2025 Georgia Codes – Page 321

As used in this part, the term:
(1) “Counterfeit” means any copy of any kind of parking permit for persons with disabilities which is not
authorized by and does not carry the official seal of the Department of Revenue.
(2) “Institution” means an institution for which a permit or conditional permit may be issued under Article 1
of Chapter 7 of Title 31.
(3) “Parking place for persons with disabilities” means any area on public or private property which has been
designated as reserved for use of persons with disabilities as follows:
(A) By a blue metal reflective sign which is at least 12 inches in width and 18 inches in length and is erected
at a height of seven feet from the bottom of the sign to its ground surface and in such manner that it will
not be obscured by a vehicle parked in the space and bearing the following words: “Permit Parking Only,”
“Tow-Away Zone,” and the international symbol for accessibility. The warnings required in this subpara-
graph shall be centered on the sign, printed in white, and shall occupy not less than 75 percent of the sur-
face area of the sign. The sign required by this subparagraph shall be the official authorized sign for parking
place designations for persons with disabilities in this state. In addition, parking spaces which are required
by Code Section 30-3-6 shall be designated as “For Disabled Persons With Ambulatory Assistive Devices
Only”; or
(B) Where the parking place is on private property, is constructed solely from concrete, was used by the
public or finished prior to July 1, 1987, and which is designated by having imprinted and maintained in
reflective paint upon each such place the words “Tow-Away Zone” or “Parking Only for Persons with Dis-
abilities” or the universal symbol of accessibility, that designation shall be deemed to meet the requirements
of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph until such time as that concrete lot is renovated, repaired, or remod-
eled, at which time a sign shall be erected which shall comply with the requirements of subparagraph (A) of
this paragraph.
(4) “Permanently disabled person” means a person with disabilities whose disability or incapacity can be
expected to last for more than 180 days.
(5) “Person with disabilities” means a person who:
(A) Is so ambulatorily disabled that he or she cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest;
(B) Cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, a cane, a crutch, another person, a prosthetic
device, a wheelchair, or other assistive device;
(C) Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that his or her forced respiratory volume for one second,
when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or when at rest, his or her arterial oxygen tension is less
than 60 millimeters of mercury on room air;
(D) Uses portable oxygen;
(E) Has a cardiac condition to the extent that his or her functional limitations are classified in severity as
Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American Heart Association;
(F) Is severely limited in his or her ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition
or complications due to pregnancy; or
(G) Is a blind individual whose central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with correcting
lenses or whose visual acuity, if better than 20/200, is accompanied by a limit to the field of vision in the
better eye to such a degree that its widest diameter subtends an angle of no greater than 20 degrees.
(5.1) “Practitioner of the healing arts” means a person holding a license to practice medicine, podiatric medi-
cine, or chiropractic issued pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 34 of Title 43, Chapter 35 of Title 43, or Chapter
9 of Title 43, respectively.
(6) “Ramp” shall mean, in addition to any other specified meanings:
(A) Any ramp or curb ramp as defined in ANSI A117.1-1986 by Chapter 3 of Title 30; and
(B) Any vehicle mounted lift used by handicapped persons for the purpose of access to and from the vehicle
upon which it is mounted.
(7) “Temporarily disabled person” means a person with disabilities whose disability or incapacity can be
expected to last for not more than 180 days and shall include, but not be limited to, any woman who is preg-
nant and who presents a sworn affidavit of a medical doctor attesting to a medical need for access to parking
for persons with disabilities.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or park any vehicle in a parking place for persons with
disabilities unless there is displayed on the driver’s side of the dashboard or hung from the rearview mir-
ror of the parked vehicle a valid unexpired parking permit for persons with disabilities or unless there is
attached to the vehicle a specially designated license plate for disabled veterans or other disabled persons
authorized under Code Section 40-2-74 or 40-2-74.1 and unless such person is the person to whom such
permit or license plate was issued; the person to whom such permit or license plate was issued is a passenger
in the vehicle; or such vehicle is being used for the transportation of disabled passengers on behalf of the
institution to which such permit was issued.
(a.1) It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or park any vehicle in a parking place for persons with
disabilities which is designated “For Persons With Disabled Ambulatory Assistive Devices Only” unless:
(1) There is displayed on the driver’s side of the dashboard or hung from the rearview mirror of the parked
vehicle a valid unexpired parking permit for persons with disabilities or unless there is attached to the
vehicle a specially designated license plate for disabled veterans or other disabled persons authorized under
Code Section 40-2-74 or 40-2-74.1; and
(2) A person with disabilities who is using a wheelchair, crutches, walker, or other ambulatory assistive
device is the driver of or a passenger in such vehicle.
(b)(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or park any vehicle in a parking place for persons
with disabilities except for the purpose of allowing a disabled person to enter or get out of such vehicle
while in such parking place. However, nothing in this paragraph shall prevent an ambulance or emergency
vehicle from stopping in a parking place for persons with disabilities.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or park any vehicle in a parking place for the nonambu-
latory as provided by a business pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 40-6-225 except for the purpose
of allowing a nonambulatory permanently disabled person to enter or get out of such vehicle while in such
parking place. However, nothing in this paragraph shall prevent an ambulance or emergency vehicle from
stopping in a parking place for the nonambulatory.
(3) It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or park any vehicle in any area directly connecting with
a parking place for persons with disabilities which area is clearly designed and designated for access to
such parking place for persons with disabilities.
(c) It shall be unlawful for any person to obtain by fraud or counterfeit a parking permit for persons with dis-
abilities.
(c.1) It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly and willfully make a false or misleading statement in
an application for a parking permit for persons with disabilities or in the affidavit of a practitioner of the
healing arts stating that an applicant is a disabled person.
(d) It shall be unlawful for any person or institution, other than the one to whom a parking permit for persons
with disabilities or specially designated license plate for the disabled person is issued, to make use of a park-
ing permit for persons with disabilities or specially designated license plate for a disabled person unless the
person to whom such permit or license plate was issued is a passenger in such vehicle. It shall be unlawful
for any person to use a parking permit for persons with disabilities for any institutional vehicle other than the
vehicle for which the permit has been issued. It shall be unlawful for any person to use a parking permit for
persons with disabilities issued to an institution for any purpose other than to transport disabled persons.
(e) No person shall park a vehicle so as to block any entrance or exit ramp used by persons with disabilities
on public or private property.
(f)(1) Any person violating subsection (c) or (c.1) of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(2) Any person violating subsection (a), (a.1), (b), (d), or (e) of this Code section shall be subject to a fine of
not less than $100.00 and not more than $500.00.
(g) In addition to the penalties provided for in subsection (f) of this Code section, any vehicle which is ille-
gally parked in a parking place for persons with disabilities which is marked by a sign bearing the words
“Tow-Away Zone” as described in paragraph (3) of Code Section 40-6-221 on public or private property
may be towed away or caused to be towed away by a proper law enforcement agency or the official security
agency of said property at the expense of the owner of the vehicle or, if the vehicle is leased or rented, at the
expense of the person responsible for payment on the lease or rental agreement.
(h) A property owner who is required to provide parking places for persons with disabilities shall designate
each such place with a sign meeting the applicable requirements specified therefor by paragraph (3) of Code
Section 40-6-221 and upon failure so to designate each such parking place for persons with disabilities shall
be subject to a fine of $150.00 for each place which is not so designated; provided, however, that the fine
will be waived if the required designation is made within 14 days from the date of citation. If that property
owner fails or refuses to designate properly the parking places for persons with disabilities within such 14
days, the property owner shall, on the fifteenth day after receiving the citation, be subject to the $150.00 fine
for each place and an additional $5.00 fine for each place for each day that the owner fails to comply with
provisions of this subsection until the places are properly designated. All fines assessed under this subsection
shall be paid into the treasury of the city or county issuing the citation against the owner.