How to Fill Out Georgia Form MV-9D: Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit

Georgia Form MV-9D, the Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit, is the single application you use to request a disabled parking placard or license plate from the Georgia Department of Revenue. You complete the applicant sections, your healthcare provider certifies a qualifying condition and signs in front of a notary, and you bring the finished form to your County Tag Office. The placard is free, and many offices issue it while you wait.¹

Download the form from the Georgia Department of Revenue’s website or pick up a blank copy at any County Tag Office.¹ The form has five sections. The first three are yours; the last two belong to your healthcare provider.

What You Fill Out: Sections One Through Three

Section One asks for the disabled person’s full legal name and residential address, including county. If you are applying for a disabled license plate rather than a placard, you also enter the vehicle owner’s name, driver’s license number and issuing state, and the vehicle owner’s street address. Checkboxes identify the relationship between the disabled person and the vehicle owner: self, spouse, child, or ward.

Section Two is only for institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes defined under O.C.G.A. § 31-7-1. Individual applicants skip it. Institutions supply the vehicle year, make, VIN, color, tag number, an authorized representative’s signature, and a copy of their institutional license.

Section Three is where you check the permit type: temporary placard, permanent placard, special permanent placard, or disabled person’s license plate.

What Your Healthcare Provider Fills Out: Sections Four and Five

Section Four is the medical certification. Your provider marks whether the disability is permanent or temporary and checks every qualifying condition that applies from the list that mirrors O.C.G.A. § 40-6-221. For a temporary permit, the provider also writes the date through which the disability is expected to last.

Section Five captures the provider’s printed name, Georgia license number, signature, date, office address, and phone number. A notary public must witness that signature and apply a seal. The notarization requirement catches people off guard, so ask ahead of time whether your provider’s office has a notary on staff or plan a separate stop before you submit the form.

Who Can Sign the Affidavit

Under O.C.G.A. § 40-2-74.1, Georgia limits the medical certification to specific practitioners:

Doctor of medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.)
Doctor of podiatric medicine (D.P.M.)
Licensed optometrist
Licensed chiropractor
Licensed advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) acting under O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25
Licensed physician assistant (PA) acting under O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103

If your primary care provider is a nurse practitioner or PA, they can sign without looping in a physician. Georgia also accepts, in place of the MV-9D itself, a signed and dated statement from any of these practitioners written on security paper, as long as it contains the same information the form requires.²

Qualifying Conditions

Your provider must certify at least one of the disability definitions in O.C.G.A. § 40-6-221. You qualify if you:

Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest
Need a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or another person’s help to walk
Have restricted lung disease with a forced expiratory volume of less than one liter per second measured by spirometry, or a resting arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm Hg on room air
Use portable oxygen
Have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or Class IV by the American Heart Association
Are severely limited in walking due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, or complications from pregnancy
Are legally blind with central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a visual field narrowed to 20 degrees or less in the better eye

A separate checkbox covers hearing impairment as defined by O.C.G.A. § 24-9-101.³ One point worth watching: the AHA Class III and IV classification applies to heart conditions, not respiratory ones. Lung disease uses the spirometry and oxygen criteria instead. Make sure the right box gets checked for the right diagnosis.

Choosing a Permit Type

Your Section Three choice, combined with your provider’s certification in Section Four, determines what you receive.

Permanent placard (blue). Valid for four years from issuance. For ongoing disabilities that are not expected to improve.
Temporary placard (red). Valid for up to 180 days. For recoverable conditions such as post-surgical rehabilitation or late-stage pregnancy complications.
Special permanent placard (gold). Also valid for four years. Issued only to drivers whose vehicles are equipped with hand controls for the brake and accelerator, or who have lost the use of both upper extremities.

All three placards are free.⁴

You can also use the MV-9D to request a disabled person’s license plate instead of a placard. The plate carries the standard $20 annual registration fee plus any applicable ad valorem tax, with no separate manufacturing or special tag charge.⁵ A plate stays attached to one vehicle. A placard moves with you between vehicles as long as you are the driver or a passenger.

Where to Submit the Form

Bring the completed, signed, and notarized MV-9D to the County Tag Office in the county where the disabled person lives. You can also mail it to the Georgia Department of Revenue, which processes applications and issues permits by return mail.² In person is faster. Many county offices hand over the placard once they review your paperwork; mailed applications sit in postal transit and processing queues.

Bring a valid Georgia driver’s license or state ID with your current address. If the address on your ID doesn’t match your county of residence, expect to be asked for a utility bill or similar proof. Keep a copy of the signed MV-9D for your own records before you turn in the original.

Renewing or Replacing a Placard

Permanent and special permanent placards expire four years after issuance. To renew, bring the expiring placard and your current Georgia license or ID to your County Tag Office. You do not need a new MV-9D, and you do not need to go back to your doctor.⁶ The county issues a fresh placard with a new four-year expiration at no cost.

Temporary placards work differently. If your condition continues past the original 180-day window, you need a new MV-9D with an updated medical certification. Your provider can then certify another temporary permit or, if the condition is now considered permanent, a permanent one.

If a placard is lost, stolen, or damaged, visit your County Tag Office with your ID to request a replacement. Some counties ask for a new affidavit or a copy of a prior prescription, so call ahead to confirm what yours requires.

Using the Placard Correctly

When you park in an accessible space, hang the placard from the rearview mirror or lay it on the driver’s side of the dashboard so the permit number and expiration date face outward. The placard is valid only when the person it was issued to is the driver or a passenger. Lending it to someone else is illegal regardless of your relationship.

Remove the placard from the mirror before you drive. Most placards print this instruction on the permit itself.

Georgia takes misuse seriously. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-226, parking in an accessible space without a valid permit, parking in a space marked for people using ambulatory assistive devices unless the driver or passenger actually uses one, or blocking an access aisle is a misdemeanor carrying fines of $100 to $500, and the vehicle can be towed at the owner’s expense.⁷⁸ Obtaining a permit through fraud or making a false statement on the affidavit is a separate offense under the same statute.

1
Georgia Department of Revenue. MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit
2
Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-74.1 – Temporary, Permanent, and Special Permanent Parking Permits for Persons With Disabilities
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FindLaw. Georgia Code Title 40 Motor Vehicles and Traffic 40-6-221
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Georgia Department of Revenue. Disabled Person’s License Plates and Parking Permits
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Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division. License Plate Details
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DeKalb County Tax Commissioner. Disabled Parking Placards
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FindLaw. Georgia Code Title 40 Motor Vehicles and Traffic 40-6-226
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Athens-Clarke County, GA. Disabled Person Parking Info