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In Washington State, handicap parking laws define the types of permits that you may get, their validity period, penalties for infractions, and rules that apply to drivers and parking lots, alike.

This article covers all of these details and other important information that you should know about.

Three Types of Parking Permits

Washington State has three types of disabled parking permits: Permanent disability, temporary parking, and organizational vehicles permits.

Here is a breakdown of what each of them entails:

Permanent Disability

If you obtain this parking privilege, you would get a maximum of two blue placards that you can use in any vehicle that you ride.

To clarify, Washingtonians who are considered to be permanently disabled may pick one of the following license plate and placard options:

• One to two blue placards that the disabled individual can hang on the rear-view mirror of their own vehicle or one that they’re riding (such as when they can’t drive and are being transported in someone else’s car).
• A set of disabled parking license plates (one goes on the front of the car and the other on the back) and one blue placard.
• One disabled parking tab and one blue placard.

Temporary Parking

A temporary disabled parking permit comes with a single red placard that’s placed on the rear-view mirror.

Organizational Vehicles

If you’re part of an entity that transports one or more disabled people, you may want to get an organizational parking permit.

Once you fill out and submit the Disabled Parking Application for Organizations, your entity can either get:

• Placards: Since placards are hung on the rear-view mirror, you should get them when your organization has multiple vehicles that a disabled individual rides. For example, a company that has two cars that their employees use interchangeably (including a staff member with a disability) can place the placard in the vehicle that they’re operating on that day.
• Disabled Parking License Plates: This is more ideal when the organization only has one car because license plates can’t be moved between vehicles.

You want to keep in mind that each of the three permit types has its own validity period.

How long are parking permits valid for?

Permanent disability and organizational permits are valid for 5 years, beginning from the date on which they were issued.

Temporary parking permits, on the other hand, need to be renewed every year.

Regardless of whether or not your permit has expired, you should always make sure that you’re using them in the appropriate way in order to avoid fines and penalties.

Penalties for Unauthorized Use

Washington State’s laws treat the unauthorized usage of disability parking permits as a traffic infraction. To clarify, this means that you get a ticket and a fine (which is $450).

You may get penalized in the following situations:

• The placards and/or license plates are placed in a car other than the one that it’s authorized for.
• You park in a disabled parking spot even when the person with disabilities who obtained the placards or license plates isn’t with you in the car.
• Similarly, you park in a disabled parking spot without hanging the placards on your rear-view mirror or installing the license plates on the vehicle.
• Your car is in a position that blocks a regular parking spot that’s next to the disabled parking area.

On that note, the rules and requirements that apply to parking lots are equally as important as those that pertain to the authorized usage of disabled parking privileges.

Providing Accessible Parking

Under the Evergreen State’s laws, handicap parking areas have to be:

• In a location that’s by the shortest and quickest route to get to an accessible building entrance.
• Have a firm and level surface.
• Be on the same level as or have a ramp that accesses the walkway/sidewalk.
• Display a sign with the International Symbol of Accessibility that’s at least 5-feet tall and can be fully seen by drivers.
• Abide by the Standard Vehicle Parking Space dimensions (a minimum of 8 feet for the parking spot and no less than 5 feet for the accessible aisle).

In addition to these rules, lots must have a certain number of handicap parking spots that’s based on their size.

How many handicap spaces should there be?

Parking lots in the state of Washington need to designate an accessible area for regular vehicles and standard vans.

In fact, each of them should have a minimum of 1 handicap spot that fits a standard-sized van. Lots that have more than 200 parking areas (for both disabled and non-disabled parking) are required to have 2 spots for standard vans that are accessible. 

Lots with 25 or less parking spaces aren’t obligated to have any accessible parking areas for regular-sized vehicles, but they must still provide at least one handicap space that fits a standard van (in other words, they should have at least 1 accessible parking spot in total).

Meanwhile, when it comes to bigger parking lots, here are the minimum numbers of handicap parking areas that the law mandates for them to have:

• Lots with 26 to 50 General Parking Spaces: 1 accessible parking spot for an average vehicle (or 2 in total when we include vans)
• 51 to 75 Spaces: 2 (3 in total)
• 76 to 100 Spaces: 3 (4 in total)
• 101 to 150 Spaces: 4 (5 in total)
• 151 to 200 Spaces: 5 (6 in total)
• 201 to 300 Spaces: 5 (7 in total since lots of this size need two areas that could fit a standard-sized van)

These requirements should allow you to easily find a spot when you have disabled parking placards and/or license plates.

How can I obtain a disabled parking placard or license plate to use on my car?

You can apply for and obtain these items in two ways:

• Online: Click here to start your application through the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) website.
• Via Phone: Alternatively, you can call the DOL at (360) 902-3770.

You can also use these methods to renew your placards and/or license plates. You want to make sure that you do so before they expire so that you don’t get penalized.

How can I report disabled parking abuse?

If you notice that someone is inappropriately taking advantage of disabled parking spots, you can report them by calling (206) 386-9012 or (206) 625-5011.

After that, state officials will take the appropriate actions based on the type of permit that the violator has (if any) and whether or not it expired, alongside penalizing the vehicle’s operator or parking lot owner (depending on who broke the law).