Disabled Veteran Plates – Are yours valid?

Texas Disabled Veteran License Plate, pre-2022Photo byKilleen Daily Herald

Veterans in general are a unique breed. These men and women have fought for their country and put their lives on the line so that others can rest easy “back home.” While others go about their normal day, veterans have been away from friends and family facing enemy fire in ways that can only be imagined by those they are sworn to protect.

Casualties are a regrettable side effect of maintaining the protection and security of the homeland. In August 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 27 percent, or more than one out of every four veterans, suffers a service-related disability. Woods and Woods, LLC, of Evansville, Indiana, states that this equates to over a million veterans with 100 percent disability.

To share their respect for these individuals, the State of Texas provides a special license plate for vehicles that identifies the registered owners as disabled veterans. The proper tags, as they are commonly known, also entitle the vehicle to utilize parking spaces reserved for handicapped individuals. These parking spaces are often positioned such that the path into a building is easier to access and traverse.

Handicap Parking SpacePhoto byDeposit Photos

Recently, though, many vehicles have been observed parking in handicapped spaces without a proper tag or placard. This includes vehicles with the obsolete disabled veteran tag.

Passed into law in May 2021, Senate Bill 792 required that anyone parking in a space reserved for those with handicaps display either a license plate or a placard that features the International Symbol of Access (ISA), also known as the Wheelchair Symbol. This new law became effective January 1, 2022.

Before that date, license plates issued to disabled veterans who provided proof of their disability had not included the ISA but were instead a combination of letters and numbers, including the letters “DV” somewhere in that series. Beginning January 1, 2022, new plates became available for disabled veterans that included the ISA.

Post-2021 Disabled Veteran License PlatePhoto byTravis County, Texas

Even with the change in license plate design to include the ISA, disabled veterans are still able to use the old-style plates and park in spaces reserved for the disabled. To do so, though, they need to get a handicap placard from their local tax assessor office, the same place where they would renew the registration or register a new vehicle.

While veterans are to be honored, particularly those who have given of themselves such that they have become disabled, parking in a spot reserved for the handicapped without the proper tag or placard can become expensive, even on the first offense. The first offense carries a minimum penalty of a fine of no less than $500 and up to $750. The fines increase incrementally from that point depending on the number of times a person is cited for this illegal parking. A second conviction raises the maximum fine to $800 but also can include 10 hours of community service. This can reach as high as a $1250 fine and 50 hours of community service.

Chart of penalties - §681.011 Texas Transportation CodePhoto bySouthside Matt

There is no cost for the placard that can be used in combination with the old-style disabled veteran tags. The new tags that include the ISA do require a $3.00 fee for receiving a specialty plate, but registration fees continue to be exempted.

Questions and concerns regarding the rules regarding the use of disabled veteran tags can be sent to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles via email to AskDMV@TxDMV.gov, or by calling 1-888-368-4689.

Making sure that the proper plate or placard is displayed can be a lot less expensive than being caught parking in a spot reserved for the handicapped with an older tag and no placard.