In the Vehicle Registration guide
California disabled person parking placards & plates
Reviewed by the DMVCA editorial team · Last verified July 3, 2026
A disabled person parking placard lets you use accessible parking — and because it’s a credential tied to you, not a vehicle, a placard moves with you from car to car. The alternative, DP plates, stays mounted on one vehicle. Both come from the same application and grant the same parking rights; the choice is about how long you’ll need it and whether it should follow you or live on a single car.
This cluster covers who qualifies, the three placard types, what each costs, and how to apply, renew, or replace one. The medical certification on the REG 195 is the gate for everything here.
Permanent placard
Free
valid 2 years
Temporary placard
$6
up to 180 days
Travel placard
30 days
CA residents
DP plates
Free
Application
REG 195
with medical certification
Renewal
No charge
Permanent expires
June 30
odd-numbered years
Decision guide
Which placard or plate do you need?
If you… → you need…
You have an ongoing disability Permanent placard — free, renewed every 2 years ›
You have a time-limited medical condition Temporary placard — $6, up to 180 days ›
You're visiting California (or traveling) short-term Travel placard ›
You're the disabled driver and want it on your own car Consider DP plates ›
You're a caregiver who drives different vehicles A placard — it moves between vehicles ›
Your placard was lost, stolen, or damaged Replace it (form REG 156) ›
Eligibility is the same across types — a licensed medical provider certifies your disability on the application. What changes is the type: how long you'll need it, and whether a moveable placard or vehicle-mounted plates fit better.
Who qualifies and the placard types
Eligibility is by medical certification; the type depends on how long you'll need it.
The eligibility criteria — a medical determination
- Eligibility is functional, not diagnostic (Vehicle Code §22511.55). Your licensed provider and the DMV decide whether you meet it — this describes the standard, it does not decide your case.
- Loss, or loss of use, of one or more lower extremities, or of both hands
- A disease that substantially impairs or limits mobility
- Being unable to move without the aid of an assistive device — a wheelchair, crutches, or a walker
- Specific vision loss — for example, best-corrected acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye
- Specific documented cardiac or lung disease that limits mobility
Who certifies & how to apply
- A licensed provider — physician, surgeon, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified nurse-midwife — certifies your disability on the Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates (REG 195)
- A chiropractor may certify only a lower-extremity disability; an optometrist or ophthalmologist only vision loss
- The certification may be waived if you apply in person with an obvious loss of, or loss of use of, a lower extremity or both hands
- No new certification is needed if you already hold a permanent DP placard or DP/DV plates — enter that placard or plate number on the application
The placard types
- Permanent — for an ongoing disability. Free, valid two years, expiring June 30 of every odd-numbered year
- Temporary — for a time-limited condition. $6, valid up to 180 days (or your provider's end date, if sooner), renewable up to six times in a row
- Travel — a short-term placard for travel. 30 days for California residents; nonresidents up to 90 days
Placard or DP plates?
- A placard hangs from the mirror and moves between vehicles — good for a caregiver who drives more than one car
- DP plates stay affixed to one vehicle and renew with its registration — suited to the disabled driver's own car
- Both use the same REG 195 and grant the same parking rights. See license plates for the plate-side mechanics.
Placard fees
Cluster-level summary.
Permanent disabled person (DP) placard No fee
Temporary disabled person placard $6
How to
How to apply, renew, or replace
From certification to a placard in the mail — and what to do if it's lost.
1
Get REG 195 certified
Download the Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates (REG 195) and have a licensed provider complete the medical-certification section (unless an in-person waiver applies).
2
Submit it
Mail it to the DMV or bring it to a field office. A permanent placard and DP plates are free; a temporary placard is $6.
3
Renew when it's due
Permanent placards renew automatically every two years by mail at no charge — no action needed at most renewals. Only every six years (every third renewal, for holders of 6+ years) does the DMV ask you to sign and return a REG 195 to keep it — with no new medical certification.
4
Replace a lost or damaged placard
File a REG 156 and mail it to DMV Placard, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269-0001. Permanent and travel replacements are free; a temporary replacement carries a fee.
Related sub-topics
Other clusters in the vehicle registration pillar.
The bigger picture
How these connect to the rest of the DMV system
A disabled person placard is a parking credential, separate from your vehicle's registration — which is why a placard moves with you between cars. DP plates are the vehicle-bound alternative, sharing the same REG 195 application and the same parking rights. The medical certification is the gate for both; after that, the choice is simply how long you'll need it and whether it should follow you or stay on one car.
Frequently asked questions
Comparison and definitional — to help you pick the right type.
How much does a disabled person placard cost in California?
A permanent placard is free, and so are DP plates. A temporary placard is $6 (Vehicle Code §22511.59). There's no charge to renew a permanent placard.
What's the difference between a permanent and temporary placard?
A permanent placard is for an ongoing disability — it's free and valid two years (expiring June 30 of odd years). A temporary placard is for a time-limited condition — it's $6 and valid up to 180 days, renewable up to six times in a row.
Who can certify my disability?
A licensed physician, surgeon, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified nurse-midwife. Chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists may certify only within their scope. They complete the medical section of the REG 195 application.
How do I renew my disabled person placard?
Permanent placards renew automatically every two years by mail at no charge — most renewals need nothing from you. Only every six years (every third renewal, once you've held it 6+ years) does the DMV ask you to sign and return a REG 195 to continue it, and even then no new medical certification is required.
How do I replace a lost disabled placard?
File a Application for Replacement Plates, Stickers, Documents (REG 156) and mail it to DMV Placard, PO Box 942869, Sacramento. Replacing a permanent or travel placard is free; a temporary replacement has a fee.
Should I get a placard or disabled person plates?
Get a placard if it needs to move between vehicles (for example, a caregiver who drives more than one car). Choose DP plates if it's the disabled driver's own car — plates stay on that vehicle and renew with its registration. Both come from the same REG 195.
I'm visiting California — can I use a travel placard?
Yes. A travel placard covers short-term use — 30 days for California residents, and up to 90 days for nonresidents (or your provider's end date, whichever is sooner).
Where can I park with a disabled placard?
With the placard displayed, you may use spaces marked with the wheelchair symbol, park next to a blue curb, and park next to a green (time-limited) curb for unlimited time. You may also park free at on-street metered spaces and in resident- or merchant-permit areas, and pay the self-serve price at a full-serve fuel pump when an attendant is on duty.
Where can't I park with a disabled placard?
A placard never overrides other parking rules. It does not let you park in a fire lane, next to a red, white, or yellow curb, beside a fire hydrant, or in the crosshatched access aisle next to a disabled space — that striped area is reserved for wheelchair and ramp access, not parking.
Can I let someone else use my disabled placard?
No. You must carry the placard's ID card and show it to a peace officer on request (Vehicle Code §4461). Misuse — lending it, using someone else's, giving false information, or altering it — is a misdemeanor: a fine of $250 to $1,000 and/or up to six months in county jail. Forging or counterfeiting a placard or plate is a felony, punishable by sixteen months to three years in state prison (Vehicle Code §§22511.56–.57).
What happens to a disabled placard when the holder dies?
The placard must be surrendered to the DMV within 60 days of the holder's death.
Can I use my California disabled placard in another state?
Yes. California honors valid disabled placards issued by other states, and other states generally honor a California placard.
Can I have both DP plates and a specialty plate?
No. A vehicle can't carry both DP or DV plates and special-interest plates. If you'd rather have a personalized or special-interest plate, you can — but you must then display a disabled person placard to keep your parking privileges.
Do I need a new medical certification to renew?
No. A permanent placard renews with no new medical certification — even the every-six-year reapplication (a signed REG 195) needs no new doctor's certificate. And no certification is needed at all if you already hold a permanent DP placard or DP/DV plates; you enter that number on the application.
Sources. California DMV — Disabled person parking placards & plates · California Vehicle Code §22511.55 (placard issuance & renewal) · California Vehicle Code §22511.59 (temporary placard, $6) · California Vehicle Code §§22511.56–22511.57 (placard misuse & forgery penalties) · California DMV — REG 195 application
Last verified July 3, 2026.