Acreage Rig

Alberta rules for ATVs and side-by-sides on the farm

Which Alberta rules apply when you use an ATV or side-by-side for farm and ranch work: OHS for hired workers, helmet exemptions, using highways for farming, and young riders.

Farm work sits in a few special spots in Alberta's rules. Here's what the Government of Alberta says, and where you still need to check your local rules. For general off-highway vehicle rules (registration, insurance and riding on public land), see North AB Trails' OHV rules guide, a sister site we also publish.

Occupational health and safety: only for waged, non-family workers

Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act sets minimum standards for waged, non-family farm and ranch workers. According to the Government of Alberta:

  • OHS rules apply only if a waged, non-family worker is present on the farm or ranch, and then only to those workers.
  • They don't apply to family members of the farm or ranch owner.
  • They don't apply to the private residence, including the lawn, backyard or garden, when people are doing non-work activities. They also don't apply to recreation on your land, such as horseback riding or hunting.
  • Some operations don't count as farm and ranch operations for OHS, including greenhouses, nurseries, sod farms, landscaping and boarding pets.

If you hire help and they'll run your ATV or side-by-side, read the government's farm and ranch OHS page. Your obligations as an employer apply to them.

Helmets: when farm work is exempt

Since May 15, 2017, Alberta has required CSA-compliant helmets on off-highway vehicles on public land. The Government of Alberta lists several exemptions. Helmets aren't required when you use an OHV:

  • on your own property, or on private property with the owner's permission
  • on First Nations reserve or Métis Settlement lands
  • while doing farm or ranch work that's exempt from Alberta's OHS laws
  • if you wear a turban as a member of the Sikh faith

They also aren't required in vehicles with manufacturer-installed rollover protection and seatbelts that haven't been modified and are being worn properly. Many side-by-sides qualify. Most ATVs don't.

Not required doesn't mean safe. Alberta Agriculture recommends a helmet for ATV work, and so does Alberta Health Services. A rollover in a coulee or a low branch in the shelterbelt doesn't care whose land it's on. More detail is in our guide to the helmet-law farm exemptions.

Using highways and road allowances for farm work

The Government of Alberta says the only provincial Ministerial Order lets four-wheeled ATVs use three-digit-numbered highways during daylight in the course of farming operations or an emergency. Anything else depends on your municipality. Contact your county or municipal district to find out whether a bylaw lets OHVs use local roads or ditches, and under what conditions.

Alberta also excludes "farm machinery" from its definition of an off-highway vehicle. That doesn't make an ATV or side-by-side farm machinery because you use it on the farm. If you're unsure how your machine is classified, ask your municipality or insurer.

Young riders on the farm

Alberta Agriculture's ATV safety guidance says:

  • No one under 16 should operate an adult-size ATV.
  • Make sure a child or youth rides only an ATV that fits their age, weight and maturity, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
  • Wear an approved helmet with face and eye protection, ride sober, and never carry or be a passenger on an ATV built for one person.
  • Take an ATV operator training course.

Alberta Health Services goes further and strongly recommends that children under 16 not ride ATVs at all, even youth models. Side-by-side manuals set their own minimum ages. For example, Segway's Fugleman UT10 manual says the driver must be at least 16 and hold a valid driver's licence. If you're deciding whether a child should run chores on a machine, read our sister site First Quad, which covers the age and size guidance in detail.

Training

The Canada Safety Council runs an ATV rider course. For questions about farm safety programs, the Alberta Farm Safety Program lists a toll-free line, 310-FARM (3276).

Need a machine set up for farm work, or service on the one you have? Talk to Frontier Mitsubishi (Grande Prairie), Borderlands (High Level and La Crete) or Frontier Auto & Imports (Whitecourt, AODES).

Sources

Guides in this section