British Columbia Vehicle Registration Data Archive

Welcome to the real "meat-and-potato's" of this web-site; the section that will hopefully be the most useful to both the hardcore collector, and casual observer of British Columbia license plates. It is here that you will find all the pure stats (no analysis, or interpretation on my part) regarding the issuing of license plates since 1904.

British Columbia Vehicle Registration Data
1904 to 1912

When the Act to Regulate the Speed and Operation of Motor Vehicles on Highways was passed in 1904, Section 3 required the Superintendent of Provincial Police to issue for each registered motor vehicle a number, and to "cause the name of such owner, with his address and the number of his permit, to be entered in a book to be kept for such purpose."

The first "Register" purchased by the nascent Motor Vehicle Department of the Provincial Police was approximately 200 pages and was used to record only the most basic details of automobile owners such as the Permit No., its date of issuance, along with the first initials, last name and city of residence of the owner.

This Register would be used from February 29, 1904, through February 28, 1911, and would contain information for vehicle registration numbers. 1 to 1,397.

A new Motor-traffic Regulation Act was passed on March 1, 1911, prompting the introduction of a new Register which now recorded the issuance of Dealer and Chauffeur registration numbers.

These Registers of the "pre-provincial" era would only be used for another two years, or until the Motor-traffic Regulation Act was amended on March 1, 1913, and introduced the concept of an annual licence plate and the re-issuance of numbers each year (starting at No. 1).

The following links (yet to be activated - stay tuned) are of the various Registers used between 1904 and 1912:

No. 1 to 1,397
1904 - 1911
(Volume 1)

Coming Soon

No. 1,031 to 1,296
1910
(Volume 2)

Coming Soon

No. 1,296 to 1,794
1911
(Volume 3)

Coming Soon

No. 1 to 1,726
to Dec. 1912
(Volume 4)

LEGISLATION:

1904 - An Act to regulate the speed and operation of Motor Vehicles on Highways (.pdf)

1905 - An Act to amend the "Motor Vehicles Speed Regulation Act, 1904 (.pdf)

1911 - An Act to regulate the Use and Operation of Motor-vehicles (.pdf)

British Columbia Vehicle Registration Data
1913 to 1920

No. 1 to 2,434
1913 - 1919
(Volume 8)

No. 2,435 to 2,987
1913 - 1919
(Volume 10)

No. 2,988 to 5,436
1912 - 1916
(Volume 14)

No. 2,988 to 5,436
1916 - 1919
(Volume 12)

No. 5,437 to 7,891
1913 - 1917
(Volume 16)

Coming Soon

No. 5,437 to 7,891
1917 - 1919
(Volume 18)

No. 7,892 to 10,347
1914 - 1920
(Volume 20)

No. 10,348 to 12,793
1917 - 1920
(Volume 22)

Coming Soon

No. 12,794 to 15,243
1917 - 1920
(Volume 24)

Coming Soon

No. 15,244 to 17,770
1918 - 1920
(Volume 26)

British Columbia Vehicle Registration Data
1921 to 1976

	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929
1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979

Is technology not great? Six years after starting this section of the web site, instead of having to type these tables out, I can now simply scan the old MVB records into .pdf documents that can be uploaded to the site for your viewing convenience. In other instances, we have transcribed available records so that they are more legible:

1920	1921	1922	1923 (103 kb)	1924	1925 (104 kb)	1926	1927	1928	1929
1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945 (71 kb)	1946 (73 kb)	1947 (75 kb)	1948 (79 kb)	1949 (74 kb)
1950 (74 kb)	1951 (77 kb)	1952 (77 kb)	1953 (76 kb)	1954 (76 kb)	1955 (80 kb)	1956	1957	1958	1959
1960	1961	1962	1963	1964 (7.1 mb)	1965 (7.2 mb)	1966 (7.3 mb)	1967 (7.1 mb)	1968 (7.3 mb)	1969 (7.0 mb)
1970 (8.1 mb)	1971 (11.1 mb)	1972 (5.6 mb)	1973 (6.7 mb)	1974 (13.8 mb)	1975 (5.8 mb)	1976 (9.2 mb)	1977	1978	1979

British Columbia Licensing Data

1925 was the first year that a British Columbia Driver's License was issued, and the following information shows how many vehicles were registered, and under what types. Missing years 1973-74, and 1985-present.

1925-29	1930-34	1935-39	1940-44	1945-49
1950-54	1955-59	1960-64	1965-69	1970-74
1975-79	1980-84	1985 -89	1990-94	1995-99
2000-04	2004-09