How to Get a Handicap Placard in Utah: Form TC-842

To get a handicap placard in Utah, complete Form TC-842 with a healthcare provider’s certification of your qualifying mobility impairment, then submit it by mail or at any local DMV office. A standard paper placard costs nothing, and permanent placards issued after July 1, 2024, never expire, so most people go through this process once.1Utah DMV. Disabled Plates and Placards

Do You Qualify

Utah Code 41-1a-420 ties eligibility to the federal definition in 23 C.F.R. Part 1235.2, which turns on how a condition affects your ability to walk rather than the diagnosis itself.2Justia Law. Utah Code 41-1a-420 – Disability Special Group License Plates Application and Qualifications Rulemaking A licensed provider must find that you meet at least one of the following:3eCFR. 23 CFR 1235.2 Definitions

  • You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
  • You cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or help from another person.
  • Your forced expiratory volume is less than one liter per second, or your arterial oxygen tension is below 60 mm/Hg at rest on room air.
  • You use portable oxygen.
  • Your cardiac condition is Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
  • An orthopedic, neurological, or arthritic condition severely limits your ability to walk.

Because the standard is functional, conditions like fibromyalgia, lupus, or chronic fatigue syndrome can qualify if they limit your walking enough to meet one of the criteria. The judgment call belongs to your provider.

Choose the Placard Type

Pick the credential before you fill out the form, because the choice shapes what your provider certifies.

You can request one additional placard beyond your first, which is useful if you ride regularly in more than one vehicle.2Justia Law. Utah Code 41-1a-420 – Disability Special Group License Plates Application and Qualifications Rulemaking The standard paper placard is free. A durable-material placard costs $2.50.4Utah State Tax Commission. TC-842 Disabled Person and Physician Disability Certification

Fill Out Form TC-842

Form TC-842 is available as a PDF from the Utah State Tax Commission and at any local DMV office.4Utah State Tax Commission. TC-842 Disabled Person and Physician Disability Certification You complete the applicant section; your provider completes the medical section.

Your Section

Enter your full legal name, residential address, and driver’s license or state ID number. Check the box for the type of placard you want. Sign and date the form.4Utah State Tax Commission. TC-842 Disabled Person and Physician Disability Certification

The Medical Certification

A licensed physician, physician assistant, physical therapist, or nurse practitioner completes the certification. The provider prints their name, gives their professional license number, checks the specific qualifying condition that applies to you, and marks the disability as permanent or temporary. For a temporary placard, they write the expected end date, no more than six months out.4Utah State Tax Commission. TC-842 Disabled Person and Physician Disability Certification

Applications stall here most often. Before you leave the office, check that your provider marked a specific qualifying box and filled every required field. A missing signature or unchecked condition sends the whole form back.

Submit the Application

Utah accepts the completed TC-842 two ways. You can bring it to any local DMV office, or mail it to:

Motor Vehicle Division
PO Box 30412
Salt Lake City, UT 841301Utah DMV. Disabled Plates and Placards

There is no online submission for initial applications. In-person is faster because the DMV can process and issue at the counter; mailed applications wait for review and then a return trip through the mail. Either way, there is no application fee for the standard paper placard.4Utah State Tax Commission. TC-842 Disabled Person and Physician Disability Certification

After You Get It

Hang the placard from the rearview mirror only while parked. Take it down before you drive. It blocks your line of sight, and driving with it hanging can draw a stop.

A Utah placard lets you use accessible parking spaces and, under state law, park without charge at meters and in restricted areas for reasonable periods, as long as the vehicle stays accessible to you. Spaces reserved for emergency vehicles are the exception.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-1a-414 – Parking Privileges for Persons With Disabilities

Your placard works in other states as well, and Utah recognizes placards issued elsewhere, including Canada and Mexico.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-1a-414 – Parking Privileges for Persons With Disabilities1Utah DMV. Disabled Plates and Placards

Keeping It Valid

Permanent placards issued after July 1, 2024, do not expire. If yours was issued before that date, the DMV mails a renewal notice; you sign and return it, and a non-expiring replacement comes back. If the notice never arrived or you lost it, you can renew online, call (801) 297-7780 or 1-800-368-8824, email dmv@utah.gov, or stop by a local office.1Utah DMV. Disabled Plates and Placards

Temporary placards expire on the date your provider wrote on the form. If your condition continues past that point, you’ll need a fresh certification and a new application.

One boundary worth knowing: letting someone who doesn’t qualify use your placard can get it revoked by the DMV, and parking in an accessible space without a valid placard or a qualifying person in the vehicle is a class C misdemeanor.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-1a-1306 – Abuse of Persons With Disabilities Parking Privileges Revocation of Special Plate or Transferable ID Card Fine5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-1a-414 – Parking Privileges for Persons With Disabilities The rule applies on private lots open to the public, not just public property.