Disability plates and placards — Illinois Permit Test

An Illinois resident with a permanent disability may obtain Persons with Disabilities License Plates for vehicles titled in their name, and these plates do not exempt the holder from parking meter fees or time limits.

The plates give access to the reserved space, not free parking. That is the half people get wrong.

These plates DO NOT exempt the authorized holder from parking meter fees and time limitations at parking meters.

An immediate family member living in the same household may obtain two sets of disability plates where the qualifying person does not own a vehicle and relies on somebody else for transportation.

The plates follow the person who needs them, not the car. Two sets exist because a family may need to use either vehicle.

An immediate family member residing in the same household may obtain two sets of plates if the qualifying person with disabilities does not own a vehicle and must rely on someone else for transportation.

A disability parking placard may only be used in a vehicle where the person with the disability is present and entering or leaving it while parked in a designated accessible space.

The placard is not a pass for the car. Using it while the holder is elsewhere is what takes the space from somebody who needs it.

They may only be used in a vehicle if the person with the disability is present and entering or exiting the vehicle while parked at a designated accessible parking space.

A Meter-Exempt Permanent placard is issued to a person whose permanent disability significantly limits their ability to use a parking meter, and it exempts them from meter fees and from time limits at meters with more than a 30-minute limit.

It is the only placard that touches meters, and even then the exemption starts above a 30-minute limit.

Meter-Exempt Permanent -This placard is issued to persons with permanent disabilities that significantly impair their ability to access a parking meter. There are specific types of disabilities that meet this qualification. The placard allows the authorized holder to park in spaces reserved for persons with disabilities, such as a mall, grocery, or retail store. It exempts the holder from parking meter fees and time limitations at meters exceeding a 30-minute time limit.

A Temporary disability placard is valid for as long as the certifying physician says, up to six months where the Secretary of State issued it and 90 days where a local municipality did.

Two different issuers with two different ceilings. Which one you got decides how long it lasts.

Temporary - This placard is issued to persons with a temporary disability. The placard is valid for the length of time indicated by the certifying physician, not to exceed six months if issued by the Secretary of State and 90 days if issued by a local municipality.

What do Illinois Persons with Disabilities License Plates not provide?

Exemption from meter fees and time limits. The plates give access to the reserved space, not free parking. That is the half people get wrong. Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.99: “These plates DO NOT exempt the authorized holder from parking meter fees and time limitations at parking meters.”