The California DMV disabled veteran registration fee waiver eliminates registration and license fees on one vehicle owned by a California resident with a 100% service-connected disability that also affects mobility or vision. You apply by submitting form REG 256V with the required certification, and once approved, the DMV issues Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates that carry the fee exemption and unlock free metered parking.
Who Qualifies
You must be a California resident and a veteran rated 100% service-connected disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the military branch that discharged you. The rating alone is not enough. Under Vehicle Code Section 295.7, your disability must also fall into one of these categories:1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH Section 295.7
- A diagnosed condition that substantially impairs or interferes with your ability to move around.
- Inability to move without an assistive device such as a wheelchair, walker, or crutches.
- Loss of, or loss of use of, one or more limbs.
- Permanent blindness, defined as central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye after correction, or a visual field limited to 20 degrees or less.
The blindness standard traces to Welfare and Institutions Code Section 19153 and requires certification by a physician specializing in eye diseases or a licensed optometrist.2California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code WIC Section 191533California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Disabled Veteran Definition (VC 295.7)
Which Vehicle the Waiver Covers
The exemption applies to one vehicle you own, and it must be a passenger vehicle, a motorcycle, or a commercial vehicle with an unladen weight of 8,000 pounds or less. The vehicle cannot be used for transportation for hire, compensation, or profit.4Justia Law. California Vehicle Code Section 9101-9107 – Article 1 Exemptions You cannot split the exemption across two vehicles or extend it to a vehicle titled in someone else’s name.
The REG 256V and Your Certification Options
The application is the Certification for Disabled Veterans License Plates, form REG 256V. It asks for your vehicle information and a certification confirming your disability.5California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran License Plates
You have two ways to complete the certification section:
- A licensed medical professional with direct knowledge of your condition signs it. The DMV accepts a physician, surgeon, chiropractor, optometrist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife.
- A County Veterans Service Officer, an authorized representative of the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), or an authorized representative of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs signs it. Veterans already working with the VA often find this route faster because it avoids a separate medical appointment.
How to Submit the Application
You can bring your completed REG 256V and any supporting documents to a local DMV field office, where staff can flag missing items before you leave. Or you can mail the packet to:
Department of Motor Vehicles
Special Processing Unit, MS D238
P.O. Box 932345
Sacramento, CA 942326CalVet Veteran Services. License Plates
The DMV does not offer online submission for DV plate applications. Once approved, the DMV updates your record and issues your DV plates at the counter or by mail.5California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran License Plates
What Fees the Waiver Eliminates
Once approved, you owe no registration fees, no license fees, and none of the other charges that normally appear on a California registration renewal notice for the covered vehicle.7California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran License Plates and Fees Exemption The one carve-out: you still pay for duplicate DV plates, certificates, or cards if the originals are lost, stolen, or damaged.4Justia Law. California Vehicle Code Section 9101-9107 – Article 1 Exemptions Replacements go through form REG 156 with the duplicate fee.8California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Replacement License Plates and Stickers
Parking Privileges That Come With DV Plates
Vehicle Code Section 22511.5 gives a vehicle displaying DV plates three parking benefits:
- Free parking at any metered space.
- No time limit in posted time-restricted street parking.
- Access to areas restricted to resident or merchant permit holders.
These privileges do not override no-stopping or no-standing zones, spaces reserved for buses, taxis, or other specific vehicle types, or areas used for street vending. The privileges belong to the disabled veteran personally, not to anyone else who happens to drive the vehicle.9California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH Section 22511.5
Annual Renewal and Moving Plates to a New Vehicle
DV plates expire December 31 each year. You still have to renew registration annually, even though nothing is owed. Driving on expired registration can bring a citation regardless of your waiver.7California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran License Plates and Fees Exemption
If you buy another vehicle, you can move your DV plates to it. The DMV asks for the registration card in your name (or documents to register the new vehicle to you), a completed REG 17 or REG 17A showing the reassignment, the plates currently on the new vehicle, and a Statement of Facts (REG 256) confirming you own the DV plates.10California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Reassignment of Special License Plates The fee exemption follows the plates. You do not need to reapply for the waiver itself.
What Happens When the Veteran Dies
The fee exemption ends at the veteran’s death. A surviving spouse cannot keep DV plates or the registration waiver.11California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Division 3 Chapter 1 Article 8.5 California regulation requires DV plates to be surrendered to the DMV within 60 days of death or upon expiration of the vehicle’s registration, whichever comes first. The plates cannot transfer to a co-owner or anyone else.12Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 13 Section 182.04 The surviving owner obtains standard plates and pays normal registration fees going forward. The general death-reporting process begins with a DMV 22 form.13California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Reporting a Death of a Family Member or Friend
Penalties for Misuse
Letting someone else use your DV plates for parking benefits when you are not present, or parking in a disabled space using DV plates issued to another person who is not in or near the vehicle, is a misdemeanor under Vehicle Code Section 4461. Fines run from $250 to $1,000, and a conviction can include up to six months in county jail. Depending on how the jurisdiction handles enforcement, the same conduct can be pursued as a civil parking penalty in the same dollar range. The DMV can also cancel or revoke a disabled placard for misuse.14California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH Section 22511.5