Off-road vehicle registration rules frustrating owners

There is growing frustration amongst owners of off-road vehicles in B.C. over new licensing regulations.

Under the new rules owners of an off-road vehicle such as ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles caught on Crown land without the properregistration and insurance information could be fined up to $230.

ICBC requires proof of ownership back to the original purchaser of the vehicle and a $48 registration fee.

The requirement was introduced as a voluntary process in November 2014, and was made mandatory in June 2015.

Steve Wheeler, the owner of No Limits Motorsportsin Squamish, says there has been no end to complaints from his customers.

"It's a little challenging, right? 'Cause to show the proof of ownership, it'shard when peoplehave nodocumentation to prove theirownership."

He says many owners threw out or lost therelevant forms before the new rules came into effect, because theysimply weren't neededunless owners planned to drive their off-road vehicleson-road.

Benefits to registering

The province says registering will help recover stolen vehicles and aid in search and rescue efforts, and despite thefrustrations,there are no plans to relax enforcement.

Even with the complaints he's heard from customers, Wheeler agrees the new rules will improve the off-roading experience in B.C.

"It helps the government know how many machines are actually out there, so trail access is going to be a lot better. They're going to know that there are hundreds of thousands of these vehicles around B.C.," he said.

A full list of the documents required to register off road vehicles, old and new, can be found on ICBC's website. Off-road vehicles do not require registration to drive on private property.