Starting May 1st, 2017, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will deny the purchase, attachment, renewal or transfer of licence plates (or special/temporary permits) for Ontario drivers with unpaid fines related to driving offences, including those under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) and Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act. Any outstanding fine will need to be paid at ServiceOntario before plate purchase/attachment/transfer/renewal.
This is similar to the process already in place to collect outstanding parking fines and unpaid highway tolls.
What Ontario Drivers and Dealers Should Know
As it is common for dealers to facilitate the registration and licensing of vehicles for customers, dealers should know:
- fines dating back to May 1, 2010 must be paid before a licence plate can be purchased, attached, transferred or renewed
- the majority of unpaid fines are less than $500 but some are significantly higher
- any customer with defaulted driver fines will also have a suspended driver’s licence
- Application for Vehicle Registration, form SR-LV-006 (new vehicles)
- vehicle permit (used vehicles)
- if a dealer chooses to pay outstanding fines for a customer, the dealer will receive two receipts and, if the customer is eligible, a temporary driver's licence, which must be provided to the customer
the fine amount and the ability to pay on behalf of customers will only be available to dealers if the customer's signature is on the paperwork provided for the transaction:
More Information
For additional information related to these licensing changes contact Elizabeth Marles, Vehicle Programs Office, Ministry of Transportation, at 416-235-3433. More information about vehicle licensing can be found on the MTO or Service Ontario websites.