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Motor Vehicle Prohibitions

Last updated on March 4, 2024

Under the Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation of the provincial Wildlife Act, motor vehicle use on crown land in B.C. may be prohibited or restricted.

The content on this page is a summary of the Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulations. It is not legal advice and does not provide an interpretation of the law. In the event of any conflict or difference between this webpage and the regulations, the regulations are correct and legal and must be followed.  Regulations are subject to change from time to time, and it is the responsibility of an individual to be informed of the current regulations.

On this page:

Motor Vehicle Prohibitions regulations

Motor Vehicle Prohibitions (MVP) are put in place for a variety of reasons. MVPs can be used to:

  • protect habitat
  • reduce disturbance and displacement of wildlife
  • provide areas for hunters on foot, bike or horseback to hunt without motorized vehicles present
  • reduce hunter harvest while maintaining hunting opportunity

Motor vehicles include but are not limited to:

  • vehicles
  • ATVs/UTVs
  • snowmobiles
  • motorcycles
  • electric bikes

Unless specifically exempted, all motor vehicle prohibitions include private land.

For full definitions and detailed regulations, visit Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulations.

Under the Forest and Range Practices Act, it is illegal for individuals to cause environmental damage including any change to soil that adversely alters an ecosystem. While travelling on a Forest Service Road, operators of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) are required to hold a valid driver’s licence and carry a minimum of $200,000 third-party liability insurance. For more information, visit Off-Road Vehicles.

Conservation Officers are responsible for enforcement of these laws and regulations.

Types of motor vehicle restrictions

There are 2 types of motor vehicle restrictions under the Wildlife Act, and all types can be seasonal or year-round. For full definitions and detailed regulations, visit Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulations.

  1. Motor Vehicle Closed Area (formerly referred to as Access Management Areas (AMAs): Prohibits the use or operation of a motor vehicle and e-bike. These prohibitions can be for all motor vehicles, or specific to ATVs/e-bikes or snowmobiles.
  2. Motor Vehicle Hunting Closed Area: The operation of motor vehicles and e-bikes to hunt, transport wildlife, transport equipment and supplies which are intended for or in support of hunting, or transport hunters to and from the location of wildlife is prohibited. These prohibitions can apply to all motor vehicles, or be specific to ATVs/e-bikes or snowmobiles.

Signage

If Vehicle Use Prohibited signs are present, respect them and do not drive into these trails and roads for the purpose of hunting. Before going into a closed or restricted area, it is your responsibility to research maps or regulations and not become dependent on signs. It is an offence under the Wildlife Act Section 83(2) to remove, damage, alter or destroy any sign legally posted in support of access management.

To learn more about closure areas, please refer to the Wildlife Act's Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation.

Motor vehicle prohibition and restriction maps

The majority of MVP maps can be found in the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis (PDF, 12MB). Some more detailed, georeferenced PDF maps can be found below. All MVP maps will be located here at a future date.

These maps are intended for general information purposes only. Where there is a discrepancy between these maps and the Regulations, the Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulations are the final authority.

To view all MVP maps by region see below:

Snowmobile closures

The B.C. government has closed areas to snowmobile use across the Mountain Caribou range in order to support population recovery. The link below shows the areas closed to snowmobiling under the Wildlife Act. Maps are georeferenced PDFs so they can be used in mobile applications to determine your location relative to boundaries, open riding areas and trails.