How to Fill Out the Illinois Handicap Placard Form (VSD 62)

The Illinois handicap placard form VSD 62 is a two-sided application you complete with a licensed medical professional to get a disability parking placard from the Secretary of State. There is no fee for the placard itself. You can download the form from the Secretary of State’s website or pick one up at any Driver Services facility, then submit it by mail or in person depending on whether you need a temporary or permanent placard.

Before You Start

Two things need to be true before the form is worth filling out: you must qualify medically, and you must have the right professional available to certify you.

Who Qualifies

Illinois law defines a person with disabilities under 625 ILCS 5/1-159.1. A licensed medical professional must find that you meet at least one of the qualifying conditions, which include the inability to walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic, wheelchair, or the help of another person; severe walking limitation from an arthritic, neurological, oncological, or orthopedic condition; inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest; reliance on portable oxygen; a Class III or Class IV cardiac limitation under American Heart Association standards; specified lung-function thresholds; or the loss or permanent loss of use of a hand or arm.¹

Your provider indicates whether the disability is permanent or temporary. Permanent conditions get a blue placard valid for four years. Temporary conditions from surgery, injury, or short-term illness get a red placard valid for up to six months.²

Who Can Sign Part 3

The certification section must be completed by one of the following: a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, a physician assistant, an advanced practice registered nurse, a licensed physical therapist, a licensed chiropractor, or a licensed optometrist.³ Physician assistants need delegated authority from their supervising physician to make this determination, and advanced practice registered nurses need a written collaborative agreement authorizing it.⁴

You also need a valid Illinois driver’s license or state ID card number for the application. If you can’t locate yours, stop at a Driver Services facility to look it up before completing the form.

Filling Out the Form Part by Part

Both sides must be completed and signed. Blank required fields will slow the application down or get it rejected.

Part 1: Your Information

You complete Part 1 yourself. It asks for your full legal name, date of birth, Illinois driver’s license or ID number, home address, mailing address if different, phone number, and email. It also asks whether you’re a military veteran; if you check yes, attach a copy of your DD214. Sign and date the bottom of Part 1.³

Part 2: For Applicants Under 18

If the person with a disability is a minor, a parent or legal guardian fills out Part 2 in addition to Part 1, providing their own identifying information and signature.³ Skip this section if the applicant is 18 or older.

Part 3: Medical Certification

Your provider completes Part 3. They enter their printed name, specialty, state professional license number (not their NPI), office address, and signature with the current date. They check the box for the qualifying condition and mark the disability as permanent or temporary. For a temporary disability, they write in the expected duration, up to six months.³

Watch the signature date. The form’s validity runs from when your provider signs it: four years for a permanent placard, six months for a temporary one. If weeks pass between the medical appointment and the submission, you’re burning coverage. Get the form in soon after it’s signed.

Part 4: Meter-Exempt Certification

Part 4 is optional and only applies if you’re also requesting meter-exempt parking, which lets you park at metered spaces without paying. Your provider certifies that you meet at least one of the additional criteria: you can’t insert coins or obtain tickets from meters because you lack fine motor control in both hands; you can’t reach above your head to 42 inches from the ground due to limited hand, finger, or upper-body strength or mobility; you can’t approach a meter because you use a wheelchair or other mobility device; you can’t walk more than 20 feet due to an orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or lung condition so severe that it almost completely prevents walking; you’re missing a hand or arm or have permanently lost the use of one; or you’re under 18 and incapable of driving. Eligibility here is based on physical ability, not economic need.³

Where to Send It

Where the completed form goes depends on the placard type.

For a temporary (red) placard, take the form to any Secretary of State Driver Services facility, or mail it in. Because temporary placards can be processed at local offices, this is the faster route.

For a permanent (blue) placard, you can walk in at the Flagship Center, 2701 S. Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL 62723, or mail the form to:

Secretary of State
Persons with Disabilities Placard Unit
501 S. 2nd St., Room 541
Springfield, IL 62756³

There is no online submission. Photocopy the completed form before mailing it so you have a record if the original is lost. Permanent placard applications routed through Springfield can take several weeks. If yours doesn’t arrive in a reasonable window, contact the Secretary of State’s office to check the status.

Renewing the Placard

Renewal uses the same VSD 62. You complete Part 1 again, your medical professional re-certifies your condition in Part 3, and you submit the form through the same channels. There is no separate renewal form. If you hold disability license plates and also want to keep the placard, you still complete a VSD 62 to renew the placard itself.³

Because the validity clock starts on the provider’s signature date, schedule the appointment close to when you’ll actually mail the form. Signing months in advance shortens the four years you have with a permanent placard.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Placards

If your placard is lost, damaged, or stolen, don’t use the VSD 62. File form VSD 415, the Application for Replacement Disability Parking Placard. The replacement fee is $10, payable by check or money order to the Secretary of State. If the placard was stolen, attach a copy of the police report. Mail the completed VSD 415 and fee to:

Secretary of State
Vehicle Services Department
Special Plates Division
501 S. Second St.
Springfield, IL 62756⁵

Applicants who qualify under the Circuit Breaker program may have the replacement fee waived.

Penalties for Misuse

Once you have the placard, use only yours and only when you’re the driver or passenger. Parking in a reserved space without a valid placard or disability plates carries a minimum $250 fine, which municipalities can raise up to $350. Using someone else’s placard or plates without authorization carries a minimum $600 fine plus a driver’s license suspension, and police can confiscate the placard on the spot. The most serious violations, such as using a deceased person’s placard, altering a placard, or possessing, duplicating, or selling a fraudulent one, are charged as Class A misdemeanors for a first offense, with fines up to $2,500 and a one-year license suspension; a second offense can be charged as a Class 4 felony.⁶

1
FindLaw. Illinois Code 625 5/1-159.1
2
Illinois Secretary of State. Guide to the Parking Program for Persons With Disabilities
3
Illinois Secretary of State. Persons with Disabilities Certification for Parking Placard
4
Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code tit 92, 1100.5 – Definitions
5
Illinois Secretary of State. Application for Replacement Disability Parking Placard
6
Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Parking Program for Persons With Disabilities