How to Get a Handicap Placard in Texas: Form VTR-214 and Eligibility

To get a handicap placard in Texas, you complete Form VTR-214 with a licensed medical professional’s certification of your disability, then submit it to your county tax assessor-collector’s office in person or by mail. Permanent placards are free. Temporary placards cost $5. There is no online application. Processing typically runs 10 to 15 business days once the county office accepts your paperwork.¹

Do You Qualify

Texas defines a qualifying disability broadly. You meet the standard if any of the following applies:

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You need a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic, wheelchair, or another person’s assistance to get around.
You have lung disease with a forced expiratory volume under one liter per second (measured by spirometry), or an arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg at rest on room air.
You use portable oxygen.
Your cardiac condition is classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
You have an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits walking.
You have a foot disorder that makes walking prohibitively painful.
You have any other medical condition that, in a licensed physician’s opinion, limits your ability to walk.

Visual impairment also qualifies. You’re eligible if your corrected visual acuity is 20/200 or worse in your better eye, or if your widest visual field diameter is 20 degrees or less.²

That last walking category — any condition a physician certifies as limiting your mobility — is the catch-all. If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into one of the listed categories, your doctor’s professional judgment can still get you certified.

Who Can Sign the Medical Certification

Not every healthcare provider is authorized to certify the disability section of the form. Texas allows these professionals to sign:

A physician licensed to practice medicine in Texas or an adjacent state, or authorized to practice in a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility.
A podiatrist, but only for disabilities caused by foot disorders.
An optometrist, but only for disabilities caused by visual impairment.
A physician assistant licensed in Texas and acting as an agent of a licensed physician.
An advanced practice nurse as defined under Chapter 301 of the Texas Occupations Code.

A general-practice physician can certify any qualifying condition. Podiatrists and optometrists are limited to their specialties. The certifying provider must include their medical license number and address on the form.³ If you receive care through the VA, a VA physician can sign even without a Texas license.

Filling Out and Submitting Form VTR-214

Download Form VTR-214 from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles website or pick up a paper copy at any county tax assessor-collector’s office.⁴ The form has two main parts: your personal information and the disability statement your medical provider completes.

You provide your full legal name, current address, and proof of identity. Your medical provider certifies the specific condition and marks whether the disability is temporary or permanent. That checkbox determines whether you receive a red or blue placard, so make sure it matches what you discussed. On first-time applications, the provider’s certification must be notarized. After the provider completes their portion, you sign at the bottom affirming the information is accurate.

Submit the completed form to the county tax assessor-collector’s office in the county where you live or where you receive medical treatment. You can walk it in or mail it. There is no online submission. If you’re applying for a temporary placard, include the $5 fee by personal check, money order, or cashier’s check.³

Permanent or Temporary

Texas issues two placards, and the differences matter for cost, validity, and what happens when they expire.

Permanent (blue) placard. Free. Valid for four years. You receive two placards, or one placard and a set of disability license plates. Renewable without a new medical certification.
Temporary (red) placard. Costs $5. Valid for six months. Cannot be renewed. If your condition persists, you file a brand-new application with a fresh medical certification.

Which placard you get depends on the box your provider checks.⁴ A broken leg or similar recovery usually calls for a temporary placard. A condition that won’t improve calls for a permanent one, which saves you from reapplying every six months.

Renewing or Replacing Your Placard

Permanent blue placards expire every four years. Renewal is simpler than the original application: fill out a new VTR-214, complete only the affidavit section (not the disability statement), and submit it with either a copy of your original application or your expiring placards to the county tax office. You do not need to see a doctor again.⁵

Temporary red placards don’t work the same way. They cannot be renewed at all. If your condition hasn’t resolved after six months, you start the full process over with a current medical certification. There is no shortcut for slow-healing injuries.

If your placard is lost, stolen, or damaged, go to your county tax office, fill out the standard form, and note that you need a duplicate. Both new applications and replacements generally take 10 to 15 business days once the county office has your paperwork.¹

Don’t Lend It Out

Once you have the placard, keep it to yourself. Texas treats misuse as a misdemeanor, including lending your placard to someone who uses it when you’re not being transported. Fines start at $500 for a first offense and can reach $1,250, and courts can add up to 50 hours of community service.⁴ The law also presumes the registered owner of the vehicle is the person who parked it in the disabled space, so handing the placard off to a family member for a quick grocery run is exactly the kind of thing that gets ticketed.⁶

1
Williamson County, TX. Disability Placards / Plates
2
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 681 – Privileged Parking
3
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and/or License Plate
4
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Parking, Placards and Plates
5
Travis County Tax Office. Disabled Parking Placards and Plates, Permanent Disability
6
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 681.011 – Offenses; Presumption