Can you park in a disability parking space in New Jersey?

You are making a quick stop at a store in New Jersey and the only open space is marked for people with disabilities. Your vehicle is not authorized to park there. What should you do?
The answer
Do not park there. New Jersey bars standing or parking in a space marked for vehicles for people with disabilities, on public or private property, unless the vehicle is authorized and a person with a disability is the driver or a passenger.
R.S.39:4-138 lists spaces appropriately marked for vehicles for the physically handicapped, the term used in the 2010 text. It applies on public and private property.
The only parking allowed in such a space is by a vehicle authorized to park there where a person with a disability is the driver or a passenger.
Exceptions
- A vehicle authorized to use the space may park there when a person with a disability is the driver or a passenger.
Why this rule matters for safety
Marked spaces and access aisles give people with disabilities room to enter and exit their vehicles.
Official sources
- P.L.2009, c.257 (amends R.S.39:4-138) · New Jersey LegislatureClause (o) of R.S.39:4-138. Approved January 17, 2010; wording is from that date and later amendments were not checked. The text read states no penalty.
Rules checked against these sources on . Laws change. Confirm with the New Jersey agency before you rely on this for a legal matter.
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