(625 ILCS 5/11-1301.2) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11-1301.2)

Sec. 11-1301.2. Special decals for parking; persons with disabilities.

(a) The Secretary of State shall provide for, by administrative rules, the design, size, color, and placement of a person with disabilities motorist decal or device and shall provide for, by administrative rules, the content and form of an application for a person with disabilities motorist decal or device, which shall be used by local authorities in the issuance thereof to a person with temporary disabilities, provided that the decal or device is valid for no more than 90 days, subject to renewal for like periods based upon continued disability, and further provided that the decal or device clearly sets forth the date that the decal or device expires. The application shall include the requirement of an Illinois Identification Card number or a State of Illinois driver's license number or, if the applicant does not have an identification card or driver's license number, then the applicant may use a valid identification number issued by a branch of the U.S. military or a federally issued Medicare or Medicaid identification number. This decal or device may be used by the authorized holder to designate and identify a vehicle not owned or displaying a registration plate or digital registration plate as provided in Sections 3-609 and 3-616 of this Act to designate when the vehicle is being used to transport said person or persons with disabilities, and thus is entitled to enjoy all the privileges that would be afforded a person with disabilities licensed vehicle. Person with disabilities decals or devices issued and displayed pursuant to this Section shall be recognized and honored by all local authorities regardless of which local authority issued such decal or device.

The decal or device shall be issued only upon a showing by adequate documentation that the person for whose benefit the decal or device is to be used has a disability as defined in Section 1-159.1 of this Code and the disability is temporary.

(a-5) The Secretary may provide a disabilities motorist decal or device to an expectant mother during her third trimester. An application under this subsection is subject to application requirements under subsection (a). The decal or device shall be valid for no more than 90 days, and shall clearly set forth the date that the decal or device expires. The decal or device shall be issued only upon a showing by adequate documentation that the expectant mother has entered her third trimester.

(b) The local governing authorities shall be responsible for the provision of such decal or device, its issuance and designated placement within the vehicle. The cost of such decal or device shall be at the discretion of such local governing authority.

(c) The Secretary of State may, pursuant to Section 3-616(c), issue a person with disabilities parking decal or device to a person with disabilities as defined by Section 1-159.1. Any person with disabilities parking decal or device issued by the Secretary of State shall be registered to that person with disabilities in the form to be prescribed by the Secretary of State. The person with disabilities parking decal or device shall not display that person's address. One additional decal or device may be issued to an applicant upon his or her written request and with the approval of the Secretary of State. The written request must include a justification of the need for the additional decal or device.

(c-5) Beginning January 1, 2014, the Secretary shall provide by administrative rule for the issuance of a separate and distinct parking decal or device for persons with disabilities as defined by Section 1-159.1 of this Code and who meet the qualifications under this subsection. The authorized holder of a decal or device issued under this subsection (c-5) shall be exempt from the payment of fees generated by parking in a metered space, a parking area subject to paragraph (10) of subsection (a) of Section 11-209 of this Code, or a publicly owned parking area.

The Secretary shall issue a meter-exempt decal or device to a person with disabilities who: (i) has been issued registration plates or digital registration plates under subsection (a) of Section 3-609 or Section 3-616 of this Code or a special decal or device under this Section, (ii) holds a valid Illinois driver's license, and (iii) is unable to do one or more of the following:

(1) manage, manipulate, or insert coins, or obtain tickets or tokens in parking meters or ticket machines in parking lots, due to the lack of fine motor control of both hands;

(2) reach above his or her head to a height of 42 inches from the ground, due to a lack of finger, hand, or upper extremity strength or mobility;

(3) approach a parking meter due to his or her use of a wheelchair or other device for mobility; or

(4) walk more than 20 feet due to an orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or lung condition in which the degree of debilitation is so severe that it almost completely impedes the ability to walk.

The application for a meter-exempt parking decal or device shall contain a statement certified by a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse attesting to the permanent nature of the applicant's condition and verifying that the applicant meets the physical qualifications specified in this subsection (c-5).

Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection (c-5), the Secretary shall issue a meter-exempt decal or device to a person who has been issued registration plates or digital registration plates under Section 3-616 of this Code or a special decal or device under this Section, if the applicant is the parent or guardian of a person with disabilities who is under 18 years of age and incapable of driving.

(d) Replacement decals or devices may be issued for lost, stolen, or destroyed decals upon application and payment of a $10 fee. The replacement fee may be waived for individuals that have claimed and received a grant under the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Property Tax Relief Act.

(e) A person classified as a veteran under subsection (e) of Section 6-106 of this Code that has been issued a decal or device under this Section shall not be required to submit evidence of disability in order to renew that decal or device if, at the time of initial application, he or she submitted evidence from his or her physician or the Department of Veterans' Affairs that the disability is of a permanent nature. However, the Secretary shall take reasonable steps to ensure the veteran still resides in this State at the time of the renewal. These steps may include requiring the veteran to provide additional documentation or to appear at a Secretary of State facility. To identify veterans who are eligible for this exemption, the Secretary shall compare the list of the persons who have been issued a decal or device to the list of persons who have been issued a vehicle registration plate or digital registration plate for veterans with disabilities under Section 3-609 of this Code, or who are identified as a veteran on their driver's license under Section 6-110 of this Code or on their identification card under Section 4 of the Illinois Identification Card Act.

(Source: P.A. 101-395, eff. 8-16-19; 102-453, eff. 1-1-22.)