Mississippi disabled parking placards and plates: Form 79-104, fees and renewals

The short version

The Department of Revenue's motor vehicle FAQ says to submit a Mississippi Disabled Parking Application, Form 79-104, to your county tax collector. The application is completed by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner. There is no additional fee for a disabled license plate or placard, but all the regular taxes and registration fees on the vehicle still have to be paid. An eligible person may have up to two license plates and two placards. A new application is required every five years, when the license plate image is changed, and the doctor's statement must be dated within 90 days of the renewal application.

Plate or placard: which do you want?

The two do different jobs, and the choice is worth making deliberately.

• A disabled license plate replaces the ordinary plate on a particular vehicle. It suits a person who usually drives, or is usually driven in, the same car.
• A placard is the windshield tag that hangs from the rearview mirror. Because it moves with the person, it suits someone who rides in different vehicles — a parent driven by different family members, for example.

The Department's limit is two of each, so many households have one of each. The key restriction on the placard, in the Department's words, is that it may be used only when the disabled person is driving or riding in the vehicle. A placard left hanging while a relative runs errands alone is being misused, even though the car and placard belong to the same family.

How to apply, step by step

1. Get Form 79-104. The FAQ names the form but does not link to a copy; it points you to your county tax collector's office or to the Department's website. Picking one up at the counter also tells you how your county wants it returned.
2. Have the medical section completed. The FAQ says the application is completed by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner. Ask your provider to do this close to the date you will apply: on a renewal the statement must be dated within 90 days, and keeping to that window on a first application avoids an argument at the counter.
3. Submit it to your county tax collector. The tax collector is the same office that handles your normal registration renewal.
4. Pay the vehicle's regular charges if you are getting a plate. There is no extra charge for the disabled plate or placard, but the Department says all regular taxes and registration fees must still be paid. A disabled plate is a registration, so the usual renewal pieces — including the $12.75 registration fee the Department lists for renewals, privilege tax and county ad valorem tax — still apply. Our ad valorem tax page explains the largest of those.

What the five-year rule means in practice

Most people meet the five-year reapplication by surprise, because it is not tied to the date they first applied. The Department says a new application is required every five years, when the license plate image is changed. In other words the cycle follows the state's plate redesigns, not your personal anniversary.

When that time comes, you will need a fresh Form 79-104 with a medical statement dated within 90 days of the renewal application. Two practical tips follow from that:

• Book the medical appointment for the month you intend to apply, not months ahead. A statement dated four months before the application is outside the window.
• Expect the reapplication to land alongside a normal tag renewal. Check your anniversary month so the two do not catch you in the same week with no paperwork ready.

The FAQ does not state a separate expiration for placards, and it does not mention temporary placards for short-term conditions such as recovery from surgery. If you need a placard for a limited period, ask your county tax collector what it can issue; we could not confirm a temporary option from the Department's page, so we are not describing one.

Disabled veterans: a different, larger benefit

Veterans are treated separately in the Department's FAQ, and the benefit is not the same as the parking plate. A veteran, or a surviving spouse, who provides verification from the Veterans Affairs Board showing either a 100% permanent service-related disability or a 70% non-permanent service-related disability may register up to two vehicles and one motorcycle exempt from ad valorem and privilege taxes, paying a $1.00 fee per plate. Any further vehicles are registered with the regular fees.

That is a meaningful difference. The ordinary disabled plate waives only the plate's own fee and leaves the taxes in place; the veterans' exemption removes the ad valorem and privilege taxes, which are usually most of a Mississippi renewal bill. If you qualify, bring the Veterans Affairs Board verification to the tax collector; the FAQ does not describe any other document for the exemption.

Common mistakes

• An out-of-date medical statement. On a renewal the statement must be dated within 90 days of the application.
• Assuming the plate is free. The plate or placard carries no additional fee, but the vehicle's taxes and registration fees are still due.
• Using the placard without the disabled person in the car. The Department restricts its use to when that person is driving or riding.
• Asking for a third plate or placard. The limit is two of each per eligible person.
• Mixing up the two programs. The veterans' tax exemption needs Veterans Affairs Board verification of the disability percentages above; the parking application on its own does not exempt a vehicle from taxes.

Keeping it tidy at renewal time

A disabled plate renews like any other Mississippi registration, in your anniversary month, with the same grace period and the same late penalties if you miss it. Being eligible for a disabled plate does not pause the renewal clock. Keep the current registration receipt with the placard paperwork; our glovebox checklist covers what to carry.

This is general information based on the Department of Revenue's published FAQ, not legal or medical advice. Your county tax collector decides what your application needs today.

Frequently asked questions

What form do I need for a disabled parking placard in Mississippi?

The Mississippi Disabled Parking Application, Form 79-104. The Department of Revenue says to submit it to your county tax collector, completed by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner.

How much does a Mississippi disabled plate or placard cost?

The Department says there is no additional fee for the disabled plate or placard, but all regular taxes and registration fees on the vehicle must still be paid.

How many disabled plates and placards can I have?

Up to two license plates and two placards per eligible person, according to the Department's FAQ.

How often do I have to reapply?

Every five years, when the license plate image is changed. The doctor's statement must be dated within 90 days of the renewal application.

Do disabled veterans pay ad valorem tax on their vehicles?

A veteran or surviving spouse with Veterans Affairs Board verification of a 100% permanent or 70% non-permanent service-related disability may register up to two vehicles and one motorcycle exempt from ad valorem and privilege taxes, at $1.00 per plate. Additional vehicles pay regular fees.