North Carolina Handicap Placard Expiration Dates and Renewal

A permanent North Carolina handicap placard expires five years from the date of issuance, and a temporary placard expires no later than six months after issuance. Both timelines come from North Carolina General Statute 20-37.6. Displaying an expired placard in a designated space is treated the same as parking there without one, and the fine runs from $100 to $250.¹

Organization placards issued to groups certified by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency for transporting people with disabilities follow the same five-year cycle as individual permanent placards. A temporary placard is different in kind, not just duration: once six months pass, you don’t renew it. You submit a new application with fresh medical certification.¹

Finding the Date on Your Placard

The expiration month and year are printed on the face of the placard, where both you and law enforcement can see them. The registration card the NCDMV issued with your placard shows the same date and is worth keeping in the vehicle, since some officers ask for it during enforcement checks.

Set a reminder about 90 days out. That’s the earliest the NCDMV lets you start the renewal process, and it gives you a comfortable window if you need a medical appointment or if you’re renewing by mail.²

How to Renew

The NCDMV mails renewal applications to placard holders before their permits expire, so a form usually arrives on its own.² The renewal itself uses Form MVR-37A, the Medical Certification for Application and Renewal of Disability Parking Placard. You’ll provide your name, NC driver license or ID number, and current address.

Medical Certification

By default, the medical section of Form MVR-37A must be completed and signed by a licensed physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, ophthalmologist, or optometrist.²

Two groups can skip that step entirely. If you were certified as totally and permanently disabled at your initial application or a prior renewal, you don’t need a provider signature to renew. And if your placard expires after you turn 80, medical recertification is no longer required.¹ The NCDMV still mails the renewal form; you just complete your portion and submit it.

Where to Submit

Three options are available:

Online, if you hold a permanent placard and don’t need medical recertification (either because you’re over 80 or you’re certified as totally and permanently disabled). You’ll use the NCDMV website.³
In person at any local license plate agency, with your completed Form MVR-37A and fee. You leave with a new placard the same day.²
By mail to NCDMV, 3148 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27697-3148. Allow three to four weeks for the new placard to arrive.²

The fee is $5.00 per placard, and one application can request up to two placards.¹ If you’re renewing by mail, keep the current placard displayed until the replacement arrives so you don’t lose access to designated spaces during processing.

If You Let It Lapse

Parking in a properly marked accessible space with an expired placard is an infraction, with a fine of $100 to $250. The statute treats the registered owner of the vehicle as presumed responsible, so you can’t shift the ticket by saying someone else parked the car.¹

There’s no formal grace period in the statute, so renewing before the printed month runs out is the safe course. If your expiration is close and you can’t get a provider appointment quickly, the in-person route at a license plate agency is the fastest way to walk out with a valid placard the same day.

Traveling With Your Placard

An NC placard remains yours to use in other states, and every state honors out-of-state disability credentials. Meter rules, time limits, and specific exemptions vary, so local rules are worth a quick check before you rely on the placard somewhere unfamiliar. In the other direction, North Carolina law explicitly recognizes out-of-state handicapped plates, placards, and other disability credentials in any space designated under NC law.⁴

1
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-37.6 – Parking Privileges for Handicapped Drivers and Passengers
2
North Carolina Department of Transportation. North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles – Medical Certification for Application and Renewal of Disability Parking Placard
3
North Carolina Department of Transportation. NCDMV – Disability Placards and Plates
4
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-37.6A – Parking Privileges for Out-of-State Handicapped Drivers and Passengers