New Regulations, Registration Fee For Off Road Vehicles
Prince George, B.C. – The provincial government has introduced the Off Road Vehicle Act which, it says, offers certainty, safety and regulatory structure for thousands of off-road enthusiasts. And it looks like a one-time only registration fee of about $48 will apply.
The proposed act, Bill 13, would replace the 40-year-old Motor Vehicle (All Terrain) Act. Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson says the new act was developed after extensive consultation with a multitude of stakeholders from across the province, including the Union of BC Municipalities. Thomson says the legislation “essentially provides an improved registration system and enhanced safety standards.” He says “the increased use of quads, snowmobiles and other off road vehicles (ORVs) allows people to get out and enjoy the province's backcountry. Bill 13 will help ensure these vehicles are driven in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.”
Key elements of the act include:
- A one-time registration system designed to integrate with the pre-existing structure of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia's vehicle registry. ORVs will have to be registered and display a clearly visible number plate before they can be operated on Crown or other public land.
- Allow the development of regulations on the rules of operation (such as wearing helmets), safety standards and conditions of use for a wide range of modern ORVs, including snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles or "quads", dirt bikes and utility terrain vehicles.
- Assist in identifying stolen or abandoned ORVs, by requiring ORVs to be registered in a database that is accessible to police officers at all times.
- Provide officers with more effective enforcement tools to target ORV owners who endanger others or damage sensitive habitat. This includes the ability to stop and inspect ORVs for violations, seize an ORV for safety or evidence purposes, and increase the maximum fine for offences from $500 to $5,000.
Thomson says “the legislation has been introduced (and) we will be taking it through the legislature. Regulations to support the implementation of the act are being developed for the fall of 2014.”
The Executive Director of the Grasslands Conservation Council, Scott Benton, says “the Grasslands Conservation Council has been engaged in this discussion along with a host of others since 2002. And in 2005 we submitted 47 recommendations to government. I was really pleased to see how many of them are captured in this piece of legislation. The discussion isn’t over yet. We’ve got lots more work to do on the regulatory piece, but the council is very pleased that we’ve got a solid foundation on which to move forward.”
Jeremy McCall, Executive Director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC, says “I’ve been involved in this process since 2005 or 06 and it’s been a very long process but we’re tremendously pleased that it’s finally coming to fruition.” He says “it is of tremendous importance to the umbrella organization of motorized recreationists because they have been extremely concerned about the lack of security for the vehicles and other aspects. And for the non-motorized members of our organization they also are going to be tremendously re-assured by this legislation and the regulations because of the problems they have had in identifying those occasional rogue members of the motorized community who they have been unable to do anything about. I suspect we’re going to see much better behavior by the motorized community as a result of this legislation."
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Editor's Note: Minister Thomson says regulations requiring helmet use by ORV riders are under development and that the legislation does require that helmets be worn. The type of helmet that will be permitted will be announced in forthcoming regulations.
Comments
Another tax grab!!!
They probably said the same thing when they started registering cars and trucks.
Is anybody really surprised? There are far too many idiots riding around on these things and no way to identify them.
And as long as the needless injuries and deaths continue, they’ll soon be need to be insured similar to cars.
Right you are Dragonmaster….and if this is what they are proposing then I think tey should also include motorized wheel chairs, scooters and the like, cause god knows this will
“Allow the development of regulations on the rules of operation (such as wearing helmets), safety standards and conditions of use for a wide range of modern ORVs, including snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles or “quads”, dirt bikes and utility terrain vehicles.
Assist in identifying stolen or abandoned ORVs, by requiring ORVs to be registered in a database that is accessible to police officers at all times.
And in turn give ICBC a little cash injection.
What about bicycles.
So this will “integrate with existing” registration. Let’s see… Right now I am required to register, I am required to display the decal / plate number and right now the police have access to the database. So what is changing, other than right now its $15 and this new way will be $48?
Bill 13 will help ensure these vehicles are driven in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.â
let me finish that.
and we found something else to over tax the people of B.C.cause overcharging for the use of camping spots wasn’t bringing in enough for our next useless trip to China.
Another regulation and attached fee to fix stupid.When will they realize you can’t fix it, no matter how much money you throw at it.
Just another money grab.My atv is already registerd with ICBC and I have to pay $125.00 a year to drive on logging roads etc.Have fun reading the decal number when it’s covered with mud.
Money grab! Just like registering sleds, guns, fishing license, hunting license, boating license… and so on! What exactly do we get for all this $$$$ we pay out??? I have given up on hunting, fishing, boating due to all the “Extra Fee’s” Guess it’s time to pack up and head for Alberta.
See ya and you well pay there to
About time! But why so cheap?
“Is anybody really surprised? There are far too many idiots riding around on these things and no way to identify them.”
This won’t help JB. Snowmobiles are supposed to display a plate but many don’t.
I figured it out. Of courselike every other fee and registration, it is only the law abiders who pay. So they are hoping that instead of the current 50% compliance at $15, they will have 25% compliance at $48 and be money ahead with less paperwork. The perfect plan!
Just job security for useless bearucrates and adding to the bloat.
One thing I do know, if people don’t smarten up and learn how do drive these machines properly, the regulations will get a lot more stringent and the costs to own one are only going to go up.
People can’t be counted on to regulate themselves, so the government will step in and do it for them.
And guess what, we’ll just bend over and take it like we always do. Wonder how ling it will be before the government hands out little tubes of Vaseline with each new set of regulations :-)
This will have about as much effect on people as the laws pertaining to talking on the phone and hand held devices. Totally ignored and if caught pay the fine.
We need to bring in licensing for sky divers. They can put the license plate on their helmet. Skiers also, and hockey players. They skate around like lunatics knocking each other over, breaking heads and bones, and costing the medical system millions of dollars. If hockey players had to get a license to play, we could recoup a lot of costs,
Plates for hockey players could be regulated by speed. The faster you skate the higher the license fee.
And cats, what about cats. Lets charge a license fee of $50 dollars for every cat you own. The plate could be wrapped around the tail so that it would be visible to everyone. See a cat without a plate. Off to the pound.
Spending $10,000 on a toy but don’t want to spend another $48 to register it.. The big tax grab is when you bought your toy(s) and every time you buy gas for it… Complaining about $48 after what you spent on it seems a bit goofy to me.. But that is just my opinion :)
Maybe goofy should pay the 48 dollars then.
I guess now everyone who pays the 48 dollars it will automatically make you a more safe and responsible rider , right ,,,I need a drink after reading this like I did when reading I needed a boat license to go troll for a fish in a tiny lake in the middle of nowhere with my deadly 9.9 horse ,, my god when will it end .. right ,, never ,,and they will make you pay for the tube of Vaseline also really4sure.
Does this law allow me to stop a 12 year old brat on a trail bike riding back and forth down my street with excessive noise and excessive speed to see if he has one of these regulations and registrations? I would like to poke a long stick into his bike’s spokes, but I guess that’s a no no. In closing, it’s only against the law if you get caught. Right?
People are missing the point. It’s not about the $48 making riders safer. Think bigger picture than that!
It’s really about recovering some of the costs to the system (hospitals, ERTS, police, etc.) that injuries and deaths cause every year. Get used to it.
I won’t pay it…simple, end of problem.
“Guess it’s time to pack up and head for Alberta” .. please do if you don’t think you should have to pay for a license to hunt and fish in BC.
Every time we turn around in BC another hand goes in our wallet and pulls out our hard earned already overtaxed money. Then told how we are to spend it legalize register it, insure it etc. This is a cash grab period… It’s not just $48. Add that up per ORV in a family that enjoys summer and winter motorsports. This will not solve anything other then funding money for another liberal pay raise or give power to exuberant RCMP officer giving a fine or taking away someone’s leisure toy when he or she should be out working on the real crimes.
oldman1, now i have heard of another person that bought the liability insurance for logging roads etc besides myself. I know tons of people with quads snowmobiles etc but no one buys insurance or the decals. Im all for safety but show me how they will enforce this other than just pocketing more $$$ each yr. The 48 bucks is not the problem. I spend that in a day by the time i drive out to the bush then unload my rhino for a ride. If safety is the concern then sell insurance for them right at the dealer like u have to with an automobile.
The word safety must be made of rubber, it is stretched every which way.
I call horse apples, this is revenue for the province, but what the province will not figure out for two years is that the administrative and enforcement costs will far exceed the amount collected. So, expect this $48 fee to go up, to cover costs, you know;)
metalman.
omgreally–The insurance that I have is for if i should run into a car etc this insurance would cover the other person’s damage and not for myself.If you do not have any insurance it is my understanding that the fine is around $175.00 and the tow truck may take your atv also.When you get this insurance you do not get any decal or L plate.The insurance is with ICBC.
the $48 is peanuts the real rip off will be when you buy or sell a used atv. they will get us for PST when we re-register.
There ya go Kendoo. Did you know that everytime you buy a boat of any size you are expected to self report and pay the PST on it? That 12 foot aluminum tub you bought that is 20 yrs old has PST owing to the king and queen.
Really??? You forgot the co’s strutting around in their go to war gear, one hand on their gun which is protection from rabid wild salmon.
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