To renew a handicap placard in California, you generally don’t have to do anything: permanent disabled person placards expire June 30 of every odd-numbered year, and the DMV mails most holders a new one automatically. Every sixth year, though, the DMV requires your signature before it will send the replacement, and in that year you renew online, by mail, or in person. There is no fee. The current cycle placards expire June 30, 2027.
Do You Actually Need to Renew This Cycle?
Permanent placards run on a two-year cycle, and the DMV handles most renewals without any action from you. The one you need to watch for is the six-year signature check.
Senate Bill 611, passed in 2017, added a verification step: every six years, or before your third consecutive renewal, the DMV sends a renewal notice and won’t mail a new placard until it receives your signature. The first wave went out in 2023 for placards originally issued before January 2017. In 2025, the DMV sent notices to roughly 260,000 holders whose original placards were issued between June 2019 and December 2020. Everyone else received a new placard automatically.
If you already have a permanent California placard, check the mail you received in 2025. If a new placard arrived, you’re set until the next cycle before June 2027. If a renewal notice arrived instead and you never returned it, your placard is not valid, and you need to complete the signature step described below.
How to Renew Online
Online is the fastest option when the DMV wants your signature. Processing takes about three to five business days, compared with several weeks by mail. Renewing a permanent placard is free.
Start at the DMV’s renewal page. If you have the renewal notice, scan the QR code on it or enter the Renewal Identification Number printed there. If the notice never arrived or you’ve lost it, you can still renew online using your name, date of birth, and the placard number printed on your Disabled Person Identification Card, which is the document that came with your placard.
The online system takes an electronic signature and lets you update your mailing address in the same session. Once the DMV has your signature on file, the new placard arrives in about two to four weeks.
How to Renew by Mail
If you’d rather use paper, sign the bottom of the renewal notice and mail it to the address printed on the form. The regulatory address for renewals is:
DMV Renewal
P.O. Box 932345
Sacramento, CA 94232
Never got the notice, or can’t find it? Sign the top right corner of your Disabled Person Identification Card and mail the original or a copy to the same address. Mail renewals are also free for permanent placards.
How to Renew In Person
You can bring your signed renewal notice or Disabled Person Identification Card to any DMV field office. An appointment isn’t strictly required for placard transactions, but scheduling one cuts down on the wait. Bring valid ID along with your renewal documents.
When to Expect Your New Placard
Timing depends on how you submit:
- Online renewal: three to five business days for the DMV to process, then the placard ships by mail.
- Mail submission: two to four weeks from the date the DMV receives your paperwork.
- In person: the field office can guide you on timing.
Your new placard is mailed to the address the DMV has on file, so a wrong address is the most common reason a renewal doesn’t arrive on time. California law requires you to notify the DMV within ten days of a move. You can update your address inside the online renewal or separately through the DMV’s address-change tool.
Once the new placard arrives, cut up or destroy the expired one. An expired placard left in a glove box is easy to display by accident, and that can draw a parking citation.
Do You Need a New Doctor’s Certification?
For a permanent placard renewal, no. As long as you already hold a permanent California placard and your placard number is on the renewal form, the DMV waives the medical section. The whole point of the six-year signature check is to confirm you’re still at the address on file, not to re-establish your medical eligibility.
New applicants are a different matter. A first-time application uses Form REG 195 (Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates) and requires a Medical Provider’s Certification of Disability signed by a licensed physician, surgeon, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife. Chiropractors, podiatrists, and optometrists can also certify, but only for conditions within their scope of practice. Permanent placards are issued at no cost.
Temporary Placards Work Differently
If you hold a temporary placard rather than a permanent one, the process above doesn’t apply. Temporary placards are valid for up to 180 days, or until the date your medical provider specifies, whichever comes first. To keep parking privileges after that, you submit a fresh REG 195 with a new medical certification each time. You can renew a temporary placard up to six consecutive times, after which the path forward is either applying for a permanent placard or letting it lapse. Temporary placards carry a $6 fee.
Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Placards
A missing or damaged placard isn’t a renewal problem; it’s a replacement request. Complete Form REG 156 (Application for Replacement Plates, Stickers, Documents) instead of the renewal paperwork. If the placard is physically damaged, bring it in so the DMV can collect it.
Replacing a permanent or travel placard is free. Submit the REG 156 by mail to:
DMV Placard
P.O. Box 942869
Sacramento, CA 94269-0001
Or bring it to any field office. The replacement typically arrives in two to four weeks.
Quick Recap
Most years, your California permanent placard renews itself and shows up in the mail. The one year you need to act is the year the DMV sends a signature notice, which happens every six years. In that year, sign and return the notice online, by mail, or in person, keep your address current, and destroy the expired placard once its replacement arrives. Current permanent placards expire June 30, 2027.