Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Delaware program

Temporary accessible parking (Delaware permit)

A free temporary parking permit when a clinician certifies a qualifying walking limitation.

What it is

A free temporary parking permit when a clinician certifies a qualifying walking limitation.

Cancer treatment can make walking difficult, but the diagnosis alone is not the parking test. A clinician certifies the actual limitation. The child must be in the vehicle when the permit is used.

Eligibility rules
  • DMV uses specific functional criteria, including limited walking, a need for qualifying help or equipment, severe lung disease, portable oxygen or specified serious cardiac or mobility limitations. The clinician checks the actual criterion; the diagnosis and this questionnaire do not decide it.
  • Help can include another person, brace, cane, crutch, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistive device.
  • A clinician licensed under Title 24 chapter 17 or 19 certifies the initial application.
What you get
  • A free temporary permit lasting up to 180 days, with reapplication available.
What the help includes
  • Issuing or reissuing the permit has no fee.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the clinic to assess the walking limitation and certify the DMV application if it fits.
  2. If the clinic confirms the criteria and you decide a permit would help, ask the social worker about the current DMV submission steps.

Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • The issued placard shows its expiry date. Each temporary reapplication must meet the initial requirements again.
Good to know

The permit belongs to the child. It cannot be used for a trip without the child in the car.

Other details
  • There is no numerical limit on reapplications. The child must be the driver or a passenger whenever the permit is used.
  • The statute gives conflicting minimum lengths for temporary permits, but the maximum is 180 days. DMV and the clinic can confirm the current certification form, accepted professional credentials and issued expiry date. A temporary reapplication must meet the initial certification requirements again.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would our child meet the parking-permit walking test? What would it help with, what restrictions apply, and could you help with certification if it fits?”

Why I’m asking: I want to make the trip from the car manageable without assuming a diagnosis alone qualifies.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Get the form certified at a clinic visit and file it.

Your social worker

The clinic certifies the walking limitation.

The care team

A clinician licensed under the named chapters signs the initial application.

Who decides
The Division of Motor Vehicles, on the clinician’s certification.
Ask your social worker
“Can someone certify the parking permit application at our next visit? Our child cannot manage the walk from the car park.”

How to apply

First step: Ask the clinic to certify the application form at the next visit, then file it with the Division of Motor Vehicles.

  1. Ask the clinic to certify the application at the next visit.
  2. Ask the Division of Motor Vehicles what duration it will issue, given the conflicting wording in the statute.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Have the clinician certify the application form, then file it with the Division of Motor Vehicles.

What to gather

  • The certified application form
  • Proof of Delaware residence

How long: Not published; ask at the counter.

What a yes looks like

A placard with an expiry date up to 180 days out.

What a no looks like, and the next move

DMV can explain which functional or certification requirement was not met; the clinic can review the actual criterion.

Watch out

  • The clinician checks DMV functional criteria, including walking, lung, oxygen and cardiac limitations. Diagnosis alone does not decide eligibility.
  • The permit belongs to the child, so the child has to be in the car when a space is used.
  • The statute gives two different minimum durations. Ask the Division of Motor Vehicles what it will issue.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

A free temporary parking permit lasting up to 180 days, renewable by reapplying.

  • $180 — Maximum length of a temporary permit
  • $0 — Fee to issue or reissue
  • $200 — Distance in the walking test

Covers: Parking close to the hospital or clinic entrance

What it costs the family: None to issue or reissue; a lost or damaged placard carries a replacement cost.

The eligibility facts, as published

Test
Certified DMV functional criteria include inability to walk 200 feet without rest, qualifying mobility assistance, severe lung disease, portable oxygen and specified serious cardiac or other mobility limitations. The clinician checks the applicable criterion.
Certifier
a clinician licensed in medicine under Title 24 chapter 17 or 19 certifies the initial application
Use
the person the permit was issued to must be the driver of or a passenger in the vehicle
Reapplication
unlimited, but each temporary reapplication has to meet the initial requirements again

The trap: The permit belongs to the child, not the car. The child has to be in the vehicle when a disabled space is used.

Where I read this

← Back to your options