Temporary Handicap Placard in Illinois: How to Apply and Use It

To get a temporary handicap placard in Illinois, you fill out Form VSD 62, have a qualifying medical professional certify your disability on the same form, and submit it to the Secretary of State. There is no fee. What you receive is a red hang tag valid for up to six months, good for parking in any accessible space in the state.¹²

Who Qualifies

Illinois defines qualifying disabilities under 625 ILCS 5/1-159.1. A medical professional must certify that you meet at least one of these conditions:

You cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair, prosthetic device, or help from another person.
Your forced expiratory volume in one second (measured by spirometry) is less than one liter, or your arterial oxygen tension is below 60 mm/hg at rest on room air.
You rely on portable oxygen.
Your heart condition is Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
An arthritic, neurological, oncological, or orthopedic condition severely limits your ability to walk.
You cannot walk 200 feet without resting because of one of the five conditions above.
You are missing a hand or arm, or have permanently lost the use of one.

That sixth item catches people. An older version of the law treated the 200-foot limitation as a standalone qualifier, but under the current statute it counts only when it stems from one of the other listed conditions.³ A knee replacement recovery, for instance, is orthopedic and would qualify; general deconditioning would not.

For a temporary placard, your condition must be one your doctor expects to improve. The statutory ceiling is six months from the date of certification, so the red placard is built for recovery from surgery, a broken bone, a short-term cardiac event, or similar impairments.⁴ If your condition is permanent, apply for a permanent placard instead.

How to Apply

Get Form VSD 62

The application is Form VSD 62, “Persons with Disabilities Certification for Parking Placard.” Download it from the Secretary of State’s website or pick one up at any Driver Services facility.³ Have your Illinois driver’s license or state ID number ready.

Fill out the top section with your full legal name and current residential address exactly as they appear on your state records. The placard is mailed to that address, so small mismatches can cause delays.

Have a Medical Professional Certify You

The bottom portion of VSD 62 must be completed by a qualifying medical professional. Under 625 ILCS 5/3-616, these providers are authorized to certify your condition:

Licensed physician
Licensed physician assistant
Licensed advanced practice registered nurse
Licensed physical therapist

Optometrists can certify visual disabilities, and chiropractors are listed on the form as authorized certifiers.³ Your provider must describe the nature of your disability, note that it is temporary, specify how long it is expected to last (up to six months), and sign with their professional license number.⁴ Confirm every field is filled in before you leave the appointment. A missing license number or unsigned form is the most common reason applications get kicked back.

Submit the Application

You have two options. Bring the completed form to any Secretary of State Driver Services facility, where temporary placard applications can be processed on the spot. Or mail it to:

Secretary of State
Persons with Disabilities Placard Unit
501 S. 2nd St., Room 541
Springfield, IL 62756

Illinois does not charge a fee for temporary disability placards.¹ If you mail the application, expect roughly two to four weeks for processing and delivery.

Displaying and Using the Placard

The temporary placard is a red hang tag, distinct from the blue permanent placard and the yellow-and-gray-striped meter-exempt placard.² Hang it from your rearview mirror only when parked in a designated accessible space, and remove it while driving so it does not block your view.

The placard is assigned to you, not to a specific vehicle. You can use it in any car, truck, or van, whether you are the driver or a passenger. You must be in the vehicle whenever the placard is being used to park in an accessible space. Letting someone else use it while you stay home is illegal.

Parking Meters

A red temporary placard does not exempt you from parking meter fees or time limits. Only the yellow-and-gray-striped meter-exempt permanent placard provides that benefit. Standard blue permanent placards, temporary red placards, and organization green placards all require you to pay the meter.⁵ You can park in any accessible space, but if it has a meter, feed it.

If Your Recovery Runs Longer Than Six Months

The placard is valid for the period your provider specified on VSD 62, capped at six months from the certification date.⁴ If your recovery takes longer than expected, the statute allows recertification: submit a new VSD 62 with fresh medical certification stating the temporary disability persists. The renewed placard is again valid for up to six months.

If it becomes clear the condition is permanent, ask your provider to certify you for a permanent placard instead. The form is the same; the provider simply indicates the disability is ongoing.

Penalties for Misuse

Two statutes cover placard-related violations, and the fines climb quickly.

Parking in a disability space without proper authorization carries a $250 fine under 625 ILCS 5/11-1301.3, though municipalities can set fines up to $350. More serious violations under the same statute, such as repeated unauthorized parking, jump to $600 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second.⁶

Fraudulent conduct involving a placard falls under 625 ILCS 5/11-1301.5. A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum $1,000 fine. A second offense is a Class 4 felony with a minimum $2,000 fine. On top of that, the Secretary of State can suspend or revoke your driving privileges, and any police officer can seize the placard on the spot.⁷ Lending your placard to someone without a qualifying disability falls into this category.

1
Illinois Secretary of State. Guide to the Parking Program for Persons With Disabilities
2
Illinois Secretary of State. Persons with Disabilities Parking Program FAQ
3
Illinois Secretary of State. Persons with Disabilities Certification for Parking Placard
4
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-616
5
Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Parking Program for Persons with Disabilities
6
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/11-1301.3
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Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/11-1301.5