How to Get a Temporary Handicap Placard in Georgia

To get a temporary handicap placard in Georgia, you fill out form MV-9D with a signature from a qualifying healthcare provider, have the affidavit notarized, and submit it to your county tag office at no charge. The placard is red, hangs from your rearview mirror when parked, and stays valid for up to 180 days from the date it’s issued.¹

Who Qualifies

Georgia law defines who counts as a person with disabilities for parking purposes in O.C.G.A. § 40-6-221. You generally qualify if you cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic, wheelchair, or another person’s help, use portable oxygen, have severely limited walking due to an orthopedic, neurological, or arthritic condition (or pregnancy complications), have a Class III or Class IV cardiac condition under American Heart Association standards, have significant lung disease measured by spirometry or arterial oxygen levels, or have central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in your better eye with corrective lenses or a visual field of 20 degrees or narrower.²

What makes the placard temporary rather than permanent is your provider’s judgment that the condition will improve. The MV-9D asks for an estimated date by which the disability should resolve. If your condition is permanent, you’d apply for a permanent placard instead, which runs on a different validity schedule under the same statute.¹

Which Providers Can Sign the Form

Only certain licensed providers can certify the medical section of the MV-9D:¹

Doctors of medicine (MDs)
Doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs)
Podiatrists
Optometrists
Chiropractors
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs)
Physician assistants (PAs)

Pharmacists and physical therapists are not on the list, even if you see them regularly for the condition in question. Nurse practitioners and PAs can sign so long as they’re licensed in Georgia and acting within their scope of practice. Whoever signs has to specify the disability, confirm you meet the statutory definition, and give an estimated end date for the condition.

Completing and Submitting Form MV-9D

The application is the Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit, form MV-9D. You can download it from the Georgia Department of Revenue website or pick one up at your county tag office.³

You complete the applicant section with your full legal name, residential address, and driver’s license or state ID number. Your healthcare provider completes the medical section, including their professional license number, the nature of the impairment, and whether the condition is temporary or permanent. Both parts need signatures. Because it’s an affidavit, county offices typically require it to be notarized before they’ll accept it.⁴

Bring a copy of your Georgia driver’s license or state ID showing your current county address. Submit everything to the tax commissioner’s office in the county where you live, either in person or by mail. In-person visits usually mean same-day issuance; mailed applications take a few extra business days. Georgia does not offer online submission for temporary placards. There’s no fee.⁵

How Long It Lasts and What Happens When It Expires

A temporary placard expires on whichever date comes first: the end date your provider estimated, or 180 days after issuance.¹ The 180 days runs from the issuance date printed on the placard, not from the date your provider signed the form. If the MV-9D sits for two weeks between the signature and your trip to the tag office, you still get the full 180 days.

Georgia does not offer automatic renewals or extensions. If the condition continues past the expiration, you start over with a new MV-9D, newly signed and notarized, resubmitted to your county tag office. Each application is treated as an independent request with fresh medical verification.⁵ If it’s clear the condition will outlast another temporary cycle, ask your provider whether a permanent placard is a better fit the next time around.

Displaying the Placard and Avoiding Fines

Hang the red placard from your rearview mirror or lay it on the driver’s side of the dashboard so the expiration date is visible through the windshield.⁶ Take it down before you drive; it blocks part of your view and many jurisdictions ticket for obstructed windshields.

Parking in an accessible space with an expired placard, without a valid permit, or using someone else’s placard when that person isn’t in the vehicle carries fines between $100 and $500, and the vehicle can be ticketed or towed. Obtaining a placard through fraud, counterfeiting one, or making false statements on the MV-9D is a misdemeanor, and that applies to the certifying provider as well as the applicant.⁷

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-74.1 – Temporary, Permanent, and Special Permanent Parking Permits for Persons With Disabilities
2
Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-221 – Definitions
3
Georgia Department of Revenue. MV-9D Disabled Persons Parking Affidavit
4
Newton County Tax Commissioner. Disabled Placards/Permits
5
Department of Revenue. Disabled Persons License Plates and Parking Permits
6
FindLaw. Georgia Code 40-2-74.1 – Parking Permits for Persons With Disabilities
7
Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-226 – Offenses and Penalties