Qualifying Conditions For A Handicap Parking Permit In Alabama

Let’s talk about the process of getting a handicap parking permit in Alabama. Read on for all you need to know, including which qualifying conditions entitle a person to get an Alabama disabled parking permit, what types of permits are available in Alabama, and all the application requirements.

How Do You Qualify For Handicap Parking In Alabama?

To qualify for handicap parking in Alabama, you must hold a valid handicap parking permit. Residents of Alabama can get a permit issued by the Alabama Department of Revenue Motor Vehicles Division.

People who hold disabled parking permits from the following jurisdictions also qualify to use handicap parking in Alabama:

  • All other US states
  • All US overseas territories
  • Canada
  • Mexico
  • EU
  • UK
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Japan

Qualifying Conditions For A Handicap Parking Permit In Alabama

So, what qualifies you for a handicap placard in Alabama? The following disabilities qualify a person to get a disabled parking permit in Alabama:

  • An inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest
  • An inability to walk without the use of a walking assistance device
  • A cardiac condition that is classified in severity as Class III or Class IV by the American Heart Association
  • An orthopedic, arthritic, or neurological condition that limits mobility
  • Lung disease to the extent that forced respiratory expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest
  • Portable oxygen tank usage
disabled parking in alabama
Image by Zach Searcy on Unsplash: How do you qualify for handicap parking in Alabama?

What Types Of Disabled Parking Permits Are Available In Alabama?

The following types of disabled parking permits are available in Alabama:

  • Long-term disabled parking placards
  • Long-term disabled parking license plates
  • Temporary disabled parking placards
  • Organizational disabled parking plates

How Long Are Alabama Disabled Parking Permits Valid?

Long-term Alabama disabled parking placards and plates are valid for five years. Temporary disabled parking placards are valid for six months. Organizational disabled parking plates are valid for five years.

Who Can Verify An Application For A Disabled Parking Permit in Alabama?

Only an Alabama state-licensed physician can verify an application for an Alabama disabled parking permit. You can have a consultation with an Alabama state-licensed physician at the Dr. Handicap online clinic.

Alabama Handicap Placard Requirements

Alabama handicap parking placards must be clearly displayed hanging from the rearview mirror when a vehicle is parked in a disabled space in Alabama. When a vehicle is moving, handicap placards must be safely stowed in a place where they do not interfere with the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle safely.

How Do You Get A Handicap Tag In Alabama?

To get a handicap tag in Alabama, you must have a consultation with an Alabama state-licensed physician who will verify your disability. This can be done remotely by signing up to the Dr. Handicap online clinic. Once your disability has been verified, the physician will sign your application form, which you will then complete and submit to your local County Licensing Office.

How Do You Replace A Disabled Parking Permit in Alabama?

You need to renew your Alabama disabled parking permit once it expires. To renew your permit, submit an application form to your local County Licensing Office.

When renewing a temporary disabled parking placard, you will need to get your application signed by an Alabama state-licensed physician. Long-term disabled permit holders can self-certify their disability when renewing.

small alabama town
Image by 12019 on Pixabay: What qualifies you for a handicap placard in Alabama?

Is Disabled Parking Free In Alabama?

Disabled parking permit holders can park in any designated disabled parking space in Alabama for free.

Alabama Disabled Parking Infrastructure

Alabama is well-stocked with ADA-compliant disabled parking infrastructure. Disabled parking spaces in Alabama are signposted with a sign that sits at least five feet off the ground and displays the International Symbol of Accessibility.

Can You Park Free At A Meter With An Alabama Disabled Parking Permit?

Disabled parking permit holders cannot park in metered, on-street spaces for free in Alabama. Even if you display a permit, you’ll need to pay to park in these spaces.

Featured image by Zach Farmer on Unsplash

Qualifying Conditions For A Handicap Parking Permit In Arizona

A handicap permit can make a world of difference for disabled drivers. It ensures you have priority for easily accessible parking wherever you go. Applying for your handicap permit in Arizona does not need to be a long or difficult process. The Arizona Department of Transportation can issue both handicap license plates and placards. These can be temporary or permanent, and in Arizona, unlike other states, you can qualify for a disabled parking placard or license plate if you are hearing impaired.

Read on for our guide to qualifying conditions for a handicap parking permit in Arizona, and for more info on how to begin the application process.

How do you qualify for handicap parking in Arizona?

The Arizona Department of Transportation can issue disability placards and license plates for people with the following conditions, among others (check with your local DMV office for more information):

  • Not being able to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest
  • Cardiac conditions
  • Neurological, arthritic, or orthopedic conditions
  • Restrictive lung disease
  • Needing a mobility device like a wheelchair, crutch, brace or cane
  • Requiring portable oxygen
  • Hearing impairment

You can read more about the general qualifying conditions on this page. If you’re a veteran, you may also qualify for a Veteran License Plate for Arizona residents. In order to qualify, your disability must be service-related and verified by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

disabled parking symbols and signage
Image by Robert Ruggiero on Unsplash; How do you qualify for handicap parking in Arizona?

How long does it take to get a disability placard in Arizona?

Getting a disability placard in Arizona is a simple and straightforward process if you have a qualifying condition. Wondering how to get a handicap placard in Arizona? Just arrange an online consultation with one of our licensed medical professionals through Dr. Handicap. During this online consultation, the doctor will go through your medical history and will verify that you qualify for a disabled parking permit. They will also help you to fill out the necessary forms for your application, which you can then submit to your local DMV office.

After they have explained this process to you, your application has been submitted to the DMV, and you have paid any applicable fees, you will quickly receive your disability placard/license. If you do not qualify for a disabled parking permit after meeting with one of our online medical professionals, your consultation fees will be refunded.

What are the Arizona handicap placard laws?

In Arizona, you can receive either a disabled parking placard or a disabled parking license. The placard must be clearly visible at all times, either on the dashboard of your vehicle or hanging from the rearview mirror. If the placard is not visible (even if it is elsewhere in your car), you may receive a fine, so it’s important to display it clearly. The license plate needs to be firmly attached to your vehicle at all times.

Arizona issues permanent and temporary disabled parking permits. It’s important to renew your permit in time, before it expires. Whether you receive a permanent or temporary permit is determined by your qualifying condition. However, even permanent permits technically expire, and must be renewed. Luckily, renewing is a simple process that can be done at your local DMV office, provided that you do so before your permit’s expiration date.

disabled parking sign
Image by Nicolas Torres on Unsplash; Wondering how to get a handicap placard in Arizona? We’ve got you covered!

Your Arizona handicap permit allows you to park in handicap parking with the universal disabled parking sign. This is also known as the International Symbol of Access, and it is a blue square with a wheelchair overlaid. This may either be painted onto the ground on the parking spot itself, or printed on a sign marking the space.

Be sure to make yourself aware of the applicable parking meter rules of your local town or city, as each place has different rules surrounding metered parking. For example, some places in Arizona may offer free metered parking for the specified time for that parking meter, whereas others may allow you to pay your allotted time at that meter and then stay an hour for free. Arizona also recognizes out-of-state disabled parking permits, so visitors are afforded the same rights at Arizona disabled parking permit holders.

For more information on handicap parking permits in Arizona and in other states, be sure to check out the wealth of information on our website and our blog!

Featured image by Quintin Gellar on Pexels

Who Can Park In Handicap Parking In Texas?

The Texas disabled parking program exists to equal the playing field and make the lives of disabled people easier. All jurisdictions in the Lone Star State are well-equipped with ADA-compliant disabled parking infrastructure. The Texas disabled parking rules are firm but fair, and this enables the program to run smoothly.

Accessible Parking In Texas

The Texas disabled parking program caters to residents of the state who have both short-term and long-term disabilities. It also caters to visitors to Texas who have a disability and a disabled parking permit from their home state.

What Are The Texas Disabled Parking Rules?

People who are new to accessible parking in Texas tend to have several questions. Who can park in handicap parking in Texas? What qualifies for handicap parking in Texas? What is the fine for parking in a handicap spot in Texas? Below, we will answer these important questions and many more.

houston city texas
Image by Vlad Busuioc on Unsplash: Who can park in handicap parking in Texas?

Who Can Park In Handicap Parking In Texas?

Handicap parking spots in Texas adhere to standards set out in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Handicap spots are located in every jurisdiction and are marked with a signpost emblazoned with the International Symbol of Access.

The following people can park in handicap parking in Texas:

  • Texas disabled parking permit holders
  • Holders of disabled parking permits issued by all other US states and overseas territories
  • Holders of disabled parking permits issued by Canada, Mexico, EU, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan

Can Handicap Permit-Holders Park In Metered, On-Street Spots In Texas?

In Texas, disabled parking permit holders can park for free in metered, on-street parking spots for an unlimited amount of time.

What Is The Fine For Parking In A Handicap Spot In Texas?

The fine for illegally parking in a handicap spot in Texas ranges from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $750.

How Do You Get A Disabled Parking Permit In Texas?

To get a Texas disabled parking permit, visit the Dr. Handicap online clinic. At the clinic, you will have a telemedicine consultation with a medical professional who will verify your suitability to use disabled parking.

Once your suitability is verified, you will be emailed a signed application form that you can complete and submit to the Texas DMV.

What Qualifies For Handicap Parking In Texas?

In Texas, a person qualifies for disabled parking if they have any of the following disabilities:

  • They cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.
  • They cannot walk without the use of or assistance from an assistance device, including a brace, cane, crutch, another person, or a prosthetic device.
  • They are restricted by lung disease to the extent that their forced respiratory expiratory volume for one second, measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 millimeters of mercury on room air at rest.
  • They use portable oxygen.
  • They have a cardiac condition classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to the American Heart Association.
  • They are severely limited in their ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.
  • They have a foot disorder that limits or impairs their ability to walk.
  • They have another debilitating condition that, in the opinion of a physician licensed to practice medicine in Texas or a state adjacent to Texas, or authorized by law to practice medicine in a hospital or other health facility of the Veterans Administration, limits or impairs their ability to walk.
  • They have visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses.
  • They have visual acuity of more than 20/200 but with a limited field of vision in which the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle of 20 degrees or less.
view over river in texas
mage by Carlos Alfonso on Unsplash: What qualifies for handicap parking in Texas?

Who Can Verify An Application For Handicap Parking In Texas?

The following medical professionals can verify an application for disabled parking in Texas:

  • Physician
  • Podiatrist
  • Optometrist
  • Physician’s assistant
  • Advanced practice nurse

The professional must meet one of the following conditions:

  • They are licensed in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or Oklahoma
  • They practice medicine in a U.S. military installation based in Texas
  • They practice medicine in a hospital or health facility of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

What Types Of Disabled Parking Permits Are Available In Texas?

  • Permanent disabled parking placards (blue) – valid for four years
  • Temporary disabled parking placards (red) – valid for six months
  • Permanent license plates
  • Disabled Veterans license plates
  • Institutional permanent placard (blue)

Featured image by 12019 on Pixabay

Does Obesity Qualify For A Handicap Placard In Ohio?

If you’re living in Ohio and experiencing mobility issues as a result of your weight, you might be wondering if you’re able to get a handicap sticker for your car. Handicap permits certainly make life much easier when driving, as you can park much closer to your destination. However, many drivers aren’t sure whether or not they qualify.

For example: does obesity qualify for a handicap placard in Ohio? The answer is yes. Many Ohio residents with obesity are able to apply for disabled placards – however, it’s a bit more complicated than you might think. This guide can help you learn what is needed to get a handicap placard in Ohio and how you can get one as a person with obesity. Once you know how the process works, it becomes much easier to get your placard quickly, making it easier for you to travel and park conveniently.

Is being overweight a disability under ADA?

Many states use the Americans with Disabilities Act to determine whether or not a health condition qualifies as a disability. It states that a person can’t be discriminated against based on a disability. However, is obesity classed as a disability? Unfortunately, being overweight on its own is not considered a disability, and also won’t qualify for disability benefits.

This was determined by the courts in 2019, in the decision from the Richardson v. Chicago Transit Authority case. The ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated that extreme obesity can only be considered a disability if there’s evidence of an underlying physiological disorder or condition.

This means that if your obesity causes other serious health issues, like knee or joint problems or the inability to walk, then you might be able to qualify for a handicap placard in Ohio. It’s always best to talk to your doctor to learn more.

driving in Ohio
Image by Samuele Errico Piccarini via Unsplash: With a handicap placard, driving can become much less stressful.

Can you get a handicap sticker for being obese in Ohio?

Under Ohio law, a person must meet one or more of the following health conditions to be eligible for a disabled parking placard:

  • An inability to walk 200 feet without needing to rest
  • Requires usage of a portable oxygen tank
  • Has restrictions due to a lung disease
  • Needs assistance from a cane, crutch, brace, prosthetic device, wheelchair, another person, or other assistive device for mobility
  • Has a Class III or Class IV cardiac condition according to the American Heart Association standards
  • Limited mobility due to a neurological, orthopedic or arthritic condition
  • Legally blind or severely visually impaired

As you can see, obesity is not listed above. This means being overweight does not render you eligible for a placard. However, drivers who are obese are very likely to face some of the health concerns mentioned above, such as mobility limitations or a need for portable oxygen. This allows you to obtain your necessary placard due to complications from your weight, rather than directly due to obesity itself.

You would need to have certification from your doctor to apply for your placard, stating that you meet one of the qualifying conditions. Although they can’t state that the placard is required due to your weight, they can qualify you if you meet one of the conditions above that’s caused by your weight.

virtual consultation with doctor
Image by National Cancer Institute via Unsplash: A virtual consultation with a doctor can help you work out if you’re eligible.

What is needed to get a handicap placard in Ohio?

If you think you qualify for a handicap placard in Ohio, your first step is to talk to a medical professional, such as your local doctor, or to organize a telehealth consultation. Your doctor will learn more about your health conditions and review your medical records, then make an assessment based on their expertise. 

The state of Ohio requires the medical professional to complete Form BMV 4234 – Health Care Provider Certification of Eligibility for Disability License Plates. This is legal documentation that states your eligibility for the placard. They’ll also need to provide a signed letter that states the duration of your disability, so the state knows if they should issue you a temporary or permanent placard.

Once you have those documents ready, you can complete Form BMV 4826 – Application for Disability Placards. You’ll also need to pay a small application fee. You’ll then be issued your placard. Permanent placards will need to be renewed yearly, but temporary placards will expire – when this happens, you’ll need to go through the process again to confirm that you’re still eligible.

Although the application process seems complex, it should be straightforward for anyone with a genuine disability or mobility issue due to their weight. Unfortunately, Ohio and other states have had instances of fraud in the past, with people trying to claim disabled placards without a genuine need; for this reason, states need to be stringent when it comes to their application processes.

If you’re living in Ohio and need help with your application, Dr. Handicap can help with your medical certification, so get in touch today! It’s worth the time and effort, as once you receive your disabled parking placard, life will become so much easier, giving you the confidence and freedom to travel without needing to worry about the stress of finding an accessible parking spot.

Featured image by Robert Ruggiero via Unsplash

Is Height A Qualifying Condition For A Disabled Parking Permit?

Access to disabled parking in the United States is top tier. The program provides ample opportunity and availability for those with qualifying conditions to access parking that can make their daily lives easier.

Disabled parking spots can make all the difference for a person who has limited mobility due to any number of conditions, eliminating their need to exacerbate their condition just to go to an appointment or grocery store. But is there such a thing as a height disability parking permit? Can you get a handicap placard for being short?

Can you get a handicap sticker for being under 5 feet?

Being short is not generally considered a disability. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), for a person to qualify as disabled, they need to have an impairment that creates great obstacles in completing and participating in major life activities.

For example, if a person is under five feet tall but has no difficulty with mobility or driving, it’s not likely that they will qualify under the ADA. On the other hand, if a person has diastrophic dwarfism, a health condition that could potentially affect mobility due to joint differences and curvature of the spine, they would qualify for a permit.

Can you get a handicap sticker for being tall?

As with being short, being excessively tall is also not considered a disability in its own right. However, people with extreme tallness caused by a condition such as gigantism could end up suffering from more chronic health conditions than their average-height counterparts.

Gigantism is a condition caused by an excessive amount of growth hormone being released while a child grows. Conditions that are often associated with gigantism include enlargement of the hands and feet, which could pose mobility issues in adulthood; arthritis; an increased risk for heart disease; and vision loss. All of these repercussions qualify under the ADA as disabilities that could allow a person to have access to a handicap placard.

Dr Handicap - disabled parking on street
Image by Jared Murray on Unsplash: Can you get a handicap sticker for being short? Not just for being short, no!

Will extreme height or lack thereof ever be considered a disability?

Although height doesn’t count as a disability now, people on both ends of the spectrum have been vying to have it at least considered. One specific occurrence of this happened in 2013 when a woman felt as though she was disabled for a certain position within her workplace because of her short stature. She filed a claim with a court, and the ADA found that it might be a valid complaint against her employer.

On the flip side, another movement was launched claiming that a man was discriminated against while on an airplane because of his tallness. He claimed that he was made to stand in the aisle the entire flight because he couldn’t fit in the seat. The movement, aptly named “Tall Consumerism”, was launched back in 2009, but didn’t garner any true changes in disability law.

Disabled parking availability and qualifying conditions

By law, parking lots are required to have the minimum amount of designated parking spots depending on the size of the parking facility. In smaller lots with only 1–25 total spots, there needs to be at least 1 handicap spot available. The numbers grow as the parking facility gets bigger, up to 20 per 1000 spots, and then 1 per 100 thereafter.

There are many conditions that fall into the category of handicap parking permit allowance. People with advanced lung or heart conditions, limited mobility or a partial use of their legs, vision problems including partial or low-vision, certain neurological conditions, arthritis or arthritis-related diseases, and the loss of limbs all qualify for a handicap parking placard.

Dr. Handicap - Wheelchair Sign on Blue Brick
Image by arembowski on Pixabay: Parking lots require a certain amount of handicap spots depending on their size.

Being overly short or tall isn’t enough to qualify for a handicap parking permit unless it has a direct influence on a person’s health and mobility. Generally speaking, one of the aforementioned conditions needs to be present for someone to be considered a candidate for a handicap parking permit.

However, if being short or tall has led to a mobility issue or other health problem, it could be said that it is the first step towards being able to qualify for a handicap permit. Some believe that changes to the ADA should be made to accommodate people with limited or excessive stature, but those changes have yet to take place for Americans. 

Featured image by SnapwireSnaps on Pixabay