Iowa DOT no longer offers lifetime handicapped parking placards

The Iowa Department of Transportation has stopped issuing lifetime handicapped parking permits.

Instead, Iowans with disabilities will be required to renew their handicapped parking placards every five years.

The change took place Jan. 1 and is aimed at addressing concerns that some permit holders are abusing the placards.

'Basically we saw that there were placards that would remain in circulation for a long time, even after the death of the person the placard was issued to,” Iowa DOT spokesperson Andrea Henry said.

There are about 530,000 lifetime placards in circulation, Henry said. Those placards will not expire, but the hope is the number will begin to decline as permits are returned to the Iowa DOT.

The department, which also issues temporary six-month permits, does not charge a fee for handicapped parking placards. However, the fine for using a placard that has not been issued to the user is $200.

Henry added that while the department is aware some placards are being abused, the rule is difficult to enforce.

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