The Mexicali City Council voted unanimously to eliminate the fee for the Tarjetón Azul (Blue Card), a disability parking pass, for parents, legal guardians, and caregivers of neurodivergent or autistic individuals. The measure grants free access to preferential parking spaces for families who were previously excluded from the benefit.
Closing a Gap in Existing Law
Before the vote, Mexicali’s disability parking rules focused primarily on people with permanent physical disabilities. That left families caring for individuals with autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental conditions without equal access to the Blue Card. The council’s unanimous decision corrects that gap by formally extending the benefit to neurodivergent residents.
The Tarjetón Azul allows holders to park in designated accessible spaces at public and commercial locations throughout the municipality. Mexicali, the capital of Baja California with a population of roughly one million, is now among the first cities in the state to explicitly include neurodivergent conditions in its accessible parking program at no cost.
How to Apply for the Blue Card
Applicants must appear in person at the designated municipal office with the neurodivergent or autistic individual. The required documents include a medical evaluation or an existing disability credential, an official government ID, a clinical summary from a treating physician, and a valid vehicle registration card (tarjeta de circulación).
All four documents must be presented together at the time of application. The city did not announce a deadline for applications, and the benefit appears to be ongoing once the regulation takes effect.
Context for Baja California Residents
Mexico’s federal disability inclusion law (Ley General para la Inclusión de las Personas con Discapacidad) recognizes various forms of disability, but local implementation of parking benefits varies widely by municipality. In many Mexican cities, accessible parking programs have historically required proof of physical or mobility impairment, leaving neurodivergent individuals and their caregivers in a gray area.
The Mexicali council’s vote brings the city’s policy closer to the broader definition of disability used by federal law. For English-speaking residents who drive in Mexicali, the Blue Card is the locally recognized equivalent of a disabled parking placard. U.S. or Canadian handicap placards are not automatically honored in Mexico.
This story was first reported by The Baja Post.