The City of Vancouver has two types of commercial vehicle permits:

• BC municipal decal
• Commercial permit plate

Licensed commercial vehicles can:

• Stop in commercial loading zones and lanes for up to 30 minutes to load or unload materials
• Stop in passenger zones for up to 30 minutes (until 12:00 noon only) while loading or unloading materials and commodities
• Use a metered parking space without paying on any day up to 10:30am, excluding 7:00am to 9:30am rush hour zones.

Renew your plate and decal annually

Decals and plates can be renewed for the following year on 1 November.

Decals are valid in participating municipalities throughout British Columbia.

• See the list of partner cities on the Union of BC Municipalities website  

Apply for a plate and decal

Does your vehicle qualify?

For a vehicle to be licensed as a commercial vehicle, it must be used for the collection or delivery of goods, wares, merchandise, or other commodities in the ordinary course of business.

Vehicles used by businesses for administrative or sales-related tasks are not eligible to be licensed commercially.

The permits you need depend on your vehicle's signage

Apply with supporting documents

Up to five vehicles

Apply at the Licence Office in person (see location at right). Bring current ICBC vehicle registration and insurance documents that show the vehicle is being used for commercial or business use.

More than five vehicles

Prepare your application by completing the Commercial Vehicle Fleet Form, below.

• Commercial Vehicle Fleet Form  (169 kb)

Apply with the completed form and photocopies of current ICBC registration and insurance documents for all vehicles:

• by fax to 604-871-6394 (give a contact name and phone number on your fax cover sheet or form)
• in person to the Licence Office (see location at right).

We will contact you when your decals and commercial permit plates are ready for pickup.

It takes up to one week to process your application

Processing time for commercial vehicle decal and permit plate applications:

• Up to 5 vehicles: immediately
• More than five vehicles: approximately one week 

How to pay

Once your permits are approved, pick up your permits, and pay in person at the Licence Office. You may pay by:

• Cash
• Cheque or money order (payable to the City of Vancouver)
• Debit
• Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)

Display your permit correctly

• Decal: Affix the BC municipal decal on your windshield
• Plate: Securely fasten the commercial permit plate to the front of your vehicle, or display it on you dashboard