Bill Text: NJ S4461 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes parking privileges for certain immediate family members of persons with dementia.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-15 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Transportation Committee [S4461 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4461-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes parking privileges for certain immediate family members of persons with dementia.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning parking and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Chief Administrator" means the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
"Commission" means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission established by section 4 of P.L.2003, c.13 (C.39:2A-4).
"Dementia" means a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes due to organic brain disease that has no curative treatment and is marked by memory disorders, changes in personality, deterioration in personal care, impaired reasoning ability, and disorientation.
"Immediate family member" means a spouse, child, parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin, grandparent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half sister, whether the individual is related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
2. a. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall, upon application, issue a special parking placard to be used by an immediate family member of a person with dementia. The placard is to be displayed on a motor vehicle operated by the immediate family member when the vehicle is parked while the immediate family member is rendering health or personal care services to the person with dementia to whom the immediate family member provides care.
b. When a placard is displayed, as authorized pursuant to this section, the immediate family member shall be authorized to park the motor vehicle:
(1) in on-street areas that are generally reserved for municipal residents, municipal parking lots, and college and university parking lots;
(2) overnight in on-street areas that are generally reserved for municipal residents, municipal parking lots, and college and university parking lots when overnight parking is prohibited;
(3) overtime at metered parking for up to 24 hours in one location with no penalty imposed; and
(4) in parking spaces restricted for use by persons with disabilities at medical facilities and retail locations.
c. The parking placards shall be valid for two years from the date of issuance and may be renewed provided that the immediate family member continues to provide health or personal care services to the person with dementia to whom the immediate family member provides care. The commission may impose on each immediate family member a fee of not more than $50 for each parking placard application and a renewal fee of not more than $20 for each parking placard renewal. Each placard or renewal shall be valid until the last day of the 24th calendar month following the calendar month in which that placard or renewal was issued.
d. A parking placard shall display a unique identifying number that shall be recorded by the commission and maintained by the commission in a central registry.
3. a. A person who uses a placard to receive parking privileges established pursuant to P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) for any purpose other than parking a vehicle while rendering health or personal care services to the person's immediate family member with dementia shall be subject to a fine of $250 for the first offense and a fine of $250 and up to 90 days of community service, on such terms and in such a form as the court shall deem appropriate, for each subsequent offense. Each parking placard is for the exclusive use of the person to whom it has been issued, is nontransferable to, and will be forfeited if presented by, any other person. Abuse of any privilege, benefit, use, or consideration granted to any person to whom a placard is issued shall be sufficient cause for revocation of the placard and shall subject the person to all other penalties in . P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)
b. The chief administrator shall notify the Attorney General, who shall, in turn, notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies of the placard established pursuant to P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
c. Any person who submits a false statement or provides false information on an application to obtain or facilitate the receipt of a placard, or the misuse of a placard pursuant to P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, which may be assessed by the commission. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed in any way to preclude or limit the prosecution or conviction of any person for falsifying or tampering with records under N.J.S.2C:21-4 or for any other crime or offense.
4. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
5. This act shall take effect on the first day of the 12th month after enactment. However, the chief administrator may take anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to issue, upon application, special parking placards to the immediate family member of a person with dementia, indicating that a motor vehicle is operated by the immediate family member rendering health or personal care services to a person with dementia. Under the bill, an immediate family member that displays the placard may park the person's motor vehicle: (1) in on-street areas that are generally reserved for municipal residents, municipal parking lots, and college and university parking lots; (2) overnight in on-street areas reserved for municipal residents, municipal parking lots, and college and university parking lots when overnight parking is prohibited; (3) overtime at metered parking for up to 24 hours in one location with no penalty imposed; and (4) in parking spaces restricted for use by persons with disabilities at medical facilities and retail locations. The bill also requires the Chief Administrator of the MVC to notify the Attorney General who is to then notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies of the placard.
The bill provides that the parking placard is to be valid for two years from the date of issuance and may be renewed provided that the immediate family member continues to provide health or personal care services to the person with dementia. The MVC may impose on each immediate family member a fee of not more than $50 for each parking placard application and a renewal fee of not more than $20 for each parking placard renewal. Each placard or renewal is to be valid until the last day of the 24th calendar month following the calendar month in which that placard or renewal was issued. A parking placard is to display a unique identifying number that is to be recorded and maintained by the commission in a central registry.
The bill also provides that each parking placard is for the exclusive use of the person to whom it has been issued, is nontransferable to, and will be forfeited if presented by, any other person. Abuse of any privilege, benefit, use or consideration granted to any person to whom a placard is issued is to be sufficient cause for revocation of the placard and subjects the person to certain other penalties as prescribed in the bill. In addition, the bill establishes certain penalties for an individual who uses a placard to receive the parking privileges established under the bill for any purpose other than parking a vehicle while rendering health or personal care services to an immediate family member with dementia.
Finally, any person who submits a false statement or provides false information on an application to obtain or facilitate the receipt of a placard, or the misuse of a placard, is to be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, which may be assessed by the MVC. Nothing in this bill is to be construed in any way to preclude or limit the prosecution or conviction of any person for falsifying or tampering with records or for any other crime or offense.
