How to Drive a Used Car Home in Ontario
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Driving Without Licence Plates in Ontario
- Driving Without Licence Plates in Ontario
- Can You Drive a Vehicle in Ontario with No Licence Plates?
- Rules for Licence Plates
- How Do You Get Licence Plates for Your Car in Ontario?
- Registration Process
- Can You Drive a Car You Just Bought Without Plates?
- Temporary Licence Plate
- Licence Plate Offences
- What is the Penalty for Driving Without Licence Plates in Ontario?
- Fines and Licence Plates
- Different Types of Licence Plates
- Government Officials
- Green Vehicle Plates
- Historic Vehicles
- Personalized Licence Plates
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- Can You Drive a Vehicle in Ontario with No Licence Plates?
Can You Drive a Vehicle in Ontario with No Licence Plates?
The answer is no. You cannot drive a vehicle on public roads in Ontario without having the proper licence plates. This is a rule that is enforced by the Highway Traffic Act. The requirement for registering a motor vehicle in Ontario goes all the way back to 1903 and up until 1911 vehicle owners had to provide their own licence plates. After this point, the Province of Ontario took over issuing the required plates.
Rules for Licence Plates
- Every motor vehicle must have two plates attached to it.
- One licence plate in the front
- One licence plate in the back
- Both licence plates must be fully visible
- Licence plates cannot be inside the vehicle
- They cannot be hung from the windows
- Licence plates cannot be dirty or obstructed with debris or any objects
- Protective coverings used on licence plates cannot obstruct the plate from being fully visible in any way
- The plates cannot be damaged or broken
How Do You Get Licence Plates for Your Car in Ontario?
To get your required licence plates you will need to obtain them from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. This is done when you go to register your vehicle. The registration includes getting your vehicle permit, licence plates and licence plate sticker. You will need all three to be able to drive a specific vehicle in Ontario.
The licence plates belong to the licenced owner of the vehicle. They do not belong to the vehicle. Therefore if the vehicle is sold or taken off the road, then the licence plates are removed from the vehicle. They are kept in possession of the owner.
If an owner decides to buy another vehicle, they do have the option of using the licence plates they have purchased. But, these plates now have to be registered at the Ministry of Transportation as applicable to the new vehicle. This will be done through the registration process that is required for every vehicle.
Registration Process
The applicant needs;
- Driver's licence or RIN
- Completed used vehicle package
- Proof of purchase
- Proof of Insurance
- Original vehicle permit from the seller
- Plate portion of permit ( provided you already have licence plates_
- Safety standards certificate to get licence plate sticker
If the buyer of the vehicle does not have licence plates, they will need to purchase them at this lime. The cost for these with a permit is $59.
Can You Drive a Car You Just Bought Without Plates?
If you are buying a new vehicle from a car dealership, they normally look after the entire registration process.
Temporary Licence Plate
To use your licence plate temporarily, you will need a temporary licence plate sticker. It might be that you need a few days to get the vehicle to a vehicle inspection station. You need to drive it there legally which means you need a sticker, but in this case, you can purchase a temporary sticker that can be used with your licence plate. It will only be valid for ten days. To obtain this, you will need;
- Vehicle permit with a FIT or TMP status
- Proof of Insurance
- Your existing licence plates
- Plate portion of vehicle permit
If you don't have plates, you will have to purchase them before you can be issued a temporary sticker
Licence Plate Offences
There are various types of offences that can take place with the licence plates which results in fines.
Some of the common offences are;
- No plates on the vehicle
- Two plates are not on the vehicle
- Both plates are not displayed properly
- Part of either plate is not totally visible
- One or both plates are dirty
What is the Penalty for Driving Without Licence Plates in Ontario?
Fines and Licence Plates
There are hefty fines for driving a vehicle in Ontario without licence plates such as;
| Drive motor vehicle, no plates | $85.00 |
| Drive motor vehicle, fail to display two plates | $85. |
| Drive motor vehicle, plate improperly displayed | $85. |
| Fail to remove plates on ceasing to be owner | $85. |
| Fail to retain plate portion of permit | $85. |
| Deface plate | No set fine |
| Alter plate | No set fine |
| Use defaced plate | No set fine |
| Permit use of defaced plate | No set fine |
| Permit use of altered plate | No set fine |
| Remove plate without authority | No set fine |
| Use plate not authorised for vehicle | $140. |
| Permit use of plate not authorised for vehicle | $140. |
| Use or permit plate not in accordance with Act | $140 |
| Use or permit plate not in accordance with Reg. | $140 |
| Confuse identity of plate | $85. |
| Obstruct plate | $85 |
| Dirty plate | $85. |
| Entire plate not plainly visible | $85. |
| Obstruct plate, preventing accurate photograph by red light camera system | $85. |
| Obstruct plate preventing accurate photograph | $85. |
| Obstruct plate preventing identification by toll system | $85. |
Most often with driving infractions the fine is levied against the licence plate holder. Even if the owner of the licence plate was not driving the vehicle at the time of infractions.
The Ontario law requires that every licence plate that is being used on a vehicle driven on Ontario roads has a valid sticker. These stickers are renewed each year or every two years depending on the preference of the applicant. Sometimes when an individual goes to get their sticker, they discover it is being denied because there is an unpaid fine that applies to that licence plate. This is a new rule that came into effect in May of 2017 for Ontario.
Different Types of Licence Plates
Government Officials
Government Officials are assigned specific serial numbers for their licence plates.
Green Vehicle Plates
Those that own and drive green vehicles not only get a special looking licence plate, but it comes with some extra perks. They can only be used by plug-in hybrid, electric, and battery operated vehicles. This special plate allows the vehicle it is on to have access to HOV Lanes.
Historic Vehicles
Any vehicle in Ontario that is more than thirty years old can qualify for a historic licence plate. These cost less, but there are restrictions to the use of the vehicle that is plated with one of these.
Other categories of plates are commercial plates, farm plates and non-passenger plates.
Personalized Licence Plates
Something that has become quite common is to now have personalized licence plates. These can be personalised in some ways;
- The plate buyer can choose the graphic they want from a choice of 60+ that are available
- It can contain any combination of numbers and letters
To purchase the personalised licence plate the buyer must have the driver's licence number or RIN. All outstanding fines must be paid before these plates can be purchased. This also includes any outstanding payments that are owed for the Highway 407 toll.
- The cost for the personalised is around $310. For two to eight characters but no graphic.
- If there is a graphic then two to six characters are allowed with it at the cost of $336.40.
The owner of licence plates has the responsibility of making sure that the plates are properly used and remain compliant with the laws.
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How to Drive a Used Car Home in Ontario
Source: https://www.ratelab.ca/driving-without-licence-plates-in-ontario/
One Comment
If I get a electric car from China and it's top speed is 60kmh. Do I still need a license?