What the statutes mean

What individuals qualify for special license plates:

- Disabled military veterans (for cars and motor cycles)
- A resident with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk
- A driver who regularly transports a disabled person
- An employer whose employee is disabled
- An individual who leases a vehicle to a disabled person

The disability statements for disabled veteran residents must be renewed every 4 years. The statement for a disabled motorcycle plate must state whether the disability is permanent or temporary and, if temporary, your opinion as to the duration of the disability. If the transportation department determines that the disability of a person is temporary, a temporary operation plate may be issued to the person.

What Vehicles Qualify

· Automobiles or motor homes (annual registration only);

· A private truck, dual purpose motor home or dual purpose farm truck which has a gross weight of 8,000 pounds or less;

· A farm truck which has a gross weight of 12,000 pounds or less;

· Motorcycles (non-personalized only).

Eligibility Standards

Any person certified by a chiropractor as having a permanent disability is eligible for the Disabled Parking License Plates. This includes any person who:

· Cannot walk 200 feet or more without stopping to rest;

· Cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, another person or brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistance device;

· Is restricted by lung disease to the extent that forced expiratory volume for 1 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;

· Uses portable oxygen;

· Has a cardiac condition to the extent that functional limitations are classified in severity as class III or IV, according to standards accepted by the American Heart Association;

· Is severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition;

· Has an equal degree of disability to those described above.

Use of Disabled License Plates

A motor vehicle displaying “Disabled” license plates issued by Wisconsin or any other state or country, is subject to all Wisconsin motor vehicle laws and is granted the following privileges when the person with the disability is present:

· Parking in places reserved for people with a disability;

· Exemption from time limitations in parking places with a ½ hour or more limit;

· Exemption from payment in metered parking places with ½ hour or more limits. This does not include payment collected by parking attendants.

· Upon request, a driver who is disabled may obtain fuel from a full-service pump at the same price as fuel

from a self-service pump. This applies at locations where fuel is sold at retail from both full and self-service pumps. The retailer is not required to provide any other service that is not provided to customers who use a self-service pump.

How a Patient Applies

1. The patient completes the Disabled Parking License Plates Application “Applicant Section.”
2. The chiropractor completes the “Health Care Certification.”
3. If the patient wants personalized Disabled plates, he/she checks the “I would like personalized Disabled plates” box and complete the “Personalized Disabled License Plate Application.”
4. The patient send WisDOT the following items:

– Completed Disabled Parking License Plates Application “Applicant Section.”
– Completed “Health Care Certification.”
– Completed “Personalized Disabled License Plate Application.”
– Their original Wisconsin Certificate of Title (not a photocopy), if the vehicle is titled in their name or a Title/License Plate Application (MV1 form) and an assigned title if not currently titled in their name.
– Registration fee if they do not have plates or if their plates expire within the next three months.
– If a fee is required, a check or money order made payable to: Registration Fee Trust.

1. Mail to: Wisconsin Department of Transportation Special Plates Unit P O Box 7911 Madison WI 53707-7911

Interested individuals may obtain an application at a DOT office.

Statute excerpt

341.14(1) If any resident of this state who is registering or has registered an automobile or station wagon, or a motor truck, dual purpose motor home or dual purpose farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds, a farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 12,000 pounds or a motor home submits a statement once every 4 years, as determined by the department, from the U.S. department of veterans affairs certifying to the department that the resident is, by reason of injuries sustained while in the active U.S. military service, a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, the department shall procure, issue and deliver to the veteran, plates of a special design in lieu of the plates which ordinarily would be issued for the vehicle, and shall renew the plates. The plates shall have a light blue background except for a white border not to exceed one inch at top and bottom, and blue lettering, except that the word “VET” and the identifying number shown on the plates shall be colored red. The plates shall be so designed as to readily apprise law enforcement officers of the fact that the vehicle is owned by a disabled veteran and is entitled to the parking privileges specified in s. 346.50 (2). No charge in addition to the registration fee shall be made for the issuance or renewal of such plates.

341.14(1a) If any resident of this state, who is registering or has registered an automobile or station wagon, or a motor truck, dual purpose motor home or dual purpose farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds, a farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 12,000 pounds or a motor home, submits a statement once every 4 years, as determined by the department, from a physician licensed to practice medicine in any state, from an advanced practice nurse licensed to practice nursing in any state, from a physician assistant licensed or certified to practice in any state, from a chiropractor licensed to practice chiropractic in any state or from a Christian Science practitioner residing in this state and listed in the Christian Science journal certifying to the department that the resident is a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, the department shall procure, issue and deliver to the disabled person plates of a special design in lieu of plates which ordinarily would be issued for the vehicle, and shall renew the plates. The plates shall be so designed as to readily apprise law enforcement officers of the fact that the vehicle is owned by a nonveteran disabled person and is entitled to the parking privileges specified in s. 346.50 (2a). No charge in addition to the registration fee shall be made for the issuance or renewal of such plates.

341.14(1e)(a) If any resident of this state, who is registering or has registered a motorcycle, submits a statement once every 4 years, as determined by the department, from a physician licensed to practice medicine in any state, from an advanced practice nurse licensed to practice nursing in any state, from a physician assistant licensed or certified to practice in any state, from a chiropractor licensed to practice chiropractic in any state, from a Christian Science practitioner residing in this state and listed in the Christian Science journal or from the U.S. department of veterans affairs certifying to the department that the resident is a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, the department shall procure, issue and deliver to the disabled person a plate of a special design in lieu of the plate which ordinarily would be issued for the motorcycle, and shall renew the plate. The statement shall state whether

the disability is permanent or temporary and, if temporary, the opinion of the physician, advanced practice nurse, physician assistant, chiropractor, practitioner or U.S. department of veterans affairs as to the duration of the disability. The plate shall be so designed as to readily apprise law enforcement officers of the fact that the motorcycle is owned by a disabled person and is entitled to the parking privileges specified in s. 346.50 (2a). No charge in addition to the registration fee may be made for the issuance or renewal of the plate.

341.14(1e)(b) If the department determines that the disability of a person submitting a statement under par. (a) is temporary, a temporary operation plate may be issued to the person under s. 341.09 (8). A plate issued under s. 341.09 (8) shall be considered a special registration plate issued under this subsection for purposes of s. 346.50 (2a) and (3), 346.503 (1), 346.505 (2), 349.13 (1m) or 349.145.

341.14(1m) If any licensed driver submits to the department a statement once every 4 years, as determined by the department, from a physician licensed to practice medicine in any state, from an advanced practice nurse licensed to practice nursing in any state, from a physician assistant licensed or certified to practice in any state, from a chiropractor licensed to practice chiropractic in any state or from a Christian Science practitioner residing in this state and listed in the Christian Science journal certifying that another person who is regularly dependent on the licensed driver for transportation is a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, the department shall issue and deliver to the licensed driver plates of a special design in lieu of the plates which ordinarily would be issued for the automobile or station wagon, or motor truck, dual purpose motor home or dual purpose farm truck having a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds, farm truck having a gross weight of not more than 12,000 pounds or motor home, and shall renew the plates. The plates shall be so designed as to readily apprise law enforcement officers of the fact that the vehicle is operated by a licensed driver on whom a disabled person is regularly dependent and is entitled to the parking privileges specified in s. 346.50 (2a). No charge in addition to the registration fee may be made for the issuance or renewal of the plates. The plates shall conform to the plates required in sub. (1a).

341.14(1q) If any employer who provides an automobile or station wagon, or a motor truck, dual purpose motor home or dual purpose farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds, a farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 12,000 pounds or a motor home, for an employee’s use submits to the department a statement once every 4 years, as determined by the department, from a physician licensed to practice medicine in any state, from an advanced practice nurse licensed to practice nursing in any state, from a physician assistant licensed or certified to practice in any state, from a chiropractor licensed to practice chiropractic in any state or from a Christian Science practitioner residing in this state and listed in the Christian Science journal certifying that the employe is a person with a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, the department shall issue and deliver to such employer plates of a special design in lieu of the plates which ordinarily would be issued for the vehicle, and shall renew the plates. The plates shall be so designed as to readily apprise law enforcement officers of the fact that the vehicle is operated by a disabled person and is entitled to the parking privileges specified in s. 346.50 (2a). No charge in addition to the registration fee may be made for the issuance or renewal of the plates. The plates shall conform to the plates required in sub. (1a).

341.14(1r)(a) If any resident of this state who is registering or has registered an automobile or station wagon, or a motor truck, dual purpose motor home or dual purpose farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds, a farm truck which has a gross weight of not more than 12,000 pounds or a motor home submits a statement once every 4 years, as determined by the department, certifying to the department that the vehicle is leased to a person who qualifies for special plates under sub. (1) or (1a) together with the information required under sub. (1) or (1a), the department shall issue and deliver to the resident, plates of the appropriate special design under sub. (1) or (1a) in lieu of the plates which ordinarily would be issued for the vehicle, and shall renew the plates. No charge in addition to the registration fee shall be made for the issuance or renewal of the plates. No plates may be issued and delivered to a resident under this paragraph on or after January 1, 1998.

341.14(1r)(b) If the lessor of a vehicle under par. (a) does not continue to lease the vehicle to the disabled person as certified to the department, the lessor shall dispose of the special plates in a manner prescribed by the department and shall obtain replacement plates for the vehicle. No charge in addition to the registration fee for the vehicle, if due, may be made for the issuance of replacement plates under this paragraph.