City of Lake Forest, IL

To reduce fraud and abuse of disability license plates and parking placards, the Illinois Secretary of State has introduced a new placard and qualifications for the various placards. Beginning January 1, 2014 there are new changes to the Parking Program for Persons with Disabilities.

New regulations will no longer allow a person with a disability parking placard to automatically qualify for meter-exempt parking in cities and municipalities. Disability parking placards are limited to one per person. Placards are only valid until the expiration date indicated on the placard. Failure to properly display a parking placard when utilizing a designated disabled parking space may result in a fine.

The Secretary of State’s office issues four types of parking placards:

• Meter-Exempt Permanent Placards — Issued to persons with permanent disabilities who have significant impairments that cause difficulty in accessing a parking meter. This placard also allows the authorized holder to park in spaces reserved for persons with disabilities such as at a mall, grocery or retail store, etc., and exempts the authorized holder from parking meter fees and time limitations at parking meters that exceed a 30-minute time limit statewide. To be eligible for this placard, the person with the disability must have a valid Illinois driver’s license, and their physician must certify that they meet the criteria as outlined on the certification form. This placard DOES exempt the authorized holder from parking meter fees.
• Non Meter-Exempt Permanent Placards — Issued to persons with permanent disabilities who still have the ability to access the parking meter and allows the authorized holder to park in spaces for persons with disabilities such as a mall, grocery or retail store, etc. This placard DOES NOT exempt the authorized holder from parking meter fees and time limitations at parking meters.
• Temporary Placards — Issued to persons with a temporary disability and are 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. This placard DOES NOT exempt the authorized holder from parking meter fees and time limitations at parking meters.

For more information or an application for parking placards, please go to: http://bit.ly/1ilhKRd.