Abuse of disabled parking permits under scrutiny

OLYMPIA — For two years, lawmakers heard how placards providing disabled drivers with unlimited free parking in coveted spaces were being used illegally by scores of able-bodied drivers.

Now they want to figure out how widespread the problem truly is and devise a strategy by the end of the year for curbing the abuse.

A work group began meeting last month to consider actions ranging from closer monitoring of physicians, who determine whether a driver needs a placard, to creating a system for cops and the public to know whether what they see hanging from a car’s rearview mirror is valid. The recommendations are due Dec. 1.

“They left the door open for this group to find out what the problems are, where the problems are and what to do about them,” said Christine Anthony, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Licensing, which was assigned to lead the effort.

Other panel members come from the Department of Health, the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment, The Arc of Washington and the city of Seattle, where improper use is said to be more prevalent than in any other community in the state.

A 2010 city report estimated that on any given day in downtown Seattle, between 30 percent and 40 percent of spaces were filled with vehicles with disabled parking permits, and at least 10 percent of those placards were inactive.

The percentage of improperly used placards climbs where demand is higher and supply is constricted, such as near hospitals and stores.

“We have a problem. There is misuse of some disabled parking placards,” said Cristina Van Valkenburgh, manager of Seattle’s mobility program.

This becomes a critical issue of access for people with disabilities because someone with a valid placard could be blocked from reaching their destination by a person with an invalid one, she said. Seattle is looking to the work group for help in ensuring “folks with real disabilities are getting an opportunity to park as needed.”

How they’re issued

Many of Washington’s 5.3 million licensed drivers possess disabled parking placards.

In mid-July, the number of active ones was 760,701, according to the Department of Licensing. Of those, 687,005 were permanent placards and 47,596 were license plates, both of which are renewable every five years. The remaining 26,100 were temporary placards, which are good for no more than six months.

State rules govern how each one is issued.

By law, a licensed physician must determine whether a person qualifies for a disabled parking permit. The person can be a surgeon, chiropractor, naturopath, podiatrist, advanced registered nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.

When a person applies to the state for a placard, a licensed physician must sign the application, describing under penalty of perjury the disabling condition.

There are several boxes that can be checked, including ones stating the person cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, is severely limited in ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition, or cannot walk without the use of an assistive device.

Once a placard is obtained, it can only be used when the person named in the application is in the vehicle.

Any unauthorized use of the special placard or plate is a parking infraction with a fine of $250. This includes displaying or using one that is stolen, expired, issued to a person who is now deceased or is invalid.

Too quick to sign off?

Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, first took on the issue in 2012 after volunteers with the Lacey Police Department told him they had difficulty determining whether placards were valid. They recounted how drivers put them on the car’s dash and deliberately covered up the expiration date.

Hunt introduced a bill this year to look at potential remedies for abuses. It passed the House unanimously but died in the Senate. In hearings on that legislation, Seattle representatives testified to finding a lot of cars using expired or invalid placards to snag spaces near hospitals and in popular shopping areas.

“You’d like to find some way to crack down on it,” he said. “We were trying to get some conformity in the approach.”

When Hunt’s bill died, he figured he would take it up again in 2014. He was surprised to see that the final transportation budget contained a provision to pretty much do what he wanted to do.

It set up the work group and directed it to “develop a strategic plan for ending any abuse.” This group has met three times and is still gathering information.

One concern of lawmakers is whether physicians are too quick to sign off on applications, thus helping people obtain placards who really shouldn’t have them.

They want the work group to look at possible “oversight measures” to ensure placards are properly issued. Those measures could involve random checks of applications and possible sanctions for physicians found to be signing off on requests improperly.

Any sanctions would be meted out through the Department of Health, the state’s disciplinary arm for medical professionals.

Kristi Weeks, director of the Office of Legal Services for the Department of Health, said the agency doesn’t track which doctors are signing the applications, so the only way to learn about potential wrongdoing is if someone files a complaint.

“Right now I cannot say there’s an individual person who is issuing an inordinate amount or issuing them improperly,” she said. “To the best of my knowledge, we have never had a complaint related to the issuance of disabled parking placards.”

Incentives for abuse

With a placard, one can park for free for unlimited time, including in metered spaces not specially designated for disabled parking.

In Seattle, where parking is at a premium and spaces are typically hard to find and expensive, those placards are valuable commodities.

Through enforcement surveys and crackdowns, city officials have seen cars with expired placards and encountered drivers using valid ones borrowed from a relative or friend.

“There is incentive for people to use them for reasons other than the way they are intended,” said Mike Estey, manager of parking operations and traffic permits for the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Such placard abuse occurs elsewhere but is far less of a problem.

“We have seen some issues in Everett. As they come up, we address them,” said Aaron Snell, spokesman for the Everett Police Department.

Incidents of misuse are recorded most often in the downtown core and around the Colby campus of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, two areas where parking is timed and, in some cases, metered. Typically it’s a borrowed permit or an expired one, he said.

“For us, it is not an overriding problem,” Snell said. “If the state were to provide more tools for enforcement, we would implement them.”

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Employees and patrons of the Everett Mall signed a timeline mural that traces the history of the 51-year-old indoor mall that was once considered the premier place to go shopping in the city. Thursday, March 20, 2025 (Aaron Kennedy / The Herald)
Mall mural offers nostalgic trip into the past

Past and present Everett Mall employees joined customers Thursday to view an artistic timeline of the once popular shopping mecca.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen gives his State of the City address on Thursday, March 20 in Edmonds, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor talks budget at 2025 State of the City

Mayor Mike Rosen discussed the city’s deficit and highlights from his first year in office.

Daron Johnson, who runs Snohomish County Scanner, stands next to his scanner setup on Tuesday, April 1 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Snohomish County law enforcement to encrypt police airwaves

The plan for civilian police scanners to go dark pushed a host to shut down his popular breaking news feed.

Richie Gabriel, 1, jumps off the bottom of the slide as Matthew Gabriel looks down at him from the play structure at Hummingbird Hill Park on Monday, March 31, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds residents show up for Hummingbird Hill Park, Frances Anderson Center

After a two-and-a-half hour public comment session, the council tabled its votes for the two comprehensive plan amendments.

Students Haddie Shorb, 9, left, and brother Elden Shorb, 11, right, lead the ground breaking at Jackson Elementary School on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett district breaks ground on Jackson Elementary replacement

The $54 million project will completely replace the aging elementary school. Students are set to move in by the 2026-27 school year.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Another positive measles case identified in Snohomish County

The case was identified in an infant who likely contracted measles while traveling, the county health department said.

A Tesla drives along 41st Street on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Washington faces uncertain future of Clean Air Act regulations

The Trump administration’s attempt to roll back numerous vehicle pollution standards has left states wondering what’s next.

A person walks through the lot at Kia of Everett shopping for a car on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘The tariffs made me do it’: Customers move fast on cars

At one Everett dealership, customers move fast on cars ahead of Wednesday’s expected announcement on tariffs.

Public’s help needed to find missing Arlington man

The 21-year-old left the house Sunday night without his shoes, cell phone or a jacket, and was reported missing the following morning.

Will Geschke / The Herald
The Marysville Tulalip Campus on the Tulalip Reservation, where Legacy High School is located.
Marysville board votes to keep Legacy High at current location

The move rolls back a decision the school board made in January to move the alternative high school at the start of next school year.

The former Marysville City Hall building along State Avenue on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
City of Marysville, school board amend property exchange

The city will relocate its public works facility to the district’s current headquarters, which will move to the former City Hall.

Snohomish County Elections employees Alice Salcido, left and Joseph Rzeckowski, right, pull full bins of ballots from the Snohomish County Campus ballot drop box on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County to mail ballots for Edmonds, Brier elections

Registered voters should receive their ballots by April 9 for the April 22 special election.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.