These are the rules for disabled plates and placards in SC:
DISABLED PLACARD AND PLATE FACT SHEET
1.
The new disabled placard and license plate law requires that all disabled placards have photos on them by January 1, 2013, or by the expiration date of the placard, whichever comes first. Current non-photo placards are valid until they expire under the following conditions:
a. Placards that have not yet expired can be replaced by the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) after January 1, 2009, but they will expire December 31, 2012, regardless of the original expiration date, in order to comply with the new law.
b. Any non-photo placards issued on or after September 28, 2009 will have the expiration date of December 31, 2012 written on them. The expiration date will not coincide with the placard holder’s date of birth shown on the driver’s license.
c. Placards with the expiration date of January 1, 2013 will not be valid after December 31, 2012, and must be replaced with a photo placard prior to that date.
2. SCDMV will begin issuing new photo-ID disabled placards after January 1, 2010.
a. A photo of the individual to whom the placard is issued will be included on the placard.
b. Only one placard will be issued per person.
c. Permanent disabled placards (blue) must be renewed every four years.
d. The current placards will be replaced as they are renewed, but all placards
must have a photo-ID by January 1, 2013.
e. The new Form RG-007A, Disabled Placard and License Plate Application,
will be available in SCDMV field offices and online at
SC Department of Motor Vehicles in December 2009.
f. Customers can make application for disabled placards in any SCDMV branch
office, but the placard itself will be processed at SCDMV headquarters and issued to customers by mail within 10 business days of application.

3. Temporary disabled placards (red) may only be issued to individuals whose conditions are expected to last a minimum of four months and a maximum of one year.
a. A photo of the individual to whom the placard is issued will be included on the placard.
b. Only one placard will be issued per person.
c. The new Form RG-007A, Disabled Placard and License Plate Application,
will be available in SCDMV field offices and online at
SC Department of Motor Vehicles in December 2009.
d. Customers can make application for disabled placards in any DMV branch
office, but the placard itself will be processed at SCDMV headquarters and issued to customers by mail within 10 business days of application.
4. SCDMV will issue disabled placards and license plates with certificates that must be carried at all times by the individual or organization to which the placard or plate was been issued.
a. Individuals
i. The placard certificate will include the name of the person to whom
the placard was issued.
ii. For disabled license plates, the plate registration certificate will
contain the names of the persons in the household who are certified as
disabled and eligible to park in disabled parking spaces.
iii. Each person in the household who needs to be listed on the registration
certificate must complete the new Form RG-007A, Disabled Placard
and License Plate application.
b. Organizations
i. The certificate will include the name of the organization to which the placard was issued.
ii. For disabled license plates, the plate registration certificate will indicate that the organization is eligible to park in disabled parking spaces.
iii. Organizations must complete Form RG-007B, Organization Disabled Placard and License Plate Application, and are not required to certify with a physician.
5. The new forms will be available in SCDMV field offices and online at
SC Department of Motor Vehicles in December 2009.
6. Customers who currently have permanent disabled placards will have to recertify their disability with their physician before their current placard expires in order to obtain a photo placard.
7. Because placards will not be issued in field offices. SCDMV recommends that customers obtain certification at least 30 days before placard expiration.

8.
The new law redefines the eligible medical conditions for disabled placards and plates:
a. The inability to ordinarily walk 100 feet nonstop without aggravating an existing medical condition, including the increase of pain.
b. The inability to ordinarily walk without the use of a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistive device.
c. A restriction by lung disease to the extent that the person’s forced expiratory volume for one second when measured by spirometry is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest.
d. A restriction requiring the use of portable oxygen.
e. A cardiac condition to the extent that the person’s functional limitation are
classified in severity as Class III or IV, according to American Heart Association standards. If the patient’s status improves to a higher level (i.e. as a result of surgery), the patient no longer meets the criteria.
f. A substantial limitation in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition (i.e. coordination problems and muscle spasticity sue to conditions that include Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis).
g. Blindness.
