DISABILITY PARKING LAWS AND RIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL OF ACCESS
This symbol identifies facilities which are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Parking spaces and ramps are specifically designed and reserved for use by people with disabilities, people using wheelchairs, braces, crutches, walkers or canes, people with arthritis or heart conditions. These spaces are extra-wide to accommodate wheelchairs and are placed as close to the entrance as possible for those who are unable to walk long distances.
When you see the symbol of access on a parking space, please be considerate of other people's special parking needs and park your car in a regular parking space. IT IS THE LAW!
LICENSE PLATES OR PERMITS
Any vehicle that has a license plate or valid permit displaying the International Symbol of Access may use parking spaces designated for use by a person with a disability. The person to whom the license plate or permit was issued must be traveling in the vehicle in order to use these spaces.
PARKING SPACES
Q: What is accessible parking? Accessible parking requires that sufficient space be provided alongside the vehicle so that persons using mobility aids, including wheelchairs, can transfer and maneuver to and from the vehicle. Accessible parking also involves the appropriate designation and location of spaces and their connection to an accessible route.
Q: Why is the area next to the parking spaces striped? This area is known as the ACCESS AISLE. It is the space adjacent to an accessible parking space to allow people using mobility aids to transfer and maneuver from their vehicles. Lift-equipped vans need this space in order for people to enter and exit their vehicles. In addition, access aisles are necessary for some people who need to be able to fully open the vehicle's door in order to enter or exit the vehicle.
WHERE TO APPLY
Parking Permits: Apply in your local jurisdiction (see below).
License Plates: Are secured through your local Department of Motor Vehicles.
WHO CAN APPLY
Parking Permits may be issued for either a permanent or temporary disability. You must be a New York State resident to be eligible for a permanent parking permit. You do not have to be a driver or registered owner of a vehicle, to get a parking permit. Children who have a qualifying disability are eligible for permits at any age, as are persons who are legally blind. Permits are issued in the name of the person with the disability.
License Plates - Your disability must be permanent. The vehicle on which the special plates will be used must be registered to the person with the disability, whether or not that person drives. You must be at least 16 years old to have a vehicle registered in your name.
HOW TO APPLY
Parking Permit: Fill out application (MV-664.1) - available at www.dmv.ny.gov - and submit along with medical certification (Part 2) to your local city, town, village or police department (click here). If you have a NYS driver's license or an ID card issued by DMV, also bring that with you. (You do not have to be a driver, or the registered owner of a vehicle, to get a parking permit.)
License Plate: Disability must be permanent. The vehicle on which the special plates will be used must be registered to the person with the disability, whether or not that person drives. Fill out Part I of the application (MV-664.1). Have a Medical Doctor, Doctor of Osteopathy, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, or Doctor of Podiatric Medicine must complete Part 2. Bring the materials to any Motor Vehicle office. You will be required to pay a fee for new plates that have the International Symbol of Access.
MEDICAL GUIDELINES
Medical guidelines for issuing parking permits and license plates. (See application for more specific information on proof of disability.)
Medical Certification: Permanent Disabilities may be certified by a Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), Physician Assistant (PA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), or in cased involving podiatry, a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). Temporary Disabilities, however, may be certified only by a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO).
Permanent Parking Permits: A "severely disabled" person is any person with one or more of the PERMANENT impairments, disabilities or conditions listed below, which limit mobility. These are the conditions that apply:
- Uses portable oxygen
- Legally blind
- Limited or no use of one or both legs
- Unable to walk 200 feet without stopping
- Neuromuscular dysfunction that severely limits mobility
- Class III or IV cardiac condition (American Heart Association standards)
- Severely limited in ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition
- Restricted by lung disease to such an extent that forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/hg of room air at rest
- Has a physical or mental impairment or condition not listed above which constitutes an equal degree of disability, and which imposes unusual hardship in the use of public transportation and prevents the person from getting around without great difficultly. (Must explain how this disability limits functional mobility.)
Temporary Parking Permit, valid for six months or less, may be issued when a person has a temporary disability and is unable to ambulate without the aid of an assisting device such as a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, another person, wheelchair or walker.
PLEASE NOTE: License plates for persons with permanent disabilities are secured through your local Department of Motor Vehicles:
- Canton: 80 State Highway 310, Suite 3 - 315-386-1408
- Gouverneur: 1227 US Highway 11 - 315-287-7034
- Massena: 21 Harrowgate Commons - 315-764-1727
- Ogdensburg: 206 Ford Street - 315-393-5386
Request for plates for Disabled Veterans: These plates are available from the DMV Custom Plates Unit in Albany. If you have any questions, please call 1-518-402-4838 or visit DMV on-line at www.nysdmv.com.
IMPORTANT ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS
To apply in New York City for the state parking permit or the special New York City disability parking permit for people with disabilities, please contact:
The NYC Department of Transportation, Bureau of Authorized Parking and Permits, 28-11 Queens Plaza North, 8th Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101-4008 - Phone: 1-718-433-3100 or www.nyc.gov
Personalized license plates (up to six characters) with the International Symbol of Access are available for an additional charge. Please contact: The DMV Custom Plate Office, Phone: 1-518-402-4838
DMV Call Center telephone numbers, please contact 315 or 518 area codes: 1-518-486-9786
Applicants with impaired hearing or speech may call the New York State DMV, TTY/TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf): New York State: 1-800-368-1186
Sources of information for this website are the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and NYS DMV website: This information was compiled by the St. Lawrence County Special Programs Office, 80 State Highway 310, Suite 1, Canton, NY 13617-1493, Phone; 315-386-2207. This information is as of June 2020-pending.
