Who can use a handicap parking placard in Missouri? Here’s what the laws say
You’ve maybe seen someone park in a handicap spot at a grocery store or sporting event, hang a placard on the mirror and walk off without a cane, brace or visible disability in the Kansas City area.
You’ve also most likely wondered if that person is allowed to do that or if they’ve borrowed the placard from someone who’s actually disabled. It’s best not to assume — that person has a handicap placard for a reason, even if it’s not for a disability that’s visible in public.
Missouri has rules in place to determine who can use a handicap placard and how they can use one when they’re parking. Misusing one can earn you fines, get your card towed, or land you community service or jail time.
Here’s what Missouri law says about who qualifies for a handicap placard.
Who qualifies for a handicap placard or license plate in Missouri?
The Missouri Department of Revenue says that the following groups qualify for a disabled placard or license plate in the state:
- Any person with a physical disability
- A parent or guardian of a person with a physical disability
- A not-for-profit group or organization that transports more than one physically disabled person
Missouri law says a person qualifies as physically disabled if they meet at least one of the following criteria:
- They can’t walk 50 feet without stopping to rest due to a severe and disabling arthritic, neurological, orthopedic or other condition
- They can’t walk without the use of a brace, cane, crutch or other helping device
- They’re restricted by a respiratory or other disease to where their “forced respiratory expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest”
- They use an oxygen tank or other form of portable oxygen
- They have a cardiac condition and their functional limitations are labeled as Class III or Class IV in severity, according to the American Heart Association
- The person is blind as defined in Missouri statute section 8.700
How can a Missouri resident apply for a disabled placard?
Residents need to submit documentation to obtain a handicap placard for their cars, starting with an application for a disabled person placard.
They will need a licensed physician, podiatrist, optometrist, chiropractor, physician’s assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or physical therapist to certify them as “physically disabled.” A physician will then need to complete a physician’s statement for a disabled person’s placard. The statement is only valid for 90 days after the physician completes the form.
A statement from an agency on a business letterhead stating they transport physically disabled people or a statement from the United States Veterans Administration verifying a permanent disability also qualifies for the application.
The Missouri Department of Revenue says there is no fee to get a permanent placard, and it expires on September 30th of the fourth year from when you receive it. A new physician’s statement is required every eight years unless you have an age or veteran exemption.
It’s the same process for residents applying for a temporary disabled placard, but there is a $2 application fee. The temporary placard can be renewed once after 180 days, and a replacement placard costs $4.
What are the penalties for misusing a disabled placard in Missouri?
If you’re caught illegally using a handicap placard in Missouri, you can find yourself in trouble.
People who are found parking in a handicap spot with a placard that doesn’t belong to them can be fined anywhere between $50 to $300. This doesn’t apply if you’re driving a vehicle with the owner of the placard and park in a handicap spot.
You can also find yourself in jail for up to a year.
“Fraudulent application, renewal, procurement, or use of a Permanent Disabled Placard is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment for a period not to exceed one year,” the Missouri Department of Revenue says.
The same penalties apply to drivers who park in a handicap spot with no placard.
