PA Handicap Placard: Form MV-145A, Display, and Misuse Penalties

To get a PA handicap placard, you download Form MV-145A from PennDOT, fill in your personal information, have a licensed healthcare provider certify one of eight qualifying medical conditions, and mail the signed form to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Harrisburg. Permanent placards are free, last five years, and are honored in all 50 states.¹

Who Qualifies

Pennsylvania law lists eight medical conditions that qualify a person for a disability placard. You qualify if any one of these applies:²

You are legally blind.
You do not have full use of one or both arms.
You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or assistance from another person.
Your forced expiratory volume is less than one liter per second, or your arterial oxygen tension is below 60 mm/Hg at rest on room air.
You use portable oxygen.
Your cardiac condition is classified Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
You are severely limited in your ability to walk due to an orthopedic, neurological, or arthritic condition.

A parent, adoptive or foster parent with custody, a legal guardian acting in place of a parent, or a spouse can apply on behalf of a qualifying person.²

Permanent or Temporary

A permanent placard covers long-term or lifelong conditions and stays valid for five years.³ A temporary placard is for conditions expected to resolve within six months, and it cannot be extended. If you still need one after it expires, your provider must complete an entirely new application.⁴

You can hold a maximum of two placards, or one placard plus one disability registration plate.⁴

Filling Out Form MV-145A

The application is Form MV-145A, “Person with Disability Parking Placard Application.” Download it from PennDOT’s website or pick up a copy at a local legislative office.⁵ There is no online submission. The form needs original ink signatures and must be mailed.

In the applicant section, list your full legal name, home address, date of birth, and Pennsylvania driver’s license or state-issued photo ID number. When a parent or guardian applies for a minor, that adult adds their own information as well.⁵

The second part is the medical certification. Your provider checks the qualifying condition that applies and signs the form. Pennsylvania recognizes certifications from a physician, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, physician’s assistant, or certified registered nurse practitioner licensed in Pennsylvania or in a bordering state: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, or Ohio.¹ Once both sections are complete, you sign a declaration under penalty of perjury and the form is ready to mail.

Where to Mail It, Cost, and Timing

Send the completed Form MV-145A to the PennDOT Bureau of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 68268, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8268. There is no fee for a permanent placard.⁵ Processing generally takes ten to fifteen business days, and the placard arrives by standard mail at your registered address.

Private messenger services can submit the paperwork for faster turnaround, but they charge their own service fees. If PennDOT finds your application incomplete, they return it with an explanation of what needs to be corrected before they can issue the placard.

How to Display and Use It

Hang the placard from your rearview mirror only when you are parked in a disability-reserved space. Take it down while driving. If your vehicle has no rearview mirror, place the placard on the dashboard so it is visible from the front and rear.²

The placard may only be used when the person with the disability is actually in the vehicle. You cannot lend it to a friend or family member who wants to park closer to a store entrance.⁴ For disability registration plates, the rule is slightly different: someone else can drive the vehicle, but they cannot use disability parking privileges unless the qualifying person is in the car.²

Pennsylvania does not exempt placard holders from parking meters. Some municipalities have their own rules (Philadelphia waives meter fees for wheelchair lift-equipped vans, for example), but that is local, not statewide. Read the signs before you park.

Renewing and Replacing

Permanent placards expire every five years. About 60 days before yours expires, PennDOT mails a renewal notice, Form MV-145R, to your address on file.⁴ Renewal only requires the personal information and signature sections; no new medical certification is needed. Return the completed form and PennDOT issues a new placard. If the notice never arrives, contact PennDOT directly so you do not end up with a gap.

If your placard is lost, stolen, or damaged, apply for a replacement on Form MV-145A and mark the duplicate section. Including the original placard number helps speed things along. If the original later turns up, return it to PennDOT; it will have been voided in their system.⁶

Penalties for Misuse

Using a placard you are not entitled to, whether borrowed, stolen, or belonging to a deceased person, is a summary offense with a fine of up to $100.² That fine is modest, but the conviction goes on your record; it is not just a parking ticket.

Parking in a disability-reserved space without a valid placard or plate is a separate offense under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3354. The base fine ranges from $50 to $200, plus a mandatory additional $50 penalty. Your vehicle can also be towed at your expense if the space is posted with a towing warning sign.⁷ Combined, a single violation could cost you $250 plus towing and impound fees.

Using Your Placard Out of State

Pennsylvania disability placards are recognized in all 50 states.¹ When you travel, your PA placard entitles you to use disability-reserved parking wherever you go, and visitors from other states can use their home-state placards here. Keep the placard with you rather than leaving it in one vehicle so it works in rental cars or when riding with someone else.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and Registration Plate Eligibility Requirements
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 Chapter 13 – Section 1338
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Persons with Disability Placards and Plates Frequently Asked Questions
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for or Renew a Persons with Disability Parking Placard
5
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Person with Disability Parking Placard Application
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for a Replacement Person with Disability Parking Placard
7
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 – Section 3354