The District of Lakeland and Great Blue Heron Provincial Park are now licencing ATVs. This licencing system includes only vehicles identified under The All Terrain Vehicles Act as ATV’s including restricted use motorcycles, mini-bikes, all terrain cycles.
Please refer to the application and bylaw for full requirements for licencing your ATV.
Upon approval of your application, you will be given a plate that must by affixed to the rear of the ATV, and must be easily visible.
Do I need to get a plate?
No. You are still required to follow the provincial laws regarding ATVs, which much of our application process is just an acknowledgement toward. As always, you can use a trailer to bring your ATV to places where you are permitted to operate by the All Terrain Vehicles Act (click to download the pdf), which includes unoccupied crown land, Highway right-of-way, and private land with permission from the land-owner.
The intent of the bylaw is to remove the need to trailer your ATV to legal points of operating for the majority of ratepayers of the District of Lakeland. Without a plate, it is NOT legal to operate on municipal land including roads in the municipality.
Is _________ a violation?
Please refer to the full bylaw under “Rules of the Road” and “General Violations”. Provincial violations remain and aren’t summarized by the bylaw, please keep in mind traffic safety laws.
What do I require to apply?
The application has a checklist for the things needed to operate an ATV, but for the application to be approved in our office we need to see:
- A valid driver’s license to operate on the highways.
- A physical copy or emailed copy of your liability insurance in amount of no less than $200,000.
The person applying for the licence should be the same person we see at the counter, as we need to check your photo ID and ensure the forms are filled out correctly by the owner of the ATV.
Can I operate within the Great Blue Heron Park?
Yes, but you will need to acknowledge the park’s rules on operating an ATV, and fill out an additional form. Here is the 2021 form.
So with the plate, I can drive anywhere within the District of Lakeland?
In Murray Point you are prohibited from operating on Bedford Street and Foster Street east of the intersection at Herriot Crescent, as well as Victoria Avenue from Bedford Street south to Provincial Highway (Highway 952). At Bell’s Beach you are prohibited to operate on Bell’s Beach Drive between Bay Drive to Highway 263. In Ambrose, you are prohibited from operating on Ambrose Lane (but there is a trail available adjacent to the road).
Generally, you are prohibited from operating on all public beaches, all parking lots owned by the municipality, and all public land with 10 meters (33 feet) of the lakes.
This is not a complete list of prohibited operation of ATVs, please refer to the bylaw.
What If I’m Selling my ATV?
Plates are non-transferable. You will have to return the plate to the office and if the new owner intends to operate within the municipality, they will have to make their application. We cannot transfer the plate from owner to owner, but if you are purchasing a new ATV, we can transfer your plate from the old machine to the new one.
Can my kids ride my licenced ATV?
Someone aged 14-17 can operate an ATV if:
- The ATV is not operated on highways except for the sole purpose of crossing the highway by the shortest route possible; and
- They must be supervised by a person who has held a continuous/valid license for one year, and have taken a course, however are prohibited from operating on a highway.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of what is allowed or not allowed, nor is it the exact language of the bylaw. Please refer to the bylaw when determining if you are in violation or not.