How to Obtain a Tennessee Handicap License Plate

Having a handicap license plate allows you to park in spaces reserved for people with disabilities, which makes doing everyday activities such as traveling to work, grocery shopping and other errands easier. If you are a resident of Tennessee and are disabled, legally blind or the parent or caretaker of someone who is disabled, you may be entitled to receive a Tennessee disabled person license plate if you satisfy specific requirements and submit an application.

Things You'll Need

• Information about your vehicle
• Completed application form
• Disabled person license plate fee, if applicable

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Instructions

• 1

  Check if you meet the qualifications to obtain a disabled person's license plate. You must be a Tennessee resident and meet the definition of a disabled person according to Tennessee's Department of Revenue. You are eligible if you are severely limited in physical mobility, wheelchair-ridden or legally blind, meaning your vision can't be corrected past 20/200. You also qualify for a handicap license plate if you are the owner or lessee of a car and you are the parent or guardian of a permanently disabled person who cannot drive. A health care provider must certify a person's disability in writing.

• 2

  Download the Application for Disabled Person License Plate or Placard from the Department of Revenue website. You can also go to your local county clerk to obtain an application.

• 3

  Complete all parts of the application except the section entitled "Medical Certification," which should be left blank for your health care provider. You will need to provide basic information such as your name, address and birth date. In addition, you will need to know certain information about your vehicle such as the year and make of your car, the vehicle identification number and title number. Remember to sign and date the application.

• 4

  Meet with your licensed health care provider to have the "Medical Certification" section completed.

• 5

  Prepare the appropriate fees for a disabled person license plate; it costs $21.50 annually as of 2010. However, if you are "permanently and totally" wheelchair-bound, and you have a physician's statement certifying this, you are eligible to receive the license plate free of charge. You are also exempt from paying the annual fee if you purchase a disability placard at the same time as the plate, according to Tennessee's Department of Revenue.

• 6

  Mail the application and payment to the following address for processing:
  Vehicle Services Section
  Taxpayer and Vehicle Services Division
  44 Vantage Way, Suite 160
  Nashville, Tennessee 37243-8050

  You may also apply at your local county clerk's office; however, before you go, call to check the availability of handicap license plates at that location.