Nevada Handicap Placard: Eligibility, Application, and Renewal

To get a Nevada handicap placard, submit Form SP-27 to the Department of Motor Vehicles with a licensed healthcare provider’s certification that you have a qualifying mobility condition. The placard is free, and it arrives by mail in roughly two to four weeks after the DMV processes your application.¹

Who Qualifies

Nevada issues placards to residents whose medical conditions limit mobility in specific ways. You’re eligible if any one of these applies:

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair, prosthetic, or assistance from another person.
A lung disease restricts your mobility, or you depend on portable oxygen.
You have a cardiac condition classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
An arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition severely limits your ability to walk.
You meet the state’s criteria for a visual disability affecting mobility.

A licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse must certify your condition. The provider fills out the medical section of Form SP-27, including their license number, a description of your disability, and whether the condition is permanent or expected to improve.¹ Their estimate of how long the condition will last determines which placard you get.

Which Placard You’ll Receive

Nevada issues three placard types based on duration:

Temporary (red): conditions expected to last six months or less.
Moderate duration (blue): conditions expected to last longer than six months but considered reversible by your provider. Valid up to two years.
Permanent (blue): irreversible conditions. Valid for ten years from the date of issuance.²

If you ride a motorcycle or moped, you get a parking sticker instead of a hanging placard. The eligibility criteria and durations are the same.

How to Apply

Form SP-27 (Application for Disabled Persons License Plates/Placards) is available on the DMV website or at any DMV office. You complete the top half with your name, address, and Nevada driver’s license or ID number. Your healthcare provider completes the bottom half.¹

If you want placards only, you can mail the completed form to the DMV headquarters in Carson City. If you want disability license plates for the first time, you have to apply in person at a full-service DMV office. There’s no fee for the placard. After processing, the DMV mails the placard to the address on file, usually within two to four weeks.

One detail trips people up: the medical certification should be recent. If too much time passes between your provider’s signature and the DMV’s receipt of the form, the DMV may ask for a fresh signature. Have your provider complete their section close to when you plan to submit.

Renewing or Replacing Your Placard

Only permanent placards come with renewal notices. As the ten-year expiration approaches, the DMV mails a notice to your address on file. You renew by returning that notice or submitting the top half of a new SP-27. No new physician signature is needed for a permanent placard renewal, and you can submit by mail or fax.¹

Temporary and moderate-duration placards do not get renewal notices. If your condition persists past the expiration date, you have to submit a brand-new application with a current medical certification. People commonly assume a notice will arrive and end up with an expired placard. Start a fresh application before the current one expires if your condition hasn’t resolved.

Keep your mailing address current with the DMV using the Change of Address Notification (Form DMV-22) so renewal notices and placards reach you. If your placard is lost, stolen, or damaged, contact the DMV for a replacement.

Using the Placard Correctly

The placard belongs to you, not to a vehicle. Hang it from the rearview mirror of whichever car you’re riding in, but only while parked. Remove it before driving, since a dangling placard blocks your view and can result in a citation.²

Only the person named on the placard, or someone actively transporting that person, may use it to park in an accessible space. Lending yours to a friend or relative so they can grab a closer spot is a misdemeanor under Nevada law, even if the arrangement feels harmless.²

Nevada placards are generally recognized in other states through federal law and interstate reciprocity, though local rules about meter exemptions and time limits vary wherever you travel.

Penalties for Misuse

Parking in a disabled space without a valid placard or plates is a misdemeanor under NRS 484B.467, with escalating penalties:

First offense: $250 fine.
Second offense: $250 fine plus 8 to 50 hours of community service.
Third or subsequent offense: $500 to $1,000 fine plus 25 to 100 hours of community service.³

Using someone else’s placard, or lending yours to a person who doesn’t qualify, is a separate misdemeanor under NRS 482.384. That charge applies on top of any parking fine, and the DMV can revoke the placard.

A Note for Veterans

Veterans with a service-connected disability can apply for specialty Disabled Veteran license plates instead of, or in addition to, a placard. The plates stay with a specific vehicle, while a placard travels with you. Disabled Veteran plates also exempt you from parking meter fees charged by the state or any local government in Nevada.² Standard disability placards do not carry that meter exemption, which catches some people off guard. To qualify for the plates, submit either a medical certification on Form SP-27 or a certificate from the VA or Department of Defense confirming your service-connected disability.

1
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Parking
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 482.384 – Special License Plates and Parking Placards for Persons With Disabilities
3
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 484B.467 – Parking Space Designated for Persons With Disabilities