Owners of older forklifts, excavators, and other non-road diesel engines have until the end of January 2020 to register their equipment with Metro Vancouver in order to continue using them across the region.

Metro Vancouver requires all Tier 0 and Tier 1 non-road diesel engines, which have little-to-no emission controls, to be registered and labelled as part of its Non-Road Diesel Engine Emission Regulation Bylaw, introduced in 2012 to manage emissions and protect the region’s overall air quality.

Non-road diesel engines are commonly used in construction, industrial, and commercial activity or are stationary machines that are not used for transportation on public roads.

Starting January 31, 2020, unregistered Tier 1 engines (pre-2004) will be prohibited from operating in Metro Vancouver unless they have been registered for a minimum of 90 days. Failure to comply with the regulation could result in fines of up to $200,000.

The operation of Tier 0 engines has been prohibited since 2015, unless the engine was previously registered for a minimum of 90 days.

The registration and labelling requirements of the bylaw do not currently apply to newer Tier 2, Tier 3, or Tier 4 engines.

Since 2012, more than 4,000 older engines have been registered in the region. In order to operate in Metro Vancouver, engine owners must pay fees based on the engine tier rating and horsepower. Use Metro Vancouver’s Engine Lookup Tool to check if your Tier 0 or Tier 1 engine is authorized to operate.

Information about the program, including how to register older non-road diesel engines, can be found on Metro Vancouver’s website.

You can also read the Metro Vancouver news release that discusses the issue.