Parking, person w/disability

AN ACT Relating to special parking privileges for persons with 1
disabilities; amending RCW 46.19.030, 46.19.040, 46.19.040, and 2
46.19.050; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration 3
date. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 46.19.030 and 2016 c 84 s 5 are each amended to read 6
as follows: 7
(1) The department shall design special license plates for 8
persons with disabilities, parking placards, and year tabs displaying 9
the international symbol of access. 10
(2) Special license plates for persons with disabilities must be 11
displayed on the motor vehicle as standard issue license plates as 12
described in RCW 46.16A.200. 13
(3) Parking placards must include ((both)) a serial number ((and 14
the expiration date )) on the face of the placard. The ((expiration 15
date and)) serial number must be of a sufficient size as to be easily 16
visible from a distance of ((ten)) 10 feet from where the placard is 17
displayed. 18
(4) Parking placards must be displayed when the motor vehicle is 19
parked by suspending it from the rearview mirror. In the absence of a 20
rearview mirror, the parking placard must be displayed on the 21
S-3729.1
SENATE BILL 6155
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Harris, Liias, Nobles, and C. Wilson
Read first time 01/15/26. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
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dashboard. The parking placard must be displayed in a manner that 1
allows for the entire placard to be viewed through the vehicle 2
windshield. 3
(5) Special year tabs for persons with disabilities must be 4
displayed on license plates or metal tags issued pursuant to RCW 5
46.09.442, in a manner as defined by the department.6
(6) Persons who have been issued special license plates for 7
persons with disabilities, parking placards, or special license 8
plates with a special year tab for persons with disabilities may park 9
in places reserved for persons with physical disabilities.10
Sec. 2. RCW 46.19.040 and 2025 c 295 s 3 are each amended to 11
read as follows: 12
(1) ((Parking privileges for persons with disabilities must be 13
renewed at least every five years, as required by the director, by 14
satisfactory proof of the right to continued use of the privileges. 15
Satisfactory proof must include a signed written authorization from a 16
health care practitioner as required in RCW 46.19.010(3) or proof 17
that the applicant satisfies the criteria of RCW 46.19.010(1)(k). 18
Parking privileges for qualifying veterans issued pursuant to RCW 19
46.19.010(1)(k) or renewed under this subsection, between October 1, 20
2030, and October 1, 2035, are valid for the entire five-year period.21
(2))) The department shall match and purge its database of 22
parking permits issued to persons with disabilities with available 23
death record information at least every 12 months.24
(((3))) (2) The department shall adopt rules to administer the 25
parking privileges for persons with disabilities program, including 26
any documentation or materials required for a veteran to satisfy the 27
criteria under RCW 46.19.010(1)(k). 28
(((4))) (3) The department shall report to the appropriate 29
committees of the legislature the number of veterans who qualify and 30
apply for special parking privileges under RCW 46.19.010(1)(k) and 31
receive an identification card and parking placards, special license 32
plates, or tabs as described under RCW 46.19.080 (3) or (4) by 33
December 31, 2026, and by December 31, 2034. 34
Sec. 3. RCW 46.19.040 and 2014 c 124 s 5 are each amended to 35
read as follows: 36
(1) ((Parking privileges for persons with disabilities must be 37
renewed at least every five years, as required by the director, by 38
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satisfactory proof of the right to continued use of the privileges. 1
Satisfactory proof must include a signed written authorization from a 2
health care practitioner as required in RCW 46.19.010(3).3
(2))) The department shall match and purge its database of 4
parking permits issued to persons with disabilities with available 5
death record information at least every twelve months.6
(((3))) (2) The department shall adopt rules to administer the 7
parking privileges for persons with disabilities program.8
Sec. 4. RCW 46.19.050 and 2014 c 124 s 6 are each amended to 9
read as follows: 10
(1) False information. Knowingly providing false information in 11
conjunction with the application for special parking privileges for 12
persons with disabilities is a gross misdemeanor punishable under 13
chapter 9A.20 RCW. 14
(2) Unauthorized use. Any unauthorized use of the parking 15
placard, special license plate, special year tab, or identification 16
card issued under this chapter is a parking infraction with a 17
monetary penalty of ((two hundred fifty dollars )) $250. In addition 18
to any penalty or fine imposed under this subsection, ((two hundred 19
dollars)) $200 must be assessed. For the purpose of this subsection, 20
"unauthorized use" includes (a) any use of a parking placard, special 21
license plate, special year tab, or identification card that is 22
expired, inactivated, faked, forged, or counterfeited, (b) any use of 23
a parking placard, special license plate, special year tab, or 24
identification card of another holder if the initial holder is no 25
longer eligible to use or receive it, and (c) any use of a parking 26
placard, special license plate, special year tab, or identification 27
card of another holder even if permitted to do so by the holder.28
(3) Inaccessible access. It is a parking infraction, with a 29
monetary penalty of ((two hundred fifty dollars )) $250, for a person 30
to stop, stand, or park in, block, or otherwise make inaccessible the 31
access aisle located next to a space reserved for persons with 32
physical disabilities. In addition to any penalty or fine imposed 33
under this subsection, ((two hundred dollars ))$200 must be assessed. 34
The clerk of the court shall report all violations related to this 35
subsection to the department. 36
(4) Parking without placard/plate. It is a parking infraction, 37
with a monetary penalty of ((two hundred fifty dollars )) $250, for 38
any person to park a vehicle in a parking place provided on private 39
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property without charge or on public property reserved for persons 1
with physical disabilities without a placard or special license plate 2
issued under this chapter. In addition to any penalty or fine imposed 3
under this subsection, ((two hundred dollars)) $200 must be assessed. 4
If a person is charged with a violation, the person will not be 5
determined to have committed an infraction if the person establishes 6
that the person operating the vehicle or being transported at the 7
time of the infraction had a valid placard, special license plate, or 8
special year tab issued under this chapter as required under this 9
chapter. Such person must sign a statement under penalty of perjury 10
that the placard, special license plate, or special year tab produced 11
prior to the court appearance was valid at the time of infraction and 12
issued under this chapter as required under this chapter.13
(5) Time restrictions. A local jurisdiction may impose by 14
ordinance time restrictions of no less than four hours on the use of 15
nonreserved, on-street parking spaces by vehicles displaying the 16
special parking placards or special license plates issued under this 17
chapter. All time restrictions must be clearly posted.18
(6) Improper display of placard/plate. It is a parking 19
infraction, with a monetary penalty of ((two hundred fifty dollars )) 20
$250, to fail to fully display a placard or special license plate 21
issued under this chapter while parked in a public place on private 22
property without charge, while parked on public property reserved for 23
persons with physical disabilities, or while parking free of charge 24
as allowed under RCW 46.61.582. In addition to any penalty or fine 25
imposed under this subsection, ((two hundred dollars )) $200 must be 26
assessed, for a total of ((four hundred fifty dollars)) $450. For the 27
purpose of this subsection, "fully display" means hanging or placing 28
the placard or special license plate so that the full face of the 29
placard or license plate is visible, including the serial number and 30
expiration date of the license plate or serial number of the placard. 31
If a person is charged with a violation of this subsection, that 32
person will not be determined to have committed an infraction if the 33
person produces in court or before the court appearance a valid 34
identification card issued to that person under RCW 46.19.010.35
(7) Allocation and use of funds - reimbursement. (a) The 36
assessment imposed under subsections (2), (3), (4), and (6) of this 37
section must be allocated as follows: 38
(i) One hundred dollars must be deposited in the accessible 39
communities account created in RCW 50.40.071; and 40
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(ii) One hundred dollars must be deposited in the multimodal 1
transportation account under RCW 47.66.070 for the sole purpose of 2
supplementing a grant program for special needs transportation 3
provided by transit agencies and nonprofit providers of 4
transportation that is administered by the department of 5
transportation. 6
(b) Any reduction in any penalty or fine and assessment imposed 7
under subsections (2), (3), (4), and (6) of this section must be 8
applied proportionally between the penalty or fine and the 9
assessment. When a reduced penalty is imposed under subsection (2), 10
(3), (4), or (6) of this section, the amount deposited in the 11
accounts identified in (a) of this subsection must be reduced equally 12
and proportionally. 13
(c) The penalty or fine amounts must be used by that local 14
jurisdiction exclusively for law enforcement. The court may also 15
impose an additional penalty sufficient to reimburse the local 16
jurisdiction for any costs that it may have incurred in the removal 17
and storage of the improperly parked vehicle. 18
(8) Illegal obtainment. Except as provided in subsection (1) of 19
this section, it is a misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW 20
for any person willfully to obtain a special license plate, placard, 21
special year tab, or identification card issued under this chapter in 22
a manner other than that established under this chapter.23
(9) Sale of a placard/plate/tab/card. It is a misdemeanor 24
punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW for any person to sell a placard, 25
special license plate, special year tab, or identification card 26
issued under this chapter. 27
(10) Volunteer appointment. A law enforcement agency authorized 28
to enforce parking laws may appoint volunteers, with a limited 29
commission, to issue notices of infractions for violations of 30
subsections (2), (3), (4), and (6) of this section or RCW 46.19.030 31
or 46.61.581. Volunteers must be at least ((twenty-one)) 21 years of 32
age. The law enforcement agency appointing volunteers may establish 33
any other qualifications that the agency deems desirable.34
(a) An agency appointing volunteers under this section must 35
provide training to the volunteers before authorizing them to issue 36
notices of infractions. 37
(b) A notice of infraction issued by a volunteer appointed under 38
this subsection has the same force and effect as a notice of 39
infraction issued by a peace officer for the same offense.40
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(c) A peace officer or a volunteer may request a person to show 1
the person's identification card or special parking placard when 2
investigating the possibility of a violation of this section. If the 3
request is refused, the person in charge of the vehicle may be issued 4
a notice of infraction for a violation of this section.5
(11) Surrender of a placard/plate/tab/card. If a person is found 6
to have violated the special parking privileges provided in this 7
chapter, and unless an appeal of that finding is pending, a judge may 8
order that the person surrender his or her placard, special license 9
plate, special year tab, or identification card issued under this 10
chapter. 11
(12) Community restitution. For second or subsequent violations 12
of this section, in addition to a monetary penalty, the violator must 13
complete a minimum of forty hours of: 14
(a) Community restitution for a nonprofit organization that 15
serves persons with disabilities or disabling diseases; or16
(b) Any other community restitution that may sensitize the 17
violator to the needs and obstacles faced by persons with 18
disabilities. 19
(13) Fine suspension. The court may not suspend more than one-20
half of any fine imposed under subsection (2), (3), (4), or (6) of 21
this section. 22
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Section 2 of this act expires October 1, 23
2035.24
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Section 3 of this act takes effect October 25
1, 2035.26
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