Guides · Disabled parking

Illinois handicap placard application (VSD 62): the medical certification

By Kevin Lease, MD · Internal medicine · Published October 1, 2026

Try it free, no card needed

The Illinois form is the Persons with Disabilities Certification for Parking Placard, VSD 62, and the version I am describing is the March 2026 edition. Page 1 is mostly the patient’s, and Parts 3 and 4 on page 2 are yours. The blank is on the Illinois Secretary of State website (PDF). The form says at the top that both sides must be signed and completed fully.

Who may certify

Part 3 opens with this sentence for you to sign. As a licensed medical professional authorized under Section 1-159.1 and 3-616 of the Illinois Vehicle Code or a licensed optometrist or chiropractor, I certify that the applicant has a condition that constitutes them as a person with disabilities.

The statutes it names, 625 ILCS 5/1-159.1 and 5/3-616, list a licensed physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or physical therapist, and section 3-616 lets an optometrist certify a visual disability. The form adds chiropractors, which I could not find in either statute, so a chiropractor may want to check with the Secretary of State first. If a resident or assistant signs, the form has a line for the collaborating or supervising physician’s signature and license number.

The conditions

Part 3 says to check all that apply, and at least one. In the form’s words:

• Is restricted by a lung disease to such a degree that the person’s forced (respiratory) expiratory volume (FEV) for 1 second, when measured by spirometry, is less than 1 liter.
• Uses a portable oxygen device.
• Has Class III or Class IV cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart Association.
• Cannot walk without assistance from a wheelchair, a walker, a crutch, a brace, a prosthetic device, or another person.
• Is severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, a neurological, an oncological, or an orthopedic condition.
• Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest due to one of the above five conditions.

Then it lists specific diagnoses you can check, with a line to fill in where needed: amputation of an extremity, arthritis, spina bifida, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, quadriplegia or paraplegia, legally blind with limited mobility, cerebral palsy, and pregnancy in the third trimester (90 days maximum). If none of those apply, the form asks you to list the medical condition that affects the person’s mobility.

Temporary, permanent or meter-exempt

You check one length. Temporary asks for the duration, with a six-month maximum. The form says it is valid for six months from your signature date for a temporary placard, and four years from your signature date for a permanent one. Section 3-616 also requires a permanent disability to be recertified every five years.

Meter-exempt is a separate certification in Part 4, which you also complete and sign. The form says the patient must have a valid Illinois driver’s license and an ambulatory disability from Part 3, plus one of these, in the form’s words.

• Cannot manage, manipulate, or insert coins or obtain tickets in parking meters/ticket machines due to lack of fine motor control of BOTH hands.
• Cannot reach above their head to a height of 42 inches from the ground due to a lack of finger, hand or upper-extremity strength, or mobility.
• Cannot approach a parking meter due to the use of a wheelchair or other device for mobility.
• Cannot walk more than 20 feet due to an orthopedic, a neurological, a cardiovascular, or a lung condition in which the degree of debilitation is so severe that it almost completely impedes the ability to walk.
• Missing a hand(s) or arm(s) or has permanently lost the use of a hand or arm.
• Patient is under 18 years of age and incapable of driving.

The form also says economic need is not a consideration for meter-exempt parking.

Your section, field by field

• Length of disability, and the duration if temporary.
• The conditions above, with any detail lines.
• Your details. Your printed name, specialty, office address, signature, the date, and your State Professional License Number (NOT NPI Number). The form says NOT NPI in capital letters, so it is worth getting right.
• A supervising physician, if a resident or assistant signed above.
• Part 4, only for meter-exempt, with its own signature and license number.

Part 3 includes a statement that making a false representation of a person’s disability may result in suspension or revocation of your license and a fine of up to $1,000.

Where the patient sends it

The form says a temporary placard application may be taken to any Secretary of State facility or mailed in. A permanent placard application is mailed to the Persons with Disabilities Placard Unit in Springfield, or walked in to the Flagship Center in Springfield, and the form prints both addresses.

For the other states, see disabled parking placard forms, state by state.

FAQ