Texas Disability Placard: Eligibility, Application, and Penalties

A Texas disability placard is issued by your county tax assessor-collector’s office after a licensed medical professional certifies your qualifying condition on Form VTR-214. A permanent blue placard is free and lasts four years; a temporary red placard costs $5 and expires in six months or less. There is no online submission, so you file in person or by mail.

Who Qualifies

Texas Transportation Code Chapter 681 sets the medical conditions that make you eligible. You qualify if any one of these applies:

You cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
You need a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair, or similar device to get around.
You have a respiratory condition that significantly limits your breathing, or you use portable oxygen.
Your cardiac condition is classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
You have a severe visual disability that affects your ability to move safely in parking areas.

The condition does not have to be permanent. Recovery from surgery or a serious injury can qualify you for a temporary placard with a shorter expiration.

Blue Placard, Red Placard, or Plates

Texas uses color to separate permanent from temporary disabilities, and offers license plates as an alternative.

A blue placard is for a disability not expected to improve. It is valid for four years and can be renewed without a new medical certification. If you do not have disabled-person license plates, you can get up to two blue placards. If you already have specialty plates, you are limited to one placard.¹

A red placard covers a temporary disability and expires in six months or less, depending on what your doctor specifies. If your condition lasts longer, you cannot simply extend the red placard. You submit a brand-new application with fresh medical certification.²

Disabled-person license plates show the International Symbol of Access and can be issued alongside a placard or instead of one. You may have one set of free plates for a permanent disability. The plates stay with the vehicle; a placard travels with you into any car you happen to be riding in.³

How to Apply

Download Form VTR-214, “Application for Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and/or License Plate,” from the TxDMV website, or pick one up at your county tax assessor-collector’s office. Page one is your personal information. Page two is the medical certification your healthcare provider completes.¹

A physician, podiatrist, optometrist, qualifying physician’s assistant, or advanced practice nurse must complete and sign page two. That professional has to be one of the following:

Licensed in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or Oklahoma;
Practicing at a U.S. military installation based in Texas; or
Practicing at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital or health facility.

If you do not submit an original prescription from your provider, the provider’s signature on page two must be notarized. The certification has to state whether your disability is permanent or temporary.¹

Include your Texas driver’s license number or state ID number on the application. If you apply by mail, enclose a copy of your photo ID. The name on your identification needs to match the name on the application.¹

Where to File and What It Costs

Bring or mail your completed application to the county tax assessor-collector’s office where you live or where you are receiving medical treatment. Mailed submissions can be paid by personal check, money order, or cashier’s check.⁴

Permanent (blue) placard: no fee.
Temporary (red) placard: $5 per placard.
Disabled-person license plates: no additional fee beyond standard registration costs.

Walk-in applications are typically processed on the spot. Mailed applications take a few weeks. There is no online submission option for the VTR-214.¹

How to Display and Use It

Hang the placard from your rearview mirror when you park, with the expiration date facing outward so it reads through the windshield. Remove it while driving. Texas law requires that, and a placard swinging from the mirror obstructs your view.

The placard belongs to you, not to a specific vehicle. You can use it in any car, but only when you are actually the driver or a passenger. Nobody else can use your placard to park in an accessible space when you are not with the vehicle.

One detail worth knowing: the striped area next to an accessible space is an access aisle, not extra parking. It exists so someone using a wheelchair or mobility device can get in and out. Parking there is treated the same as illegally parking in the accessible space itself.⁵

Penalties for Misuse

Under Texas Transportation Code Section 681.011, illegally using a disability placard is a misdemeanor, and the fines climb quickly with repeat offenses:

First offense: $500 to $750.
Second offense: $500 to $800 plus 10 hours of community service.
Third offense: $550 to $800 plus 20 to 30 hours of community service.
Fourth offense: $800 to $1,100 plus up to 50 hours of community service.
Fifth or subsequent offense: $1,250 plus 50 hours of community service.

A lower penalty tier applies to minor violations, such as failing to remove the placard while driving. Those start at $25 to $200 for a first offense and can reach $750 with repeated violations.⁶

Renewal and Replacement

A permanent blue placard is valid for four years. To renew, complete a new VTR-214, but your doctor does not need to fill out the medical certification section again. Submit the new application along with either a copy of your original application or your expiring placard to your county tax assessor-collector’s office. There is no renewal fee.⁷

If your placard is lost or stolen, bring a copy of your original VTR-214 to your county tax office for a replacement. If you no longer have that copy and the office cannot verify the placard in its records, you start over with a new application and a fresh medical certification.²

If law enforcement seizes your placard, you can apply for a new one through your county tax office by completing a new VTR-214. The medical certification section does not need to be filled out again.²

Using Your Placard Outside Texas

Your Texas placard is generally recognized in other U.S. states, though specific rules vary and a few states offer their own nonresident travel permits. If you plan to drive in another state for an extended stay, check that state’s motor vehicle agency website for local requirements.

Internationally, the United States participates in a reciprocal recognition agreement through the International Transport Forum. Member countries agreed to give visitors with disabilities the same parking benefits they provide their own residents, so long as the placard displays the international wheelchair symbol. That covers travel to most European countries, Canada, Australia, and several other nations.⁸

1
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and/or License Plate
2
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Parking, Placards and Plates
3
Travis County Tax Office. Disabled Parking Placards and Plates
4
Office of the Texas Governor. Accessible Parking
5
ADA.gov. Accessible Parking Spaces
6
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 681 – Privileged Parking
7
Harris County Tax Office. Disabled Placard FAQ
8
International Transport Forum. Reciprocal Recognition of Parking Badges