How to Get a Handicap Placard in Arizona: Form, Eligibility, and Renewal

To get a handicap placard in Arizona, download the Motor Vehicle Division’s Individual Disability Plate/Placard Application (Form 96-0104), have a qualifying medical provider complete the certification section, and submit the finished form by mail, at an MVD office, or through an authorized third-party provider. The placard is free. Permanent placards never expire; temporary ones are good for six months.¹²

Do You Qualify

Arizona law lists specific physical disabilities that qualify you for a placard. You only need to meet one.³

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You need a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or another person’s assistance to walk.
You have severe lung disease, measured as a forced expiratory volume of less than one liter per second on spirometry, or an arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg at rest on room air.
You use portable oxygen.
You have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or IV under American Heart Association standards.

Your medical provider decides whether the condition is permanent or temporary. Conditions with no foreseeable end date qualify for a permanent placard. Short-term conditions from surgery, injury, or recovery qualify for a temporary one.³

Fill Out Form 96-0104

Everything runs through one form: the Individual Disability – Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plate/Placard Application, Form 96-0104. Download it from the MVD website or pick one up at any MVD office.²

You complete the first section yourself: full name, Arizona driver license or ID number, and current mailing address. Mark whether you want a placard, plates, or both, and whether your condition is permanent or temporary.

Who Can Sign the Medical Certification

The second section is the medical certification. One of the following must complete and sign it:

A licensed physician (medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or chiropractic)
A physician assistant
A registered nurse practitioner
A physical therapist
A hospital administrator

Your provider describes your disability and certifies whether it is permanent or temporary.²

Organizations that transport people with disabilities use a different form, 96-0104B, for fleet vehicles.⁴

Submit the Application

Once both sections are complete and signed, you have three ways to turn in the form:

By mail to the Special Plates Unit, Motor Vehicle Division, PO Box 2100, Mail Drop 801Z, Phoenix, AZ 85001-2100.²
In person at an MVD office.
Through an authorized third-party provider licensed by MVD, which will charge a convenience fee on top of the state’s zero-dollar placard cost.⁵

The placard itself is free, whether permanent or temporary.¹ The initial application is not accepted online; the paper form and medical certification have to be submitted together. After processing, your placard arrives by mail at the address on your application.

Placard or Disability License Plate?

Arizona offers two options, and both give you the same parking privileges. A placard hangs from the rearview mirror and travels with you between vehicles, which is the better choice if you ride in different cars or depend on others for transportation. Disability license plates stay attached to one vehicle, and that vehicle must be registered or leased by the person with the disability, or by the parent or guardian of a minor with a disability.³

Standard disability plates are free. A specialty design with the disability symbol added costs $25 per year, and personalizing the plate adds another $25.¹

If you need to ride in more than one vehicle regularly, MVD can issue up to three placards to one person. You have to submit a written request explaining the need.³

One note on a related plate: the Deaf or Hard of Hearing plate is handled through the same form but is not a disability parking credential. It alerts law enforcement and first responders to a hearing condition and does not grant special parking privileges. Certification for that plate must come from a licensed physician or an audiologist certified by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association.¹

How Long the Placard Lasts

Since October 2018, permanent disability placards in Arizona have no expiration date. You do not need to renew or recertify, and the placard stays valid as long as you qualify.⁶⁷

Temporary placards are valid for six months, and there is no renewal.⁶ If you still need one at the end of that period, you submit a brand-new application with fresh medical certification. Each temporary period is a separate approval.³ If your temporary condition becomes long-term, ask your provider about certifying you for a permanent placard so you aren’t reapplying every six months.

Replacing a Lost or Damaged Placard

Replacements are free. For permanent placards, the AZ MVD Now online portal handles replacement requests, and no new medical certification is required because the permanent placard has no expiration.⁶ If MVD cannot locate your record and the original application is unavailable, you may have to submit a new application.²

Using the Placard Legally

A placard only authorizes parking in a marked disability space when the person with the disability is actually in the vehicle, as either driver or passenger. You cannot use a family member’s placard to park in a disability spot if that person is not with you.⁸

Never park in the striped access aisle beside a disability space, even with a valid placard. That aisle is there so wheelchair users and people with mobility devices can get in and out of their vehicles, and blocking it is a separate violation. If you are driving someone with a disability and do not have a placard yourself, you may park momentarily in a disability space to load or unload that person without being cited.⁸

1
Arizona Department of Transportation. License Plates and Disability Placards
2
Arizona Department of Transportation. Arizona Code 96-0104 – Individual Disability – Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plate/Placard Application
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-2409 – International Symbol of Access Special Plates; Placard; Update of Records; Invalid Placard or Plate; Definitions
4
Arizona Department of Transportation. Organization Disability – Plate/Placard Application
5
Arizona Department of Transportation. Authorized Third Party Services
6
Arizona Department of Transportation. How Do I Renew a Disability Placard
7
Arizona Department of Transportation. No More Expiration Dates for Portable Permanent MVD Disability Placards
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-884 – Parking Space for Persons With Physical Disabilities; Prohibition; Access Aisle