Florida Disability Form HSMV 83039: Permits, Fees, and Renewal

To apply for a disabled parking permit in Florida, complete Form HSMV 83039, have a licensed medical professional certify your qualifying condition on the form, and submit it in person at your county tax collector’s office or a motor vehicle service center. Permanent placards are free and last four years; temporary placards cost $15 and last up to six months. The form is the same document used for new applications, renewals, and replacements, and the medical signature on it must be less than 12 months old when you submit it.¹

Who Qualifies

Section 320.0848 of the Florida Statutes limits eligibility to people who are legally blind or who cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest. Form HSMV 83039 breaks that standard into seven specific categories, and the certifying provider must check one:²

Inability to walk without a brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, or another person’s help. If an assistive device fully restores normal walking, the person does not qualify.
Permanent need for a wheelchair.
Lung disease with forced expiratory volume in one second below one liter, or arterial oxygen below 60 mm/hg on room air at rest.
Regular use of portable oxygen.
Cardiac condition classified as Class III or Class IV under American Heart Association standards.
An arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition that severely limits walking.
Legal blindness, certified by an optometrist.

The FLHSMV does not make the medical judgment. That determination belongs to the certifying provider who examines you and signs the physician’s section of the form.

Who Can Sign the Medical Certification

Florida law authorizes the following licensed practitioners to certify the disability on Form HSMV 83039:¹

Physicians licensed under Florida Chapters 458 (medicine), 459 (osteopathic medicine), or 460 (chiropractic medicine).
Podiatric physicians licensed under Chapter 461.
Optometrists licensed under Chapter 463, but only for certifying legal blindness.
Advanced practice registered nurses licensed under Chapter 464, working under a qualifying physician’s protocol.
Physician assistants licensed under Chapter 458 or 459.

Out-of-state physicians can also sign, but they must attach documentation of their licensure and a signed statement confirming that they understand Florida’s eligibility guidelines.² Whoever signs, they must include their license number, state of licensure, business address, and signature. A signature is good for 12 months. Submit the form after that and it will be rejected.

Filling Out and Submitting Form HSMV 83039

The form is a PDF available on the FLHSMV website. You complete the applicant section: full legal name as it appears on your Florida driver license or state ID, date of birth, sex, address, contact information, and Florida driver license or ID number. Your medical provider then fills in the physician’s section, checks the qualifying condition, indicates whether the disability is temporary or permanent, and signs and dates the form.¹

If you cannot get to an office to obtain a Florida ID because of the severity of your condition, the physician checks the “Special Exception” box on the form and signs it a second time.

New applications must generally be submitted in person at a county tax collector’s office, license plate agency, or motor vehicle service center. Bring proof of identity. Some counties, including Pinellas and Flagler, will accept the completed application by mail so you don’t have to visit an office.³⁴ Some offices will also take a form faxed directly from the certifying provider. New applications cannot be filed through the FLHSMV’s MyDMV Portal; that channel is limited to renewals, replacements, and additional permits.⁵

Permit Types, Fees, and How Long Each Lasts

Permanent Permit

Issued for long-term mobility impairments or legal blindness. Valid four years, expiring on the holder’s birthday. No fee. The placard shows the holder’s driver license or state ID number and must carry a valid yellow registration decal on both sides.⁶

Temporary Permit

Issued for short-term impairments, valid up to six months as specified by the certifying provider. Fee is $15. If the condition continues past six months and a second temporary permit is needed, no additional fee is charged as long as the second application is filed within 12 months of the first. Temporary-permit holders are not eligible for secondary permits or wheelchair license plates.⁷

Lifetime Permit

Beginning July 1, 2026, Florida will issue a lifetime disabled parking permit to people certified as permanently disabled due to dismemberment or amputation. The placard carries a sticker showing it does not expire and does not need to be renewed. Replacement applications for a lifetime permit may use a certificate of disability issued at any time, rather than one from the past 12 months.²

Secondary Permit

Florida allows two permits per person only in limited cases. A secondary permit is available if the applicant is certified as quadriplegic, or is a frequent traveler who needs one permit for a vehicle at the departure point and another at the destination. The secondary permit expires on the same date as the primary one. The certifying provider must justify the second placard on the application.⁶

Wheelchair License Plate

People who qualify for a permanent permit can instead choose a wheelchair symbol license plate under Section 320.0843. You must be a Florida resident and the owner or lessee of the vehicle. The plate carries the same parking privileges as the placard. The application uses Form HSMV 83007 or 83039, along with a current vehicle registration and proof of insurance.⁸

Renewing a Permanent Permit

Permanent permits renew every four years. Submit a fresh Form HSMV 83039 signed by a certifying provider within the past 12 months, along with a copy of the registration for the expiring permit. Renewals go to the tax collector in your county of residence and can be filed in person, by mail, or by fax.

Renewals can also be filed through the MyDMV Portal if you already have a current Form HSMV 83039 on file with your local office. The portal handles replacements and additional permits as well. Most portal transactions carry a $2 convenience fee.⁹

One statutory shortcut: if you have already been certified as permanently disabled, the FLHSMV will renew the permit for one additional four-year period without requiring a new certificate of disability. After that renewal, a fresh medical certification is required again.²

Replacing a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Permit

A replacement takes two forms: HSMV 83039 with a current medical certification, and HSMV 83146 (Application for Replacement License Plate, Validation Decal or Parking Permit). Both are submitted in person at a motor vehicle service center, and the MyDMV Portal offers an online replacement option.¹⁰ The statutory replacement fee is $1, waived if you provide a police report showing the permit was stolen.

Special Situations

Veterans

Veterans certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a branch of the Armed Forces as permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability can submit VA Form Letter 27-333 (or its equivalent), issued within the past 12 months, in place of the standard medical certification when applying for or renewing a parking permit.⁵

Separately, veterans with a 100-percent service-connected disability rating qualify for a free “DV” (Disabled Veteran) license plate under Section 320.084. Vehicles with a DV plate are exempt from fees at public on-street metered parking statewide, including at airports and timed facilities, a broader exemption than the standard placard provides.¹¹

Expectant Mothers

Section 320.0849 authorizes a separate temporary permit for expectant mothers. It uses a different form, HSMV 83040, signed by a physician licensed under Chapter 458 or 459. The permit is valid up to one year, costs $15, and is not renewable.¹²

Out-of-State Visitors

Florida honors any out-of-state or foreign disabled parking permit or plate that displays the international symbol of accessibility. If the visitor’s permit lacks the symbol, they can get a temporary Florida permit by filing Form HSMV 83039 with acceptable photo ID (a home-state driver license, a passport, or a U.S. territory ID). The fee is $15, and the permit is nonrenewable.¹³

What the Permit Lets You Do

Under Section 316.1964, a vehicle displaying a valid disabled parking permit or qualifying license plate can park at on-street metered spaces free for up to four hours. Local governments may extend that time by ordinance. The fee exemption applies only when the vehicle is transporting the person to whom the permit was issued.¹⁴

The exemption is not universal. Parking fees may still be charged at facilities serving convention centers, cruise terminals, sports stadiums, arenas, and auditoriums. Airports may charge unless the vehicle has specialized adaptive equipment (ramps, lifts, or hand or foot controls), displays a DV plate, or holds a Florida Toll Exemption permit. And the permit does not shield you from tickets in bus loading zones, fire zones, access aisles next to accessible spaces, no-parking zones, or emergency vehicle zones.

Providing false information on the application, whether by the applicant or the certifying provider, is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. Displaying someone else’s permit or using an unauthorized replica is a second-degree misdemeanor.²

1
FLHSMV. Form HSMV 83039, Application for Disabled Person Parking Permit
2
Florida Legislature. Section 320.0848, Florida Statutes
3
Pinellas County Tax Collector. Disabled Parking Permits
4
Flagler County Tax Collector. Disabled Person Parking Permits
5
FLHSMV. Disabled Person Parking Permits FAQ
6
FLHSMV. Permanent Disabled Person Parking Permits
7
FLHSMV. Temporary Disabled Person Parking Permits
8
Florida Legislature. Section 320.0843, Florida Statutes
9
FLHSMV. MyDMV Portal
10
FLHSMV. Disabled Person Parking Permits
11
Florida Legislature. Section 320.084, Florida Statutes
12
FLHSMV. Form HSMV 83040, Application for Expectant Mother Parking Permit
13
FLHSMV. Disabled Person Parking Permits for Florida Visitors
14
Florida Legislature. Section 316.1964, Florida Statutes