A disabled parking placard needs your doctor's signature, then the Athens tax office

The disabled parking placard isn't something a clerk can just hand you across the counter; it starts at the doctor's office. The application is TxDMV Form VTR-214, and for a new placard a physician or other licensed health-care provider has to complete the disability-statement section certifying the condition and whether it's temporary or permanent. Fill out your half, get the medical half signed, and the form is ready.

From there it goes to the Henderson County tax assessor-collector at 125 N. Prairieville Street, Suite 103, in Athens, the same office that handles your registration and titles. A permanent placard comes at no fee; a temporary one carries a small charge and an expiration tied to how long the provider expects the condition to last.

Download the current VTR-214 before you head to the doctor so you only make one medical visit, and bring your ID to the tax office. Renewals on a permanent placard come around every few years, and they're far simpler than that first trip through the doctor's signature.