If you have a handicapped plate or placard, you may apply to have a handicapped space outside your residence. Please fill out the Handicap Sign Request Form, and send it to the Division of Planning and Development (address shown at bottom). Alternatively, you can petition the City Clerk, and your request will be forwarded to our department.

Massachusetts Handicap Plate and Placard Law - 1977

HP plates and placards are issued through the Registry of Motor Vehicles to eligible people with disabilities. They entitle holders to park in designated HP spaces, make use of the gas station law and park at parking meters for an unlimited amount of time free of charge. The rights, responsibilities and privileges of plate holders and placard holders are the same. The Registry’s Bureau of Medical Affairs determines eligibility according to a physician’s documentation. Only people who meet the disability definition and who are the registered owner of the vehicle and who are licensed drivers may receive plates. Anyone who meets the disability definition can get a placard. Individuals who meet the standards for both plates and placards can choose which they prefer. The only practical difference between them is that a plate is permanently attached to one car, while a placard is a card that can easily be moved from one car to another. Massachusetts also issues temporary placards in some circumstances.

Note: Substantially revised in 2000, the law allows eligible individuals to obtain both a placard and a plate. It removes the previously confusing references to the placard as a type of plate. An individual who uses a handicapped placard without proper authorization is the individual who will be penalized, as opposed to the individual with a disability to whom the placard was issued. A placard may be utilized for parking in association with the transportation of the authorized user of the placard. This change addresses confusion related to the appropriate use of a placard when picking up or dropping off the authorized user. It allows workers with disabilities to use their placard when driving a commercial vehicle, but preserves the time limitations for the utilization of commercial spaces. It increases the fines for unauthorized utilization of handicapped placards from one hundred to five hundred dollars for the first offense and one thousand dollars for subsequent offenses. It specifies that the fines and penalties in this section are in addition to those specified in section 37E of chapter 266 for the fraudulent use of another's identity.

Applications for plates and placards are available at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, at MOD or by contacting:

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles
Medical Affairs, P.O. Box 199100
Boston, MA 02119-9100
(617) 351-9222 or (800) 858-3926 Voice (877) 768-8833 TTY
Hand Deliveries to 630 Washington Street, Boston, MA. 02119
Website: http://www.state.ma.us/rmv/medical/

Primary Contact:
Matthew Roux, Assistant Traffic Planner
Division of Planning and Development
50 Arcand Drive
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: (978) 446-7200 x1421