Reviewed and updated October 14, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read that day from the Texas agency that publishes it, the Department of Public Safety for driver licenses and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for titles and registration, and the official page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
Texas disabled parking placards and plates from the county tax office: the three kinds and what they allow, who qualifies, how to apply and renew with form VTR-214, lost, stolen and seized placards and visitors, and the Disabled Veteran plates and the symbol of access rule. Other plates are on the license plates guide.
In this guide: The three kinds and what they allow, Who qualifies, Applying and renewing, Lost, stolen or seized placards, and visitors, Disabled Veteran plates and the symbol of access, Questions about placards and plates
The three kinds and what they allow
The TxDMV's disabled parking page describes a red placard for a temporary disability, expiring in six months or less; a blue placard for a permanent disability, renewable every four years; and a license plate with the International Symbol of Access (ISA) for a permanent disability. Any of them allows parking in a space designated for persons with disabilities and exempts the holder from local and state government parking meters, with the time limit still applying unless a city extends it by ordinance. The placard or plate is valid only while the person with the disability is in the vehicle, driving or driven; misuse of a placard carries fines of up to $1,250 and up to 50 hours of community service.
Who qualifies
Eligibility rests on a medical condition that meets the legal definition of a disability, which the TxDMV page gives as: visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses; visual acuity of more than 20/200 with a limited field of vision whose widest diameter subtends an angle of 20 degrees or less; or mobility problems that substantially impair a person's ability to move around, caused by paralysis, lung disease, cardiac deficiency, wheelchair confinement, arthritis, a foot disorder, or another medical condition that causes the person to use a brace, cane, crutch or other assistive device.
Applying and renewing
Apply at the county tax assessor-collector office of your county of residence, in person or by mail: download the Application for Persons with Disabilities Parking Placard and/or License Plate (VTR-214), have the doctor or health care provider complete its disability statement (the TxDMV's FAQ allows an original prescription with the required information instead, or the statement signed by the doctor and notarized), and submit it with a copy of your photo ID and the fee, none for a permanent blue placard and $5 for a temporary red one, with the county confirming its payment methods. A disabled parking license plate is ordered with the same form in person or by mail, never online, and the original form or documentation is presented when the plates are picked up. To renew a blue placard, complete page one of a new VTR-214 (the doctor need not complete page two) and submit it with a copy of the original application, or with the expiring placards if no copy exists. A red placard that expires while the disability lasts is applied for again. The county offices are on the Texas DMV offices list, and the TxDMV answers questions at 1 (888) 368-4689 or (512) 465-3000.
Lost, stolen or seized placards, and visitors
A lost or stolen placard is replaced at the county tax office with a copy of the VTR-214 originally submitted; without a copy, or if the county cannot verify the issuance, a new application is needed. A placard seized by a law enforcement officer is replaced only with a new application, signed, though without the disability statement. Visitors from another state or country may use their valid placard or plates in Texas under Texas parking rules, and a visitor with a permanent disability who comes for medical treatment may apply for a six-month placard at no charge, applying again if the treatment outlasts it.
Disabled Veteran plates and the symbol of access
Disabled Veteran plates, with DV in the number, go to a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces with a service-connected disability of at least 50 percent, or at least 40 percent from the amputation of a lower extremity, who receives compensation from the U.S. government for it, with the Application for Disabled Veteran License Plates and Parking Placards (VTR-615) approved by the VA or a VA eligibility letter. Since January 1, 2022 anyone parking in a disabled parking space must display a plate or placard with the International Symbol of Access, and DV plates without the symbol do not qualify; a veteran applies for a placard with form VTR-214 or for a DV plate with the ISA with form VTR-615, with a doctor's disability statement or original prescription, and the TxDMV notes that not every disability behind DV plates meets the placard standard. The TxDMV's disabled parking page lists the military honors plates (Air Force Cross, Bronze Star, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Silver Star, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Former Prisoner of War, World War II Veterans and others) that are exempt from certain parking fees, and the military vehicle guide covers free metered parking and the surviving spouse plates.
Questions about placards and plates
What is the difference between the red and blue placards?
A red placard is for a temporary disability and expires in six months or less; a blue placard is for a permanent disability and renews every four years. A license plate with the International Symbol of Access is also for a permanent disability. The blue placard is free; the red one costs $5.
Who qualifies?
A person with visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses, or more than 20/200 with a field of vision of 20 degrees or less, or mobility problems that substantially impair moving around, from paralysis, lung disease, cardiac deficiency, wheelchair confinement, arthritis, a foot disorder, or another condition requiring a brace, cane, crutch or assistive device, in the state's definition on the TxDMV page.
Can I park at a meter for free?
The placard or ISA plate exempts the holder from local and state government parking meters, though state law does not allow exceeding the meter's time limit unless a city ordinance extends it.
What happens if someone else uses my placard?
The placard is valid only with the person with the disability in the vehicle, as driver or passenger; misuse brings fines of up to $1,250 and up to 50 hours of community service.
I am visiting Texas for treatment.
A valid out-of-state or foreign placard or plate is honored in Texas under Texas parking rules, and a visitor with a permanent disability who comes for medical treatment may apply for a six-month placard at no charge, renewed if the treatment outlasts it.
Does a Disabled Veteran plate let me use a disabled space?
Only when it carries the International Symbol of Access. Since January 1, 2022 anyone parking in a disabled space needs an ISA plate or placard; a veteran with DV plates applies for a placard with form VTR-214 or for a DV plate with the ISA with form VTR-615, meeting the placard eligibility rules.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the TxDMV's disabled parking placards and plates page, its For Our Troops page and its FAQ, read on October 14, 2026.