(a) The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety shall issue parking permits for persons with disabilities at every place where it issues drivers' licenses. The department shall also receive applications for and issue parking permits for persons with disabilities by mail and shall by regulation require such proof of disability or incapacity as is necessary to issue such permits by mail. Permits shall be in such form as the department prescribes but shall be of sufficient size and sufficiently distinctively marked to be easily visible when placed on or affixed to the driver's side of the dashboard or hung from the rearview mirror of the parked vehicle. Permits shall be made of plastic or heavyweight cardboard and shall be of sufficient quality to ensure that the coloring of the permit and the ink used thereon will resist fading for a period of at least four years. Permits shall be issued to individuals, and the name of the individual and an identification number shall appear on the permit. The individual to whom a permit is issued may use the permit for any vehicle he or she is operating or in which he or she is a passenger. Permits shall also be issued to institutions when the primary purpose of a vehicle operated by the institution is to transport individuals with disabilities. The name of the institution, the license number of the particular vehicle, and an identification number shall appear on the permit. The institution may use such permit only for a vehicle which is operated by the institution and which is used primarily to transport individuals with disabilities.

(b) The department shall issue a temporary permit to any temporarily disabled person upon presentation of an affidavit of a practitioner of the healing arts stating that such person is a temporarily disabled person, the specific disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk, and a date until which such person is likely to remain disabled. The temporary permit shall be predominantly red in color and shall show prominently on its face an expiration date the same as the date specified by the physician for the likely termination of the disability, which date shall not be more than 180 days after the date the permit is issued. The expiration date shall be printed in a size of print that is legible when the permit is hung from the rearview mirror or displayed on the driver's side of the dashboard.

(c) The department shall issue a permanent permit to any person who is obviously permanently disabled and to any other permanently disabled person upon presentation of an affidavit of a practitioner of the healing arts stating that such person is a permanently disabled person and the specific disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk. The department shall also issue a permanent permit to an institution which operates vehicles used primarily for the transportation of individuals with disabilities, upon presentation of a certification from the institution regarding use of its vehicles. The institution shall receive permits only for the number of vehicles so used and shall affix the permits to the driver's side of the dashboards of such vehicles. The permanent permit shall be predominantly blue in color and shall show prominently on its face an expiration date four years from the date it is issued. The expiration date shall be printed in a size of print that is legible when the permit is hung from the rearview mirror or displayed on the driver's side of the dashboard. (d) Any individual to whom a specially designated disabled veteran's license plate has been issued pursuant to Code Sections 40-2-69 through 40-2-72 and any individual to whom a specially designated disabled person's license plate has been issued pursuant to Code Section 40-2-74 shall be authorized to park the passenger motor vehicle on which the specially designated license plate is attached in a parking place for persons with disabilities without the necessity of obtaining a parking permit for persons with disabilities pursuant to this part.

(e) The department shall issue a special permanent permit to any person who:

(1) Because of a physical disability drives a motor vehicle which has been equipped with hand controls for the operation of the vehicle's brakes and accelerator; or

(2) Is physically disabled due to the loss of, or loss of use of, both upper extremities.

This special permanent permit shall be gold in color and shall show prominently on its face an expiration date four years from the date it is issued. The expiration date shall be printed in a size of print that is legible when the permit is hung from the rearview mirror or displayed on the driver's side of the dashboard. Such a special permit may be used in the same manner as, and shall be subject to the provisions of this part relating to, other permanent parking permits for persons with disabilities and may also be used as provided in Code Section 10-1-164.1. In addition to any other required printing, the following shall be printed upon this special gold permit:

"Code Section 10-1-164.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated requires that any owner or operator of a gasoline station that sells full-service gasoline at one price and self-service at a lower price shall provide the service of dispensing gasoline at the self-service price for the holder of this special permit when such holder requests such service and is the operator of the vehicle and is not accompanied by another person 16 years of age or older who is not mobility impaired or blind."