• A handicapped parking spot in New York can only be used by a person with a parking permit for people with disabilities.handicapped parking space and sign image by TMLP from Fotolia.com
  
  Both New York State and New York City offer parking permits for people with qualifying disabilities. There are procedures for obtaining the permits and restrictions on using them. The state permits are issued by different entities in different parts of the state, but state Department of Motor Vehicles offices have the forms and can tell an applicant what office to contact in his area.
  
  

Qualifications

• The state of New York requires an application filled out by you and your doctor, identifying the area of disability, before it will issue a handicapped-parking permit. Eligible disabilities include use of an oxygen tank, legal blindness and limited or no use of one or both legs. Other conditions that qualify are neuro-muscular dysfunction that limits mobility, as well as certain cardiac and lung conditions. Claiming a false disability to get a parking permit is a criminal offense punishable by a substantial fine.
  
  

Permit Versions

• Both license plates and hanging placards are issued. The placards are available for both temporary and permanent conditions. Plates are issued only for permanent conditions and only when the disabled person is the one registering the vehicle.
  
  

Restrictions

• The person to whom the license or permit was issued must be in the car when the vehicle is placed in a parking spot for the handicapped. Drivers must follow all other traffic laws and parking regulations. Parking anywhere outside of a parking spot, handicapped or otherwise, is forbidden. In New York City, the state permit is valid only for handicapped spots off the street. New York City does not set aside handicapped parking spaces on the street, but the city's handicapped parking permit allows the user to park in many "No Parking" zones along sidewalks.
  
  

Display and Use

• If you have a placard, it must be hung from the rear-view mirror while the vehicle is parked in a spot designated for the handicapped. If you are issued a ticket for parking in handicapped spot when the handicapped parking permit is not properly displayed, you may still be subject to the full fine.