Here’s what SC law says about who can use a handicap parking placard

Let’s say you’re in a parking lot and you see someone get out of their car after hanging a handicapped placard on the rearview mirror.

They get out and walk away. No obvious handicap.

What about someone who has no placard — also called hangers — or a license plate indicating they have a disability?

South Carolina law has answers for both of those situations.

Before you can apply for a placard, a licensed doctor must certify that you have a disability and you must have a current South Carolina beginner’s permit, driver’s license, or identification card.

And only the person whose photo is on the placard can use it.

Here’s how to apply for a parking placard at an SCDMV branch:

Completed Application for Placard and/or License Plate for People who have a Disability (SCDMV Form RG-007A). The fee is $1. You can also apply by mail to SCDMV Registration, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0019.

License plates are issued only to people certified by a physician as permanently disabled and they may park only in designated spaces. The person to whom the license was issued must be present in the vehicle.

The penalty for illegally parking in a spot reserved for the handicapped is between $500 and $1,000 or up to 30 days in jail. Those who falsify an application for a handicapped placard are guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, face a similar consequence.

Here’s how South Carolina law defines handicap:

• inability to walk 100 feet nonstop

• inability to walk without the use of a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device

• lung disease or use of portable oxygen

• cardiac condition

• Walking limitation due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, for example, coordination problems and muscle spasticity due to conditions that include Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, or multiple sclerosis

• blindness

Deputy Jeremy Holt, spokesman for Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, said few tickets are written for an invalid handicap placard.

“I believe for 2024, there were under 10 citations that we are aware of,” he said.

They don’t track whether the citations came about from a citizen complaint or officer observation. Hundreds of tickets are issued for license plate violations each year but those encompass many more violations besides breaking the law by parking in spaces set aside for people with a physical disability.

This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Here’s what SC law says about who can use a handicap parking placard."