A Disabled Parking Placard Needs Medical Sign-Off — Even on a Renewal

The application for a disabled parking placard or specialty plate is Form VTR-214, and McLennan County keeps it on its auto-department forms page alongside the title and replacement-sticker forms. You can pick up the blue placard, the red temporary one, or the disabled plate at the auto counter at 215 N 5th in Waco or at the McGregor or West substations.

One requirement sends people back home for a second trip. In McLennan County, anyone applying for a placard or plate carrying the international symbol of access has to be medically certified, and that requirement covers renewals too, not just first-time applicants. You handle it one of two ways: a VTR-214 signed by a doctor and notarized, or a written prescription stating the person is permanently disabled. The permanent blue placard renews every four years; the red temporary one expires in six months or less, matching how long the doctor expects the condition to last.

One thing the law is firm about: the placard belongs to the person with the disability, not the vehicle. It's only valid when that person is the one parking or being driven, so don't hang a relative's placard on your mirror for a quick errand of your own.