ATV Ontario Club - Haliburton ATV Association

Haliburton Road Use

Bill 11 All Terrain Vehicle On Roads
Click here to view a copy of Bill 11

Provincial Highways Use
Provincial Highways in Haliburton County are open as specified under Bill II throughout Haliburton County with the following exceptions.
- Highway #35 south of Carnarvon closed
- Highway #118 between Eagle Lake Rd and Dover Springs Rd. on either
side of Haliburton Village closed.

County Road Use
County Roads are completely open in Minden Hills, Algonquin Highlands and Highlands East. In Dysart only #121 and #1 are open at this time.

Municipal Road Use
Municipal Roads in Minden Hills, Algonquin Highlands and Highlands East are completely open. In Dysart municipal roads are not open with the following exceptions.
- Koshlong Lake Rd. from Donald to Koshlong Dam Rd. Open
- Koshlong Dam Rd. to Gooderham trail Open
- Municipal right of way from rail trail east of Haliburton to Parish Line
and then south to Gooderham are Open
- Soyers Lake Rd. across from Pinestone Resort Open

You can go as far as the town dock in Haliburton Village if you wish to dine or pick up supplies and gas. You cannot proceed past the Haliburton town dock parking lot.

In Minden Village the roads are open but please stick to the main thoroughfare as indicated on our map insert to avoid residential complaints.

ATV Definition For Insurance Purposes

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

tires are low pressure "balloon" style tires

has steering handlebars

has seat designed to be "straddled" by the driver

must weigh 450 kilos or less

overall width not greater than 1.35 metres excluding mirrors

atv must not be modified to reduce it's effectiveness and must operate properly without missing parts

equipped with service brake & parking brake mechanism

one or two white headlamps on front and one or two red tail lights on rear

atv's manufactured after January 1/98 must have red stop lamp(s) incorporated as part of rear light or as a separate lamp

one yellow reflector on each side of atv front

one red reflector on each side of atv rear

one or two red reflectors at back rear

no obstructions to drivers view

This definition above is consistent with the Ontario Highway Traffic Act however for insurance purposes we would also include in our policy "two up" straddled atv's currently produced by BRP, Artic Cat & Polaris as ATV brands. While these atv's are not currently included under the ANSI/SVIA standards as identified in HTA Regulation 316 they are in common use as All Terrain Vehicles and meet the above criteria with the exception of ANSI/SVIA conformity as they have not undergone a consistent standard of testing to date. While these "two up" bikes are legal on designated trails it is recognized that they cannot be ridden "two up" (as is the case with any atv) under HTA316 on roadways (highways) or on public access crown forest roadways (highways) under current HTA316 requirements. Other all terrain vehicles such as dune buggies, "side by side" seated atv's, 3 wheel atv's, motorcycles and argo's and/or vehicles not meeting the above stated criteria are excluded from our atv definition and as such are not assigned an HATVA pass/membership.

Declaration on "Two Up" Riding

ATV's may be ridden "two up" on designated trails and private lands but not on roadways (highways) as defined under HTA Regulation #316. HATVA will allow "two up" atv riders provided they are using the designated trails. ATV's are responsible for their own actions and risk in situations where they might ride two up on roadways (highways) in breach of HTA #316 included forest access roads deemed to be defined as highways because of availability of public access by cars or trucks even though these roads may be open legally to atv's as defined or stated under HTA#316.

Declaration on Age of Use

All HATVA members must be 12 years of age or older to qualify for membership. It is recognized that the Off Road Act allows participation of children under 12 while being supervised by an adult parent or guardian however riders under 12 cannot become members according to HATVA bylaws. HATVA never condones riders or passengers on open roadways (highways) that do not conform with regulation HTA #316 pertaining to highway use including the requirements of drivers license, atv insurance, atv plating etc.

Declaration on Non Members On Trails

HATVA requires that all trail users on lands that carry and land use contract to have in place a Membership sticker or Temp Pass on their atv. All other atv's without membership pass are considered trespassers unless they are on the land at the invitation or request of the landowner. In cases of public land such as Ontario Crown lands it is recognized that non members may also have use of the trails as per the current "right of passage" laws and be open under the public policies of the MNR.