§ 304a. Special registration plates and placards for individuals with disabilities
(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Ambulatory disability” means an impairment that prevents or impedes walking. An individual
shall be considered to have an ambulatory disability if the individual:
(A) cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest;
(B) cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, a brace, cane, crutch, another
individual, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device;
(C) is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the individual’s 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;
(D) uses portable oxygen;
(E) has a cardiac condition to the extent that the individual’s functional limitations
are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by
the American Heart Association; or
(F) is severely limited in the individual’s ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological,
or orthopedic condition.
(2) “Blind” means the visual impairment of an individual whose central visual acuity does
not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with corrective lenses or whose visual acuity,
if better than 20/200, is accompanied by a limit to the field of vision in the better
eye to such a degree that its widest diameter subtends an angle of no greater than
20 degrees.
(3) “Special registration plates” means a registration plate for individuals with disabilities
that displays the International Symbol of Access:
(A) in a color that contrasts with the background; and
(B) in the same size as the letters or numbers on the plate.
(4) “Removable windshield placard” means a two-sided, hanger style placard that includes
on each side:
(A) the International Symbol of Access, which is at least three inches in height, centered
on the placard, and is a color that contrasts with the placard’s background color;
(B) an identification number;
(C) a date of expiration; and
(D) the seal or other identification of the issuing authority.
(5) “Temporary removable windshield placard” means a two-sided hanger style placard that
includes on each side:
(A) the International Symbol of Access, which is at least three inches in height, centered
on the placard, and is a color that contrasts with the placard’s background color;
(B) an identification number;
(C) a date of expiration; and
(D) the seal or other identification of the issuing authority.
(6) “Eligible person” means:
(A) an individual who is blind or has an ambulatory disability and has been issued a special
registration plate or a windshield placard by this State or another state;
(B) a person who is transporting an individual described in subdivision (A) of this subdivision
(6); or
(C) an individual transporting an individual who is blind or has an ambulatory disability
on behalf of an organization that has been issued a special registration plate or
a windshield placard by this State or another state for the purpose of transporting
an individual who is blind or has an ambulatory disability.
(b) Special registration plates or removable windshield placards, or both, shall be issued
by the Commissioner. The placard shall be issued without a fee to an individual who
is blind or has an ambulatory disability. One set of plates shall be issued without
additional fees for a vehicle registered or leased to an individual who is blind or
has an ambulatory disability or to a parent or guardian of an individual with a permanent
disability. The Commissioner shall issue these placards or plates under rules adopted
by the Commissioner after proper application has been made to the Commissioner by
any person residing within the State. Application forms shall be available on request
at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
(1) Upon application for a special registration plate or removable windshield placard,
the Commissioner shall send a form prescribed by the Commissioner to the applicant
to be signed and returned by a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant, or
licensed advanced practice registered nurse. The Commissioner shall file the form
for future reference and issue the placard or plate. A new application shall be submitted
every four years in the case of placards and at every third registration renewal for
plates but in no case greater than every four years. When a licensed physician, licensed
physician assistant, or licensed advanced practice registered nurse has previously
certified to the Commissioner that an applicant’s condition is both permanent and
stable, a special registration plate or placard need not be renewed.
(2) Upon application of an organization, the Commissioner shall issue special registration
plates for a vehicle registered in the applicant’s name if the vehicle is primarily
used to transport individuals who have an ambulatory disability or are blind. Placards
shall also be issued without a fee, upon application in a form prescribed by the Commissioner,
to an organization to be used when transporting individuals who have an ambulatory
disability or are blind. The plates and placards shall be subject to the restrictions
set forth in subdivision (a)(3) of this section.
(3) An individual with a disability who abuses such privileges or allows individuals not
disabled to abuse the privileges provided in this section may have this privilege
revoked after suitable notice and opportunity for hearing has been given the individual
by the Commissioner. Hearings under the provisions of this section shall be held in
accordance with sections 105–107 of this title and shall be subject to review by the Civil Division of the Superior Court of the
county where the individual with a disability resides.
(4) An applicant for a registration plate or placard for individuals with disabilities
may request the Civil Division of the Superior Court in the county in which the applicant
resides to review a decision by the Commissioner to deny the applicant’s application
for a special registration plate or placard.
(5) If the authenticity of the medical need for the special registration is challenged
with reasons in writing, the Commissioner may have physicians with the Vermont Department
of Health review the medical facts, with the knowledge of the individual with a disability
and the licensed physician, licensed physician assistant, or licensed advanced practice
registered nurse who filled in the medical form for the special registration, in order
to determine eligibility and so notify all concerned of the facts and the recommendations.
(6) On a form prescribed by the Commissioner, a nonprofit organization that provides volunteer
drivers to transport individuals who have an ambulatory disability or are blind may
apply to the Commissioner for a placard. The organization shall ensure proper use
of placards and maintain an accurate and complete record of the volunteer drivers
to whom the placards are given by the organization. Placards shall be returned to
the organization when the volunteer driver is no longer performing that service. Abuse
of the privileges provided by the placards may result in the privileges being revoked
and the placards repossessed by the Commissioner. Revocation may occur only after
suitable notice and opportunity for a hearing. Hearings shall be held in accordance
with sections 105–107 of this title.
(c) Eligible persons may park vehicles with special registration plates or removable windshield
placards issued by any state in special parking spaces when:
(1) the placard is displayed:
(A) by hanging it from the front windshield rearview mirror in such a manner that it may
be viewed from the front and rear of the vehicle; or
(B) if the vehicle has no rearview mirror, on the dashboard;
(2) the plate is mounted as provided in section 511 of this title; or
(3) the plate is mounted or the placard displayed as provided by the law of the jurisdiction
where the vehicle is registered.
(d)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an eligible person shall be permitted
to park, and to park without fee, for at least 10 continuous days in a parking space
or area that is restricted as to the length of time parking is permitted or where
parking fees are assessed.
(2) Notwithstanding the 10-day period in subdivision (1) of this subsection, in the case
of a State- or municipally operated parking garage, an eligible person shall be permitted
to park, and to park without fee, for at least 24 continuous hours.
(3) This subsection shall not apply to spaces or areas in which parking, standing, or
stopping of all vehicles is prohibited by law or by any parking ban or that are reserved
for special vehicles. As a condition to the privilege conferred by this subsection,
the vehicle shall display the registration plate or placard issued by the Commissioner,
or a special registration license plate or placard issued by any other jurisdiction,
in accordance with subsection (c) of this section.
(e)(1) An individual, other than an eligible person, who for the individual’s own purposes
parks a vehicle in a space for individuals with disabilities shall be subject to a
civil penalty of not less than $200.00 for each violation and shall be liable for
towing charges.
(2) An individual, other than an eligible person, who displays a special registration
plate or removable windshield placard not issued to the individual under this section
and parks a vehicle in a space for individuals with disabilities, shall be subject
to a civil penalty of not less than $400.00 for each violation and shall be liable
for towing charges.
(3) A person who violates this section also shall be liable for storage charges not to
exceed $12.00 per day, and an artisan’s lien may be imposed against the vehicle for
payment of the charges assessed.
(4) The person in charge of the parking space or spaces for individuals with a disability
or any duly authorized law enforcement officer shall cause the removal of a vehicle
parked in violation of this section.
(5) A violation of this section shall be considered a traffic violation within the meaning
of 4 V.S.A. chapter 29.
(f) Individuals who have a temporary ambulatory disability may apply for a temporary removable
windshield placard to the Commissioner on a form prescribed by the Commissioner. The
placard shall be valid for a period of up to six months and displayed as required
under the provisions of subsection (c) of this section. The application shall be signed
by a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant, or licensed advanced practice
registered nurse. The validation period of the temporary placard shall be established
on the basis of the written recommendation from a licensed physician, licensed physician
assistant, or licensed advanced practice registered nurse. The Commissioner shall
adopt rules to implement the provisions of this subsection. (Added 1987, No. 268 (Adj. Sess.), § 9, eff. June 21, 1988; amended 1989, No. 51, § 12; 1989, No. 56; 1991, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1993; 1999, No. 34, § 5; 1999, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 29, 2000; 2003, No. 151 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2003, No. 160 (Adj. Sess.), § 60, eff. June 9, 2004; 2005, No. 188 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2007, No. 61, § 4; 2009, No. 82 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238; 2011, No. 62, § 39; 2013, No. 57, § 4; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 142; 2015, No. 23, § 121; 2015, No. 50, § 7; 2017, No. 71, § 1; 2017, No. 132 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2017, No. 206 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 140; 2025, No. 66, § 4, eff. July 1, 2025.)