.
Renewals, Extensions, and Replacements
DVS mails a renewal card before your six-year permanent certificate expires. You can return that card or submit a new application, and a permanent renewal does not require a fresh health professional signature. DVS does randomly select some renewals for re-certification of eligibility.
Temporary, short-term, and long-term certificates don’t renew automatically. When one expires, you file a new application with a new provider signature.
If your provider decides your disability will last longer than first estimated, they can extend your certificate using a new medical statement on the form. Extensions carry no fee, even for certificate types that normally do.
For a lost or stolen certificate, complete only Section A of Form PS2005-3 and submit it. A fee may apply. For a lost certificate, DVS may ask what steps you’ve taken to prevent future losses. For a stolen one, you may need to provide a copy of the police report.2Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Application for Disability Parking Certificate
Disability Plates as an Alternative
If you have a permanent disability and usually drive the same vehicle, disability license plates may fit your situation better than a hanging certificate. Plates stay with the car; a certificate travels with you to any vehicle you’re riding in. To qualify for plates, your health professional must certify a permanent physical disability, and you must be listed as an owner on the vehicle’s registration. Plates require a separate application in addition to the parking certificate application. If you have both plates and a certificate, you’re limited to one certificate; without plates, you can hold two.