OPP News Release - Dirt Bike and ATV Laws

OPP News Release

 

With the nice weather in place, more people are hitting the trails and enjoying outdoor activities on their Off-Road Vehicles (ORV). The East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind riders to have a safe and enjoyable summer season, but be mindful of the laws in place.

 

Dirt Bikes:

- A two wheeled dirt bike is classified as an Off-Road Motorcycle (ORM) and these are NOT permitted on Schedule B highways – ie. City streets, Highway 108, Highway 17 - Anything that the municipality or Ministry Transportation Ontario (MTO) maintains.

- Dirt bikes are supposed to be walked to a trail head entry.

- They are to be green plated unless operation is on a closed race-track or one’s own private property.

- Dirt bikes can be operated on trails and Schedule C highways – dirt roads in unorganized townships that are not under the jurisdiction of the MTO or a municipality.

- There are no lights (headlight, signal, brake light), tires are designed for dirt, insurance may not be required, and class M license not required. These are strictly for off road use only

 

An ATV is an ORV that:

- has four wheels, the tires of which are all in contact with the ground,

- has steering handlebars,

- has a seat that is designed to be straddled by the driver, and

- is designed to carry: (i) a driver only and no passengers, or

(ii) a driver and only one passenger (minimum 8 years-old), if the vehicle, (a) has one passenger seat that is designed to be straddled by the passenger while sitting facing forward behind the driver, and (b) is equipped with foot-rests for the passenger that are separate from the foot rests for the driver.

 

Side – by – Sides:

“Side by Sides” and 2-up ATV’s are permitted to travel on some roadways as well. ATV’s that are capable of carrying a passenger are also legal, provided the passenger seat and foot pegs are in place from the manufacturer.

ORV Highway Traffic Act (HTA) Regulatory Requirements:

To operate on a Highway/City streets requires:

- Permit

- Plate

- Insurance

- Proper helmet and/or Seatbelt

- Driver’s licence of Class G2 or M2 or higher (16 years)

- Any passenger must be at least 8yrs old

- Speed limit of 20km/h in zone not greater than 50km/h

- Speed limit of 50km/h in zone greater than 50km/h

- Lights must be turned “on”

 

Always check local by-laws pertaining to ATV/ORV rules specific to the municipality you are riding in.

 

Off Road Vehicles (ORV’s) are permitted on Schedule B/C highways as of July 1, 2015. This includes 4-wheeled ATV’s, side-by-sides, and multi-purpose four wheeled Off-Highway Utility Vehicles (ie. Kubota, John Deere, farm vehicles with the dump boxes)

 

Extreme Terrain Vehicles (ie. Argo, Polaris six-by-six), three wheeled ORV’s (ie. Old Honda Big Red 3-wheeler or ATC 3 -wheeler), and two-wheeled dirt bikes are still prohibited from Schedule A (multi-lane like 400 series) and Schedule B highways.