How to Get a Handicap Parking Permit on Long Island

To get a handicap parking permit on Long Island, you apply through your town or village clerk’s office, not the DMV. New York State sets the medical eligibility rules and provides the application form, but the clerk in the town where you live is the issuing agent, and the permit is free.¹

Do You Qualify

Before you start the paperwork, confirm that your condition fits one of the categories New York recognizes. The state application form (MV-664.1) lists the specific medical criteria your healthcare provider will certify:²

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You have limited or no use of one or both legs.
You have a neuromuscular condition that severely limits mobility.
You have a Class III or Class IV cardiac condition under American Heart Association standards.
You have lung disease with forced expiratory volume under one liter, or arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg at rest.
You use portable oxygen.
You have an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits walking.
You are legally blind.
You have another physical or mental impairment of equal severity that prevents you from getting around without great difficulty.

The underlying statute, New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 404-a, uses the term “severely disabled person” and covers the broader category of any permanent condition of equivalent severity.³

A temporary permit is available if you are temporarily unable to walk without an assistive device such as a brace, cane, crutch, walker, or wheelchair. Temporary permits last up to six months.²

Fill Out Form MV-664.1

Download Form MV-664.1 from the New York DMV website, or pick up a copy at your local town clerk’s office.² The form has two parts.

Part 1 is yours. Enter your name, address, and date of birth. Part 2 goes to your healthcare provider, who checks the box for your qualifying condition, describes how it limits your mobility, and signs with their professional license number.

If you’d rather skip the form, your provider can instead write a statement on professional letterhead describing your condition and confirming that it meets the legal standard.¹

Who Can Sign the Medical Certification

For a permanent disability, any of the following providers can certify:²

Medical doctor (MD)
Doctor of osteopathy (DO)
Physician assistant (PA)
Nurse practitioner (NP)
Podiatrist, for foot-related disabilities only
Optometrist, for blindness only

For a temporary disability, only an MD or DO can sign. A PA, NP, podiatrist, or optometrist cannot certify a temporary condition. This trips people up: if a nurse practitioner manages your care, you’ll still need to see an MD or DO for a temporary permit.

Where to Submit It on Long Island

Bring the completed form to the clerk of the town or village where you live. An issuing agent can only process applications from residents of their own municipality.⁴ On Long Island, that means the town clerk in Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Huntington, Smithtown, Islip, Babylon, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, or Shelter Island, depending on where you live. If you live in an incorporated village, you may apply through your village clerk instead.

Bring your New York State driver’s license or non-driver ID card when you go. The clerk will write the last three digits of your ID number on the permit itself.⁴

Applying in person is usually fastest, and clerks can often hand you the hangtag at the counter. Some Long Island clerks accept mailed applications; mailed permits take a couple of weeks to come back. Call first. Some local offices use a supplemental application in addition to the state form.²

Hangtag or License Plates

Before you file, decide which you want. New York offers two options with the same parking privileges but different procedures.

The removable hangtag is what the town clerk issues, free of charge. It moves between vehicles, which matters if you ride with different drivers or use paratransit. Disability license plates, by contrast, attach to a single vehicle registered in your name, and the DMV, not the clerk, issues them. The plate fee is $28.75.¹ You apply for plates at a DMV office using the same MV-664.1 (or a provider’s letterhead statement), along with your current vehicle plates, proof of identity, and payment.

Most Long Island applicants want the hangtag. It’s free, it’s flexible, and your town clerk can issue it the same day.

How Long the Permit Lasts and How to Renew

Every permit has a printed expiration date, and an expired permit is not valid.⁵ Renewal procedures for permanent permits vary by town, so contact your clerk’s office as the date approaches. Some offices ask for a fresh MV-664.1 with new medical certification; others have a lighter process.

Temporary permits run up to six months. To extend one, you need a new application with a new medical certification from an MD or DO.

If your permit is lost or stolen, call the town clerk who issued it. They’re your issuing agent, and they handle replacements too. Writing down the permit number and keeping it somewhere safe will speed things along if you ever need a replacement.

1
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Parking for People with Disabilities
2
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for a Parking Permit or License Plates for Persons with Severe Disabilities
3
New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 404-A – Registration of Motor Vehicles of Severely Disabled Persons
4
New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Code 1203-A – Parking Permits for Handicapped Persons
5
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Parking for People with Disabilities – The Law