How to Get an AZ Handicap Placard: Eligibility, Forms, and Costs

To get an Arizona handicap placard, submit Form 96-0104 to the Motor Vehicle Division with a medical provider’s certification that you meet one of six qualifying conditions. Placards are free, and you can apply in person at an MVD office, through an authorized third-party provider, or by mail, fax, or email.

Who Qualifies

Arizona law recognizes six qualifying conditions. Meeting any one of them makes you eligible:

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair, prosthetic device, or the assistance of another person.
You have restrictive lung disease with a forced expiratory volume (by spirometry) below one liter per second, or an arterial oxygen tension below 60 mm/Hg on room air at rest.
You use portable oxygen.
You have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
You are severely limited in walking due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.

A hospital administrator, licensed physician, physician assistant, registered nurse practitioner, or physical therapist must confirm the condition. That same certification also indicates whether your placard should be permanent or temporary.¹

Veterans Rated 100 Percent Disabled

If the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has rated you 100 percent disabled or individually unemployable, you can skip the medical certification. Submit a copy of your VA disability certificate with the application, and the MVD will issue the placard or plate once it verifies the documentation.¹

The Application Form

You need Form 96-0104, the Individual Disability – Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plate/Placard Application. Download it from the AZDOT website or pick one up at an MVD office.²

You fill out the applicant portion with your name, date of birth, and address. Your medical provider completes the Medical Certification section, identifying the qualifying condition and marking the disability as permanent or temporary. If temporary, they must state how many months the placard is needed.³

The form authorizes doctors of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, and chiropractic, along with physician assistants, registered nurse practitioners, physical therapists, and hospital administrators. Confirm your provider includes their license number and contact information so the MVD can verify the certification.³

Where to Submit and What It Costs

Turn in the completed form at any MVD office or an authorized third-party provider, mail it to the address on the form, or send it to the MVD’s special plates unit by fax or email.

Placards are free. So are replacements for lost or stolen ones.⁴ Standard disability license plates are also issued at no cost. Personalized disability plates run $25 per year, and specialty personalized plates cost $50 per year.²

Placards and plates arrive by mail. The MVD doesn’t publish a standard delivery window for placards, though personalized plates take roughly four weeks.

Permanent and Temporary Placards

A permanent placard doesn’t expire. It stays valid for as long as you continue to qualify, with no periodic renewal. The MVD does cross-check vital records, so if a permanent placard holder is identified as deceased through state or federal databases, the placard is canceled automatically and law enforcement systems are updated.¹

A temporary placard is valid for six months. If your condition continues past that window, you must submit a new application with fresh medical certification. The MVD won’t extend the original.³

One placard per person is the norm. If your circumstances require more, the department may issue up to three on a written request.¹

Displaying and Using the Placard

Hang the placard from your rearview mirror only when parked in a designated accessible space, and take it down before you drive. A dangling placard blocks your view, and driving with one displayed can draw a stop.

The placard belongs to you, not to a vehicle. You can use it in any car you’re riding in, as driver or passenger, as long as the vehicle is actually transporting you. Lending it to someone who doesn’t qualify is illegal.⁵

A driver dropping off or picking up a person with a disability may briefly stop in an accessible space for loading and unloading, even without a placard or special plates. The statute specifically shields that momentary use.⁵

Replacing a Lost or Stolen Placard

If your permanent placard is lost, stolen, or damaged, request a replacement online through the MVD portal at no cost.⁶ If the MVD cannot locate your record and no copy of your original application is available, you may need to submit a new application with fresh medical certification.³

Penalties for Misuse

Parking in a marked accessible space without a valid placard or special plates is a civil traffic violation. So is using an altered, expired, or counterfeit placard. Officers can cite on the spot, and separate provisions let the MVD recall placards and plates obtained fraudulently or used by someone other than the person they were issued to.⁵

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-2409 – International Symbol of Access Special Plates; Placard; Update of Records; Invalid Placard or Plate; Definitions
2
Arizona Department of Transportation. License Plates and Disability Placards
3
Arizona Department of Transportation. Individual Disability – Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plate/Placard Application
4
Arizona Department of Transportation. Is There a Fee for a Disability Placard or Plate?
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-884 – Parking Space for Persons With Physical Disabilities; Prohibition; Access Aisle
6
Arizona Department of Transportation. How Do I Renew a Disability Placard?